NEWS: Marisa DiMattia's Erotic Ink: Pt. 2

CULTURE: Marisa DiMattia's Erotic Ink: Pt. 2

It's Wednesday, commonly referred to as "hump day," and thus, perfectly suited to talk about sex in this second installment of Erotic Ink, an intimate look at the relationship between tattoos and sexuality.



In last week's column I revealed the results of a sex survey conducted through my Needled.com blog. The survey covered tattoo taboos and asked for sex secrets. The results were pretty hot. Respondents shared their tattoo erogenous zones and talked about achieving orgasm mid-inking.



Today, we're digging deeper into the first issue raised by the survey: attractiveness in tattoo decision-making. We'll be going into detail on the questions that deal with tattoos and self-perception, exploring if and how tattoos (and the act of tattooing) make one feel more or less attractive, and whether the issue of attractiveness frequently plays a part in the decision to get tattooed in the first place.



Before we get into it, however, I want to address a tattoo study that made huge headlines in July: "Motivation for Contemporary Tattoo Removal in the Archives of Dermatology."



The press (see LA Times story) went nuts over a small sound bite that stated that more women get tattoos removed because of the social stigma, and that, ya know, these women felt their tattoos might as well be a bull's eye. Reportedly women felt stigmatized by their tattoos, enduring negative comments over the indelible dolphin they got over spring break. The study was conducted in dermatology clinics in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and Massachusetts. You can just picture the ladies of Amherst, Mass biting down on their pearls as they laser away their sorority letters and try to forget that they ever entered a sexy banana-eating contest.



But here's the problem with the media coverage -- most outlets only read the abstract that decried those juicy details. The few that actually read the full survey came away with a far less salacious picture. For example:

Happy people make for less drama. And don't we all wish our lives were like Gossip Girl.



Considering that result -- that the vast majority of individuals like their tattoos -- let's now turn to my own survey and see how feelings of attractiveness fit in with the tattoo picture, starting with Question 1:



Did sexual attractiveness play a role in your decision to get tattooed -- that is, did you get tattooed to be more attractive to (potential) sexual partners?



• The majority, 54.5% said "Not at all."

• Only 10.1% admitted "Definitely."

• And the rest, 35.4% were in the middle with "Somewhat."



Of the stories people told, feeling more attractive with tattoos was not a motivation but a by-product of the art.



Kathleen, a 22-year-old from Barcelona encapsulated the feelings of most who answered: "I consider 'sexiness' to be something completely reliant on a person's self-confidence and attitude. Being tattooed has made me feel a lot more at home in my body, which I think has a corresponding effect on how confident I feel, both in life and with lovers."



Body image for women also played a big part as April from Chicago explains: "I decided to get tattooed and pierced as a way to gain more self-acceptance of my body as a woman. Taking something plain and adorning it was a to create celebration of my form and of specific areas of my body that I was sensitive about."



Even the fabulous Margaret Cho of VH1's The Cho Show weighed in on her recent and numerous tattoo collection. "I want to be tattooed because I think it looks sexy, " says Margaret. "It is like lingerie that you never take off. It enhances the body and it gives the beholder a view into your rebellious heart. It is hot!"



Indeed, hotness and the desire for a certain sexual response factored in for those who answered "definitely" to whether attractiveness was a motivation for getting tattooed.



Jake, a 37-year-old straight male from Colorado says, "I believe at some point everything we do is somewhat driven by the desire to be more attractive to the opposite sex. I think in my case it was more to attract a certain type of girl."



Others got a little more explicit: "My ex-partner was heavily tattooed and I very much enjoyed seeing his tattoos in the bedroom. I also loved to finger his tattoos. He has a leopard on his chest and when I used to finger his leopard and his nipple he used to growl at me and pretend to bite me. Ohhh, makes me all excited thinking about it. I guess having fun with my partner through his tattoos helped me along with my decision to get tattooed; it kinda forms a whole package for me."



(In collecting all the steamy responses, I think I licked my computer screen once. Ok, maybe twice.)



Though most did not primarily get tattooed to be more attractive (though many found it was an added benefit after-the-fact), some experienced the opposite effect, like 29-year-old Justin who said, "It's a video game-related tattoo. If anything, I hurt my chance of getting laid instead of increasing." I guess it depends on whether you have a portrait of Tomb Raider's Lara Croft or Nintendo's Super Mario.



Even if sexiness didn't play a part in the initial decision to get tattooed, for many, it became a hot bonus post-needling, as seen in the responses to Question 2:



If sexual attractiveness did not play a part in your initial tattoo decision, has it ever become a factor afterward? For example, did you later find that more people were attracted to you or that you felt more attractive being tattooed?



• Now that "Definitely" response jumped from 10% to 39.3%

• The "somewhat" response also increased to 44%.

• And "Not at all" went down to 16.7%



The anecdotes were especially delish. Many noted that tattoos were an instant icebreaker allowing people to make that all-important first approach in a much cooler way. "Who's your artist?" is the new "What's your sign?" at the local bar. It applies to both men and women.



Kevin, a 26-year-old from Atlanta says, "Once I had my full sleeve, I could tell a noticeable difference in the way women interacted with me, and whom was attracted to me. The visible tattoos give a perfect excuse for anyone (sexual or not,) to walk up and start a conversation."



Meanwhile, one California woman says it helps with the flirting: "I have my tattoo on my hip, so whenever someone asks about it, I get to sexily tug down my jeans just half an inch so it can peek out. And I definitely feel like a lot of guys find it sexy because it takes a certain amount of confidence about who you are and your body."



