A new study explores the relationship between tattoos, body image, and self-esteem in young women.
The key takeaways:
- Women with tattoos showed lower self-esteem compared to non-tattooed women
- No difference found in body image between tattooed and non-tattooed women
- Strong association between body image and self-esteem in women with tattoos
- Tattooed women linked “ideal body” more closely with having tattoos
Source: PLOS One 2019
The Growth of Tattoo Culture
Tattoos have become increasingly mainstream in recent decades.
Once associated with gangs, prisons, or military service, tattoos are now commonplace.
About 30% of people under 30 now have at least one tattoo.
The rising popularity may be due to celebrity tattoo culture or seeing tattoos as a form of self-expression.
But psychologists have long been interested in what motivates people to get permanent body art.
Are tattoos an act of rebellion? A sign of underlying mental health issues? Or just a fashion statement like any other?
Measuring Tattoos & Self-Esteem in Young Women
This new study looked specifically at tattoos and self-esteem in young women aged 18-35.
The study had two groups:
- 60 women with at least one tattoo
- 60 non-tattooed women
All were screened for mental health disorders or substance abuse.
The women came mostly from middle class backgrounds.
Researchers used an innovative technique called the color repertory grid test (RGT) to measure self-esteem and body image associations.
How the Color Test (RGT) Worked
In the RGT, subjects looked at 8 colors and ranked them according to 7 constructs:
- Present self
- Ideal self
- Present body
- Ideal body
- Tattooed woman
- Preferred color
- Good/bad color
The order and ranking of colors provided insight into how women perceived themselves and tattooed women.
Large differences in rankings between constructs like present vs ideal self indicated low self-esteem.
Key Findings on Tattoos and Self-Esteem
Lower Self-Esteem in Tattooed Women
The study found a significantly larger gap between present and ideal self scores in the tattooed women compared to the non-tattooed group.
This suggests lower self-esteem in the tattooed women.
The finding aligns with previous research linking tattoos to lower self-esteem and even self-harm behaviors like cutting.
However, other studies have found no self-esteem differences or even higher self-esteem in tattooed individuals.
No Difference in Body Image Between Groups
Contrary to expectations, there was no significant difference in the gap between present and ideal body image in tattooed vs non-tattooed women.
Both groups showed similar levels of body dissatisfaction.
This contrasts with earlier studies finding tattoos associated with negative body image.
Link Between Body Image & Self-Esteem in Tattooed Women
However, the study did find a strong correlation between body image and self-esteem scores in the tattooed women.
No such correlation appeared in the non-tattooed group.
The results suggest body image plays a much larger role in self-esteem for tattooed women.
Previous studies have also identified body image as a key driver of self-esteem, especially in adolescent girls and young women.
Tattooed Women Associate “Ideal Body” With Having Tattoos
Finally, tattooed women showed a significantly closer association between their “ideal body” concept and the construct of a “woman with tattoos.”
The non-tattooed women showed a large separation between their ideal body image and “woman with tattoos” concept.
This unique finding suggests tattooed women tend to view their ideal bodies as having tattoos.
Getting tattoos may help them align their real and ideal body images.
Need for Additional Research in Women with Tattoos
While intriguing, the study had limitations.
The sample size was relatively small and only included women with minimal tattoos.
Men were not included.
The cross-sectional design also prevents determining any causal relationship between tattoos and self-esteem.
Long-term studies would be needed to unravel the temporal order – do tattoos cause changes to self-esteem, or does low self-esteem motivate tattooing?
Finally, details on tattoo motivation, meaning, and goals were not explored.
Understanding the personal psychology behind tattoos would provide a richer picture.
Despite limitations, the color ranking technique shows promise for measuring complex psychological constructs like body image associations.
More diverse samples could determine if results hold across gender, age, and degree of tattooing.
Trying to Understand Tattooed Women
This study contributes uniquely to understanding the personal drives behind modern tattoo culture.
The findings suggest young women may use tattoos to align their real and ideal self-concepts by associating tattoos with an “ideal body.”
Rather than rebelling against mainstream ideals, tattoos may represent attempts to meet internalized ideals of beauty and self-worth.
This mirrors other techniques like makeup, cosmetic surgery, and revealing fashions.
With tattoos becoming increasingly normalized, the psychology behind them may also shift.
Further research can continue illuminating whether tattoos represent self-expression, individuality, belonging, or efforts to change oneself.
References
- Study: Do young women with tattoos have lower self-esteem and body image than their peers without tattoos? A non-verbal repertory grid technique approach
- Authors: Semion Kertzman et al. (2019)
