Efectos de incumplimiento del pago de las Cuotas; Recursos de la Asociación.

The previous chapter explored discourses that centred on regulation and social norms, specifically focussing on the notion of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ ways of being tattooed, the generational difference in how tattoos are accepted and understood, the regulation of mothers who are tattooed, and finally, how professionalism is negotiated whilst being tattooed. It highlighted some of the gender and class specific issues that arise from being a tattooed woman, including the multiple roles that women negotiate, and how tattoos intersect with these. Following from a focus on social norms, in this chapter, the discourse of tattooed female bodies will be explored. Within the interviews, tattooed women’s bodies were discussed in a number of different ways, and will be explored in turn. Firstly, there is a focus on the ageing body, and how tattooed bodies are constructed differently in relation to the age of the body they are on. Second, the ways that tattoos represent an emotional marker on the body are explored, and how these points of emotional stability are embodied. In addition, the visibility of tattoos on the body is considered, which highlights how the tattooed female body is constructed in certain ways depending on how visible tattoos are. Finally, tattoos being constructed as art on the body is considered, exploring how this construction changes the way that the body is understood. Overall, this chapter will show how understanding how the body is represented is key in the constructions formed of tattooed women.

6.1 - Ageing Bodies

One of the issues that emerged in relation to the complexities of tattoo imagery and placement in relation to body was that of age. In the majority of the interviews, age was referred to both implicitly and explicitly when considering tattoo choices on their own body, and the bodies of others. The majority of the women who discussed age were over the age of forty, though some of the younger interviewees also discussed issues relating to age. The issue of age was not constrained

to a particular age – both younger and older bodies were referred to in respect to tattoos. This first extract draws upon an integral aspect of ageing, making reference to the inevitable change in bodies as we age:

But yeah, I don’t regret having any of them done, like when people say that like when you get older and your skins gonna sag and well it’s gonna go anyway isn’t it (laughs) [Ruth]

At the start, Ruth states how ‘I don’t regret’ any of the tattoos she has, as though regret is an expected part of attaining tattoos at a younger age (Ruth discusses her tattoos previously in the interview, and how she got most of them when she was quite young). Research tends to focus on the younger body in tattoo choices (Ferreira, 2011), and how this is often perceived to be a negative, with younger people seemingly not being responsible (Dickson et al., 2014) or giving consideration for their futures (Hawkes, Senn, & Thorn, 2004). The choices that she made in respect to her tattoos are then justified from a position of the ageing body. She acknowledges that as you age ‘your skins gonna sag’, and that the comments that other people have made in respect to this indicate that the ageing process is something undesirable, and seen as a negative. A youthful body is regarded in a more positive light in Western society, with the majority of media focussing on youth and youthfulness as important (Carter, 2016; Han & Rudd, 2015). This is also indicative of one of the issues with tattoos on the body, in that they visibly show the ageing process on the body – the ink changes colour and can distort as the skin moves and changes. She finishes her point in a joking tone, commenting on how ‘it’s gonna go anyway isn’t it’, in reference to the ageing process. Here, ageing is produced as inevitable, expected, and normal. The only thing that makes the ageing process different for her body is the inclusion of tattoos that show the process in a more visible manner. Within this extract, she also positions ageing as an issue that other people have, as they are the ones she refers to in respect to the

comments about ageing and skin sagging. She seems to remove herself from seeing ageing as a negative, and is not preoccupied with the negative associations of having skin that will change with age. Negative associations with tattoos and older bodies were also mentioned by other interviewees in respect to tattoo choices, producing accounts of tattoos done in the ‘right’ way:

I’ve got some older women who come in the shop and they’re older than me or my age, and like covered in like (pause) tramp stamps or whatever you call them or something, I don’t know, like in blocks or like a dolphin, and I think like, why would you have that’ [Maud]

To reiterate the scope of the current research, all of the women who were interviewed are tattooed themselves. In the above extract, Maud explicitly makes judgements about the tattoos of other women that she sees, and uses this example perhaps as an extreme case of difference, of how not to do a tattoo. She herself only has one tattoo – a small lily on her foot – a stark contrast to the large, bold, and visible tattoos that she mentions on the other women. In this sense, she is producing a notion of right and wrong in tattoo choices, but more so in relation to age. By discussing age as a factor (‘older than me or my age’) she is implicitly making a point that they should ‘know better’, or that they are perhaps too old to do tattoos in that way. In Western society, an ideal is formed centred on age that suggests that women should grow old gracefully (Jankowski et al, 2014). With age indicating what kinds of behaviours are appropriate, large, visible, and bold tattoos are not positioned as age-appropriate. Maud also makes reference to another key issue in women’s tattooed bodies by making reference to the ‘tramp stamp’, a derogatory and working class-based term for a tattoo on the lower part of a woman’s back. Whilst the comment made is an example (‘tramp stamps or something’), the use of the word ‘covered’ in line with the tramp

stamp suggests a body that is tasteless, tacky, and excessive (Irwin, 2003).

