1. ‘Covered’ Gender Resistance and Identity Narratives through Tattooing
A documentary video project
Beverly Yuen Thompson, Ph.D. Women’s Studies Program Texas Woman’s University

2. Tattooing Once Was a Male Domain… (stereotypically considered prevalent in male subcultures such as military/sailors, prisons/gangs, outlaws/bikers, blue collar workers)

3. Male-tattoo culture represents women as…
Shop girl
Piercer
Girlfriends wives
magazines
Books

4. The ‘Chick Spot’ Tattoo: Women’s place in tattooing is gender normative: wives of tattooists and collectors of gender-appropriate tattoos (small, cute, hidden)
Tattooing in itself is not rebellious against gender norms, because you can use tattooing to accentuate sexiness and girliness.

5. Feminist/ visual/ ethnographer
Methods: (n= 60)
Feminist/ visual/ ethnographer

6. “heavily tattooed” women crossing the line…
Placement
Size
Design

7. Tattooed Circus Ladies 1880s -1950s

8. Contemporary heavily tattooed women expressing themselves
Different
Interesting
Challenging norms
Subcultural
humor
Beautify
Self-expression
Spiritual
Life milestones
Unusual hobbies
relationships
Identities
artwork

10. Redefining Beauty Outside of the Box
Normative femininity is abandoned, along with the straightjacket of conformity to impossible ideals.
This opens a space to re-create their own terms of beauty, identity, and empowerment.
They can establish their own guidelines, outside of mainstream media pressures and thus retain higher self-esteem than those oriented towards achieving normative “beauty.”

11. Body Image

12. Rock ‘n Roll Moms: “You’re a mother now…”

13. Public Reactions: stares, touching, and rude comments.

14. Family reactions
Mom cried
Acceptance

15. Employment discrimination: legal and socially acceptable
“Covering” for work or school

16. “I Wanna Be Covered…”
Conform to society
True to self