Why get tats? Is it for attention, self-expression, rebellion, something spiritual, an addiction, a group identity, or just drunken impulsiveness?
From the field of social semiotics, which studies the use of signs in communication and meaning, comes this book about the function and intent of tattooing.
Based on an ethnographic study of a tattoo studio with in-depth interviews with tattoo artists and their customers, Professor Chris William Martin explores the changing practices of tattooing over the past several decades and the meaning-making involved.
"I argue that tattoos provide an anchor of stability in the treacherous waters of contemporary society. Some enthusiasts take refuge in using their body to represent self-identity, cultural change and gendered resistance, artistic and emotional signifiers, and a trove of other meanings through their engagement in body art practices," Martin explains.
"I suggest this anchoring of self in tattoos is an act of rebellion against the superficiality of contemporary life and its ephemeral qualities."
The Social Semiotics of Tattoos: Skin and Self by Chris William Martin. Bloomsbury Academic, 2018