Women with Tattoos

When a woman changes her hairstyle, gets a new outfit, or completes an intense workout, she feels great about herself. Of course, every woman is different and these examples are just some of the things women can do to boost their self-esteem. A positive self-image can come from several sources: the positive opinions of friends and loved ones, flattering clothing, professional success, and more. However, it’s important to realize that self-esteem should primarily come from within. A woman who feels good about herself has more confidence in her personal, social, and professional life, and confidence is one of the most attractive qualities a person can possess.

Confidence

Confidence also means that more women are taking risks when it comes to their style and self-expression. In the last few decades, women have embraced tattoos as a form of visually appealing body art. A Fox News survey indicates that women have become much more comfortable with tattoos in recent years. The survey asserts that 47% of women under the age of 35 have tattoos and only 4% of women over 65 have tattoos. This shows that women have adorned their bodies with tattoos much more often in the last generation or two.

Women who choose to have a permanent message or symbol inked on their bodies are showing confidence in addition to artistic expression. There has been a stigma attached to tattoos for quite some time (i.e. people with tattoos were thought to be lazy, indecent, or unmotivated) tattoos are quickly becoming more socially acceptable. This is one of the reasons many women getting tattoos that showcase various parts of their personalities.

What the experts say

A Psychology Today article by Dr. Kirby Farrell states that people have been tattooing themselves since prehistoric times. Sometimes the tattoos were a way for someone to stand out; at other times, tattoos were a sign that a person belonged to a certain group or tribe. Tattoos can serve similar purposes for females today. A tattoo can be used to make a woman feel creative and uniquely beautiful. Or, she can choose to get a matching or coordinating tattoo with a friend or sister to celebrate their special bond. Every tattoo a woman has can remind her about a special time in her life or a lesson she doesn’t want to forget from a challenging experience in life. Some tattoos are on parts of the body that are easy for everyone to see (i.e. the arms or legs) while some tattoos are extremely personal in meaning and body placement.

Another recent study found that women with tattoos have a more positive self-image than women who have less than four tattoos or no tattoos. These researchers discovered that females who had tattoos are far more likely to have attempted suicide, although the study did not indicate that women with multiple tattoos become more depressed or suicidal as they get more tattoos.

Texas Tech University Sociology professor Jerome Koch was the lead researcher for the study and shared that he feels that females are “more aware of their bodies” due to the booming plastic and cosmetic surgery industry, fat-shaming, and over-sexualized images of women in the media. Koch believes that some women get tattoos to turn this awareness into confidence. He also concluded that many females with several tattoos continued getting body art after a failed suicide attempt as a way to take control of their emotions and mental state. Women also got tattoos after a major physical change such as surgically removing a breast due to cancer.

Tattoos will always be a deeply personal form of body art. Women who want to send a message to the world (or a reminder to themselves) with a tattoo are likely to use body art as a source of inspiration when it matters the most.

Questions or Concerns?

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