The tattoos being intertwined with age is pointed out when Maud provides more specific details about the tattoos of the women she’s referring to, through the acknowledgement of passing trends in tattoos (‘like in blocks or a dolphin’). The passing trends, such as the dolphins and the barbed wire of the 1990s (Lynch, 2014) visibly show the age of the wearer, through the knowledge of the time that the trend was in fashion. In relation to her own tattoo narrative, she mentions these tattoos as though there were pointless or meaningless (‘why would you have that’), which is in opposition to her own, given the meaningful nature of hers to a significant life event. In this sense, her tattoo is done in the right way, but theirs are not. The tattoo must be appropriate for the body, and the age of the body is key to this decision.

Ageing has also been referred to in a jokey way by the women in the interviews – they acknowledge the inevitability of ageing, but at the same time, want to point out that there may be more important things for them to be thinking about during older age than their tattooed bodies:

oooh aren't you going to regret that when you're older, and it's like I'm really going to regret something that I had in my youth I enjoyed that gave me happiness I'm really gonna be thinking about that in my seventies with my zimmerframe when I can't barely be controlling my bladder functions do you really think I'm gonna regret tattoos (laughs) [Lydia]

The jokey comment here highlights the significance that others give to tattoos in respect to the ageing body, but this is brushed off by Lydia. She is aware that her tattoos may look different as she ages, but is also aware that there are other things – as she hints to health – that may be more important for her to focus on than her tattooed skin. The tattoos are of importance to her – as she points out, they

give her happiness and carry a strong meaning in relation to her identity. However, the tattoos are only one part of her, rather than being all of who she is. Because the tattoos are significant to her, she cannot see that this would be an issue for her in the future, especially in relation to other factors that affect the body as we age (Tiggemann & McCourt, 2013). Instead of giving too much focus for how her body may look as she ages, and see her tattoos as something to regret, she positions them as fond memories that she will be able to look back on. In this sense, she has not let the notion of regret and ageing put her off from tattooing her body – she is agentic in her decision. The comment that she refers to that is clearly meant as a warning by others (‘you going to regret that when you’re older’) also makes reference to the stereotype that people make decisions on younger life that they will then regret (Madfis & Arford, 2013) and they haven’t given responsible consideration for their future (Dickson et al., 2014). It also implies that women should ‘be’ a certain way as they age, and having a tattooed body does not fit with the ideal notion of what women should look like as they age.

The consideration for the ageing body in relation to tattoos has affected the choices of some of the other women, not so much in whether they should get a tattoo or not, but rather, where the tattoos should be positioned:

Well faces changes, faces change and they develop, and, and so do tattoos, and when you have well you know your skin is a certain way and has a particular elasticity, and, and, erm, hopefully your body doesn't change so much that it drops or it changes, but on your face, that would be really difficult cus you get wrinkles and lines and things sag, and you know, and that would really change the tattoo and it would really change your face [Belle]

What is articulated here is the visibility of the face as being the issue in relation to tattoos and the ageing body. Belle has a number of

larger tattoos, but they are all in places that are relatively hidden – with the face being the first thing we see of a person and the primary method for communication (Adams et al, 2012). Again, the issue isn’t necessarily with the tattoo, but rather where it is on the body and the change it would cause to the face. As Belle points out, given the way that the face can change as we age, it would change the tattoo, and would therefore not look the same as it did when it was at its best. The tattoo further shows the ageing process on the body, which is the issue, rather than the tattoo itself.

Belle does make a comment in the middle of the extract that pertains to not wanting the body to change too much as it ages (‘hopefully your body doesn’t change so much that it drops or changes’), implying that this would change the person, given the changes to the body. By the body ‘dropping’, it no longer retains its youthful and more desired appearance (Montemurro & Gillen, 2013).

To summarise the key points relating to the ageing tattooed body, there seems to be two prominent areas that stand out amongst the highly complex issue of the tattooed female body. Firstly, and perhaps most explicitly within the extracts seen above, ageing is a central issue for women in Western society, given the large focus by the media and industries such as beauty and cosmetics in the pursuit of keeping a youthful look. Tattoos visibly show the ageing process on the body, which for some women who try to hide the inevitable process is an issue. This issue was made more specific by some women referring to specific locations on the body for which this would be an issue – and these locations were those which were highly visible. With a tattoo being more visible, it is more open to scrutiny from others. The second key element of the argument relating to ageing bodies is the expectations that relate to ageing. Younger bodies are often positioned as reckless in youth, and that tattoo choices at this age are often irresponsible, not giving thought for important aspects of life such as jobs. However, issue also falls with

an older generation of women who choose to be tattooed, as it is expected that they should know better, and given the recent change in tattoo choices, older women fall prey to gendered expectations of the body more so than the younger generation. Regardless of the position along the ageing timeline, women are still subjected to idealised constructions of the body.

