Tattooed female bodies: Considerations from the literature

In this article, we present an overview of literature that explores tattooed female bodies. Focusing particularly on literature on femininities and embodiment, we consider how tattooed women’s bodies are read culturally, and the implications of this reading for our further understanding of the social construction of femininities. We explore how hegemonic notions of femininities and embodiment intersect in our cultural reading of women’s tattooed bodies. To conclude, we look at how femininities and embodiment are important in under- standing how femininity is constituted, how women experience their tattooed bodies differently, and what this means in terms of how the body is read culturally.