Tattoos & Identity

Tattos have existed for thousands of years. Though originally associated in Western cultures with particular socio-economic groups (British sailors after the American revolution, biker gangs, etc), tattoos are becoming more and more ubiquitous. A 2010 Pew Research Center study found that tattoos are gaining in popularity— roughly 20% of Americans are tattooed, and among Millennials that number increases to 40%. This increase has led to a reconsideration of tattoos in sociology journals. Throughout the 60s up until the late 90s, most studies of tattoos focused on the connection between being inked and suffering from a mental illness. Negative perceptions of tattoos, and particularly of women with tattoos, led to research that connected tattooing with forms of bodily mutilation. Kosut reconsiders these studies in light of the increased acceptance of tattoos in mainstream society. Her work illustrates the role of tattoos in constructions of identity.

In the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the diverse motivations for tattooing are discussed. While the study, a seminal one for the subject, retains the biases that Kosut points out, it also considers the ways in which tattoos allow individuals to self-identify with a particularly quality, reference, or group.

The tattoos shown in this exhibit illustrate the role body ink plays in identity formation. For one individual, her tattoo is “a daily reminder of who [she] is.” Another stresses the role her tattoo plays as an articulation of goals met, of races completed and yet to come. These tattoos have a diverse range of subjects, but nearly all are representations of close relationships with texts, family, or friends. They serve as reminders of important moments and discoveries. One individual stresses the temporal nature of tattoos—his text means something different now than it originally did. Kosut highlights this in her research, where the behind meaning a particular tattoo is created and recreated by the viewer’s context and experiences. Chris Weller, in a 2014 issue of The Atlantic, highlights this temporality of tattoos and their function in creating stable identity for Millennials. The individuals within this exhibit have taken personal memories, texts, or references to write their own stories as they write on themselves.