6.2 - Tattoos as a marker of stability

Within the discourse on bodies, an area emerged that highlighted the significance of tattoos and their relation to the body, which centred on the ways that tattoos can be a marker of stability. This permanent marker is embedded within the body, perpetuating a strong meaning for the wearer. This first extract provides an example of how a tattoo can serve as a point of stability in relation to family and relationships:

I've got my son's name, erm and then I've got a script, do you want me to read it out? "at some point there will hardly be any one about and it will most likely be just me and you". Erm it's something that [partner] said. I had a bit if crap going on with some friends here so I just got it done. Like it was a really long text message he sent me and this was a paragraph in the message, so I just thought yeah. It's stuck with me ever since because no matter what happens in your life like, to me like you know, it's a quote about me and my son, because it will always be me and him, but it's nice that [partner] said it to me. That's a bonus (laughs) [Betty]

There is a contextual significance in having her son’s name on her wrist – this tattoo would not be possible without her son. This is a strong signifier of motherhood, and produces a construction of motherhood, by showing his name on her skin. Similar to the above, the tattoo has been attained for her son, rather than for herself – she is using her skin as a way of showing her selflessness and her care for her family. There is a cultural significance in having her son’s name tattooed too, as this permanent symbol of the bond with her

child is considered as a sign of love and devotion (Sawyer, 2008). The cultural significance of this relates to the ‘rules’ it is based on – in that it is acceptable for someone to have the tattoo of a family member (i.e. a deceased loved one, a child), but it is not socially acceptable to get the name of a partner tattooed on the skin (ibid). The tattooed name of a partner is read poorly on the skin, as partner names are often cited as a source of regret and removal (Armstrong et al, 1996; DeMello, 2014), and the relationships are not considered as permanent and long lasting as are close family and children. What is of interest within this extract is how she discusses the script that is positioned with the name of her son, as this originally came from her partner, but she has altered the meaning so that it represents the bond she has with her son.

Name tattoos are considered as being synonymous with the construction of the working-class, especially the names of loved ones and family members (Back, 2007). This ‘classic’ tattoo is often found on a visible body part, with the use of bold ink that can be clearly read on the skin (DeMello, 2014). Building on this, the name can be read as a symbol of ownership (Adams & Raisborough, 2011), as the working class are depicted as visibly displaying their prize possessions for others to see their worth. Though the belonging of that name (child or partner) makes a difference as to how the body is read, the tattoo design itself produces a different construction that relates to social class. The change in meaning of the tattoo that Betty articulates removes some of the stigma associated with certain kinds of tattoos (Lane, 2014) and works with the body it is upon to form a meaningful narrative. Negotiation of this class construction occurs through the language that Betty uses to describe her tattoo. This negotiation between stereotypical working-class constructions of tattoos and middle-class reconstitutions of tattooing shows how tattoos do not allow for people to be pigeon-holed so neatly.

In this extract, she refers to the tattoo as ‘script’ rather than text, or as a text message, which the tattoo originated from. The use of the word ‘script’ makes the tattoo sound more serious and meaningful – the tattoo may not be read in the same way if it was firstly alluded to as a text message. The script itself serves to stabilise emotions that she has felt, making them fixed and coherent. Where she states ‘I had some crap going on’, she refers to ‘I’ in the sense that she was going through a period of stress, and emerged stronger following from the tattoo. Here, the tattoo serves as a mediating space for locating ‘I’, who she is. The tattoo itself was borne from an issue – it’s a statement, of who she is as a strong person, and how important her family are to her.

Family and relationships are mentioned by the majority of women, with other interviewees also highlighting the stabilising nature of their tattoos:

Well, I went for a tattoo with my daughter who’s obsessed with them, it was the end of my career and I was feeling sorry for myself. Oh and the man next door said I needed to bond with my daughter so I got a tattoo on my foot! [Maud]

Here, the tattoo serves as a mediating space for relationships, and enables Maud to bond with her daughter. The use of the wording ‘needed to bond’, rather than other phrases such as should or could, implies that this was an important thing to do. The connection between the tattoo and bonding is interesting, as they are positioned as being logically connected elements (‘I needed to bond with my daughter so I got a tattoo’), though given the context with Maud stating how her daughter is ’obsessed’ with tattoos, she sees this as