Tattooing and the Gender Turn

Since the 1990s, the West has seen a significant increase in women entering the tattoo industry as professional artists. Examining this kind of work through a sociological and feminist lens, Tattooing and the Gender Turn explores the experiences of women tattoo artists in what has historically been a male-dominated industry to reveal how tattooing has undergone a ‘gender turn’ and a subsequent shift in gender relations.

Drawing on interviews with women and queer tattoo artists from across the US, UK and Australia, Emma Beckett conceptualises the tattoo industry as a source of employment and labour in addition to exploring how it operates as a sub-culture. Highlighting how women artists negotiate gendered capital and gendered labour amidst industry hierarchies and demands on authenticity, Beckett uses a gendered lens to explore and problematise the industry as an often unequal place of work and employment. Chapters also explore how women artists are using online platforms to disrupt and challenge the problematic aspects of the tattoo industry, disrupting harmful behaviours and initiating change.

Putting women artists and their experiences at the centre of its gaze, Tattooing and the Gender Turn appeals to those interested in subcultures, employment and labour, as well as other male-dominated industries where women have to navigate and negotiate the terms of their femininity in order to succeed in their chosen career.

Emma Beckett is Lecturer in Health and Social Care at New College, Swindon, UK, and an honorary research fellow in the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Warwick, UK. Her research interests include Subcultures; Gendered and Emotional Labour and Gendered Capital, specifically within the service industries and traditionally ‘male’ dominated spaces; and the Sociology of Health. Emma is also interested in exploring ways in which feminist activism and feminist pedagogy can be successfully employed in the classroom.