Tattoos have become increasingly common among women, especially during emerging adulthood between ages 18-25.
A new study provides fascinating insights into how tattoos may impact women’s bodily experiences and mental representations of their bodies.
Key Facts:
- Tattoos are permanent body modifications that have been associated with both positive and negative aspects of self-esteem and body image.
- 327 Polish women aged 18-25 with at least one tattoo participated in the study.
- Researchers found 3 main types of mental body representations among tattooed women: integrated, unstable, and disordered.
- Women with integrated body representations had the most positive body experiences and highest self-esteem.
- Women with disordered body representations had the most negative body experiences and lowest self-esteem.
- The number of tattoos did not correlate with mental body representations.
- Tattoos may help regulate emotions and manage psychological trauma for some women.
Source: Arch Womens Ment Health 2023
Tattooing as a Form of Body Modification
Tattooing involves inserting ink into the dermis layer of the skin to permanently change its pigmentation and create decorative designs or meaningful images.
Although tattoos were historically associated with specific cultural or social groups, they have become mainstream and normalized, especially among Millennials and Gen Z.
Surveys show that around 30% of people aged 18-25 in Western countries have at least one tattoo.
Tattoos allow people to intentionally modify their external appearance and bodily aesthetics.
Unlike fashion or makeup, tattoos cannot be easily removed or changed on a daily basis.
The permanence of tattoos suggests they may hold deeper psychological significance in shaping people’s body experiences and self-identity.
Past Research on Tattoos and Body Image
Previous studies on tattoos have focused on assessing correlations with self-esteem, body appreciation, self-perceived attractiveness, and indicators of mental health or trauma.
However, results have been mixed.
Some studies found lower self-esteem among tattooed individuals, especially women, potentially due to cultural stigmas and negative social perceptions.
Other studies found no significant differences in self-esteem between tattooed and non-tattooed people.
A few studies suggested tattoos may increase body satisfaction and uniqueness.
Overall, the impact of tattoos on mental health and body image remains unclear.
Very little research has specifically analyzed how tattoos may influence women’s bodily experiences and mental representations of their bodies.
Examining Mental Body Representations of Tattooed Women
The recent study aimed to close this research gap by exploring mental body representations of tattooed women aged 18-25, a prime period for identity development and getting tattoos.
Mental body representations consist of:
- Body image – perceptions, attitudes, and emotions towards one’s body
- Body schema – sense of bodily form and control over movements
- Body sense – physical sensations and awareness of needs
The study utilized quantitative questionnaires to assess mental body representations and self-esteem among 327 Polish women with at least one tattoo.
The women were divided into groups based on number of tattoos and tattooed bodily areas.
Major Findings: 3 Types of Body Representations
Analysis uncovered three main types of mental body representations among the tattooed women:
1. Integrated Body Representation
- Most common type (45% of women)
- Highly positive body image, body schema, and body sense
- Viewed body as agentic, accepted appearance, in tune with physical needs
- Highest self-esteem
2. Unstable Body Representation
- 36% of women
- Moderate scores on all domains
- Some dissatisfaction with appearance
- Periods of negative body image
- Moderate self-esteem
3. Disordered Body Representation
- 19% of women
- Low scores on all domains
- Highly negative body image
- Viewed body as limiting and defective
- Disconnected from internal physical signals
- Lowest self-esteem
These results indicate tattooed women do not share one unified bodily experience.
The number of tattoos did not correlate with mental representations.
However, greater imbalances between body image, schema, and sense were associated with lower self-esteem.
Tattoos as Emotion Regulation and Trauma Coping
For women with disordered body representations, researchers theorized tattoos may serve as emotion regulation and help cope with trauma, similar to self-harm behaviors.
The pain and permanence of tattoos could enable women distressed by their bodies to express psychological anguish physically.
Tattoos could also shift focus away from emotional suffering by producing endorphins and covering disliked body parts.
These hypotheses align with past findings linking tattoos to histories of trauma and mental health issues.
More research is needed to investigate motivations and therapeutic benefits of tattooing for different subgroups.
Implications & Future Directions to Consider
This groundbreaking study demonstrates tattoos play a nuanced role in women’s bodily experiences during emerging adulthood.
The discovery of integrated, unstable, and disordered mental body representations among tattooed women has several important implications:
- Tattoos may improve body perceptions for some women but exacerbate body image issues for others.
- Therapists should address motivations for getting tattoos and resultant effects on body image.
- Tattoos could potentially help patients with eating disorders or past trauma regulate difficult emotions.
- Women’s motivations for getting tattoos likely depend on their existing mental body representations.
There are several promising avenues for further research:
- Comparing mental body representations between tattooed and non-tattooed women
- Investigating differences between women and men who get tattoos
- Using neuroimaging to study emotional regulation during tattooing
- Evaluating the therapeutic benefits of tattooing for trauma recovery
- Considering how tattoo designs and bodily placement impact body experiences
Conclusion: Tattoos & Mental Body Representations
This research makes major strides in unraveling the intricacies of how tattoos may impact mental body representations and conceptions of the self among young women.
The discovered connection between disordered body perceptions and tattoos as emotion regulation provides immediate clinical value.
Moving forward, mental health professionals must recognize tattoos as meaningful symbols intertwined with psychological experiences of embodiment rather than insignificant markers of risk-taking behaviors or psychopathology.
With tattoos becoming increasingly prevalent, understanding their nuanced roles in constructing identity and regulating emotions is essential.
References
- Study: Mental body representations of women with tattoos in emerging adulthood – a cluster analysis
- Authors: Klaudia Jablonska & Beata Mirucka (2023)
