| dc.description.abstract | For many years, there has been much stigma surrounding tattoos, especially speaking about women. Tattoos are typically viewed as something masculine that no woman should have. However, tattoos are just another thing that people use to decorate their bodies and express who they are. In this thesis, I have studied the experiences of tattooed women and how they use tattoos to express themselves to better understand the role of tattoos in women’s lives and to reduce the stigma surrounding them. I conducted a qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with four tattooed women. I analyzed the data by using Erving Goffman as a theoretical framework, focusing on his concepts of frontstage and backstage, sign vehicles, and his theory on how people are assigned roles by society. The data shows that two women interviewed experience stigma because of their tattoos, while the other two do not. The ones that do not experience any judgment surrounding their tattoos can show off their tattoos whenever they want, and they use them to express to others who they are. On the other hand, the women who experience stigma are forced to hide their tattoos around people who see tattoos as taboo, which stops them from freely expressing themselves. Women use tattoos as self-expression when they are in situations where their interactions will be positive or when they are in the privacy of their home or backstage. | |
