This study synthesizes theories and concepts related to gender and labor, and embodied cultural capital to articulate a framework that allows for investigation into how gender, and the intentional and unintentional acts that comprise it, interacts with and shapes professional workplace behavior and business interactions. The study weaves together interviews with nine women tattoo artists as part of a bigger picture of professionalism in the masculinized tattoo industry, which may rely more on feminized acts of service than the performance of traditional masculinity.
The interviews illustrate that tattooers must navigate gender in their presentation of professionalism, from how they display their bodies to how they engage in personal interactions. While historically tattooers may have conveyed professionalism through authority and
machismo, those traits are now perceived as childish and egotistic; according to these women, real professional tattooers treat their clients as equals and recognize that they might not be the right artist for every project or every person. With the industry-wide shift from flash to custom work, a cooperative, individualized design process makes sense, and this collaboration between artist and client entails navigation of gendered power dynamics. Artists are simultaneously professionals with expertise and service providers who must cater and defer to their client’s wants and needs.
Social media – in particular Instagram – has transformed parts of the industry in significant ways, restructuring the traditional business model to give the client more leverage
over both the individual tattooer and the industry as a whole (Preston, 2018; Sinclaire & Vogus, 2011). It facilitates an artist’s performance of professionalism through self-branding and
relational labor. In person, artists manage their embodied cultural capital through body work and emotional labor with the goal of giving their client the best, most personalized experience possible and a tattoo they love.
This study makes several empirical and theoretical contributions. At the empirical level, it offers insight into professionalism in an industry that has received little attention from scholars of gender and work. It also informs a deeper and more current understanding of the performance of professionalism now that potential clients find artists primarily through Instagram. At the theoretical level, this study contributes to knowledge of the relationships between gender, body, labor, and professional identity. It introduces the concepts of short- and long-term embodied cultural capital. It also contributes to the body of literature on performativity and presentation of the self, and it integrates theories and concepts from various disciplines to develop a new way to approach the study of gendered work environments in other industries, whether masculinized or feminized.
EPILOGUE: MOVING FORWARD
There are a many options for furthering this research. First, it must be noted that while this study intended to address race and class in addition to gender, most of the participants did not raise those subjects on their own, and when they were asked probing questions about race or class, the conversation rarely lasted more than a few exchanges. This is only mildly surprising given that only two participants were not White, despite concerted efforts to recruit artists of color. I am certain, however, that there is more to discover at the intersection of race, class, gender and professional identity. This represents perhaps the most important avenue of additional exploration.
Another obvious path forward includes interviewing male tattoo artists. Interpreted through the same theoretical framework, these interviews would provide further insight in a variety of contexts concerning gender inequity and the apparent feminization of professionalism in this industry. Have male tattooers observed such a change? If so, in what ways are they responding?
This study could also be expanded to account for other sources of embodied cultural capital, including dialect, age, weight, and level of education. Most of this study’s participants were based in urban areas. Maya said that there were some women tattoo artists in the Facebook group mentioned in Chapter 4 who were located rurally and who were the only woman tattooers in their area. There may be interesting differences in cultures of intelligibility across the
present challenges that urban artists feel they no longer encounter, and potential clients may make harsher judgments about the artist’s skill. These differences are worth looking into to create a fuller understanding of the industry as a whole.
One of the most promising avenues of inquiry concerns the role of Instagram in the tattoo industry. Its widespread use and its influence on the processes and structure of the industry have been topics of popular interest in the tattoo community (see Preston, 2018) and warrant further exploration from scholars, as there may be other industries similarly impacted by the platform. Several questions are raised: How often do tattoo artists create online personae through which they develop client relationships? Is there a measurable difference in number of followers? Does establishing a strong online presence predict that an artist is able to charge higher hourly rates? There are countless ways that this information can contribute to a better understanding of the industry, as well as where and how labor is performed during a business interaction.
It may also be beneficial to take a closer look at tattoo reality TV shows. Do tattooers that have achieved fame through these shows view professionalism differently than does the average tattooer? What about their conceptions of success and their understanding of self-presentation? Do these things differ based on the gender of the reality star? What, exactly, is the “tattoo look” that these stars ostensibly promote? What is the difference between fame gained through
exposure on reality TV and fame gained elsewhere, through Instagram, for example?
It’s difficult to imagine an industry that combines artistic skill and service in ways similar to the tattoo industry. Other service industries certainly rely on skill, but do not have the same relationship to artistry and creativity that the tattoo industry does. The music industry has the artistic skill element, but the industry is not set up for musicians to generate income by writing songs for specific clients. However, labor, gender, and embodied cultural capital are not
exclusive to the tattoo industry, and this theoretical framework is a useful one to apply to other industries, both masculinized and feminized.
APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW GUIDE Tell me the story of how you got into tattoo.
What was your training process like? Did you complete an apprenticeship? Tell me about your mentor.
Who has tattooed you?
Have you always worked in this shop? Tell me about the last tattoo you did.
Do you have any sort of specialty? Anything you really love to tattoo?
Who is a ‘typical’ client/customer? Tell me about the last time you worked with one. Do you have any regular clients/customers?
Is there anything you wish clients/customers would know/do/think about you/tattooing? Have you done anything to make your workplace ‘your own’?
Are you friends with your coworkers?
Tell me the weirdest/most frustrating thing that’s happened while you were working/tattooing. What is the most/least gratifying part of your job?
Have you had any interactions/moments that really changed your perspective of your career? Tell me about a time when you felt like your gender affected an interaction with an
employer/coworker/client/customer.
What do you feel is the most important aspect of your identity as a tattooist? Do you feel like you can be yourself at work?
What do you think it means to “look the part” of a tattooer? Do you think you “look the part?”
Did you actively change your appearance in any way to “look the part?” How much thought went/goes into those decisions?
Do you ever feel like you can’t express your femininity for any reason? What do you wear on a typical work day?
Can you talk about your tattoos? Where they are, what they are, what they mean, and who tattooed them.
Do you ever go to tattoo conventions? Do you change your appearance for these conventions? Growing up, how did your family view tattoos and other forms of body modification?
How often do you use social media?
How does social media factor into your relationships with clients?
How do you feel about tattooers who gain notoriety through social media? How do you think social media factors into a tattooers self-image or ego?
APPENDIX B:
A SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS’ INSTAGRAM PROFILES
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