Another important part is the intimacy created by the tattoo reveal. Maxime from Switzerland gets to the essence of it: "People want to look close at tattoos -- closer than they'd usually look at your skin. Tattoos break a certain perception of intimacy and of the natural spatial limits people usually respect between them."



There's also the allure and mystique of a hidden secret as explained by one 40-year-old New Yorker: "My tattoos can't be seen when I'm covered up, and people react to the idea of them -- they're enticing, and people want to see, and if someone were to have a limited conception of who I was (in a seemingly straight job, married, with kids) the notion of tattoos means they have to adjust their worldview, which can be intriguing to them."



Of course, not everyone has purely positive experiences. Soraya, who is 54 years old, speaks of the pros and cons tattoos have played in her sex life: "My tattoo and piercing history stretches back over 30 years. I started with a couple small tattoos over a period of a few years, and then it was maybe 20 years before the next, and I then started getting heavy coverage. Right from the beginning, I found that I enjoyed the act of getting tattooed. It sort of aroused me (I now know that is endorphin-related), and I felt very sexual after getting tattooed. As time went on, I became even more aware of the sexual aspects of tattooing for me. My tattoos became a part of my sexual play with my husband, and I used them to 'entice' him. He finds my tattoos to be very attractive. Going back to my early experience, however it was a mixed bag, and the partners I had generally didn't share my view of tattoos being sexually attractive. Before I met my husband, most of the guys I was with viewed me as something of a freak, or at least a curiosity."



The freak thing goes both ways. As one person put it: "I attract more weirdos."



Beyond how others view the tattooed sexually, the most important issue is probably how we view ourselves, as raised by Question 3:



How do you rate your own attractiveness with tattoos?



• A huge 67.7% said "more attractive with tattoos."

• It made "no difference" to 31.4%.

• And less than 1%, only 5 people, said their tattoos made them feel "less attractive."



While the Archives of Dermatology tattoo removal survey highlighted the opinion of the minority, my focus is going to be on that of the majority -- those who answered my survey by stating that tattoos made 'em feel like sexy mothafuckers.



Soraya sums up the sex factor well: "Oh, I'm absolutely more attractive! While I think the untattooed body is beautiful, it is mostly undifferentiated. It is sort of like the Sahara Desert -- beautifully featureless. Tattoos add focus and bring identity to specific areas of the body. If you are heavily tattooed like me, almost every spot has some identifier associated with it, the spot by the peony or the cherry blossom on my arm. I think when you call out or bring attention to a part of your body, you enhance its overall attractiveness. I'm not young anymore, but I look in the mirror and think that I really look hot for a woman my age, and I think the tattoos actually help draw attention away from the inevitable effects of age!"



Here's another favorite quote, this one from 22-year-old Anna of Santa Cruz: "On my worst day my tattoos are still beautiful. They're beauty is not lessened by my bad mood, bloated tummy, or bad hair day."



But it's also the attitude of "owning" your tattoos and the way you look that gives many the freedom to feel beautiful. One 29-year-old New Yorker explains: "Having to stand up to constant judgment by a tattoo-unfriendly society has made me more confident and assertive, which in itself is attractive. They've helped me be more comfortable in my skin. Plus, my ink itself is lovely and accentuates my body. It's flattering; how it flows and fits my body is a major part of designing each of my tattoos."



At the end of the day though, a good, healthy self-confidence will definitely help get you laid either way. Rachel from Pittsburgh says, "I'm just hot, with or without tattoos."



Come back next Wednesday when we talk about the mutual attraction of tattoo collectors. Meanwhile, leave your own sexy comments for me below.



--



Marisa DiMattia is co-founder and editor of the multimedia tattoo site and blog Needled.com. She thinks Belgian tattoo artists are sexy.



For more of Margaret Cho's beautiful views on tattoos, check back here on September 22 for her SG column. Also check out my Needled.com video interview with her by clicking HERE.

this was really interesting, i have to say personally that i started getting tattoo'd and pierced because every time i looked at my body i just felt that there must be something more. reading my brothers tattoo mags made me realise that thats how i wanted to look.
I deffinitly feel more confident,
dom xx

Great to read that, Dom!

hey y'all, check out LiveGirlReview.com where I talk about the survey with teh fabulous Audacia Ray on his video blog.

I have tattoo's because of the art. no reason other than that. someone thinks it sexy and want to jump my bones i don't know. I didfind on this site a butterfly where it was not so much as how it was done around the area. Got told made her uncomfortable. As I knew anything beyond that was not a thing I was going to persue was into the art itself. So I think that sometimes body art is something personal. not for a turn on, for others. Next though I think that someone with body art would be more adventurous and would be more free and relaxed.

First off, this was an excellent article and I can't wait for more. Just like any taboo that enters into main-stream culture and begins to find a greater understanding to the masses, there are always those who feel superior to the rest of us. Having any time of tattoo, piercing, self style that breaks away from what is considered "normal" only feeds on the fear and small mindedness.

I have to agree, I'm loving this article. Not sure about the sexiness aspect, or at least with my tattoos. My first was chosen for the idea that it represents & no one can see unless my shirt is off, my next 2 were mini-homages to an artist I like but they are visible all the time. I don't get who your artist is or questions like that, only what is it or what do they mean? Hardly sexy either way. I do like them & kinda hoped they would make me more attractive in a way but that was not the sole factor on getting them. It is hard when you have to explain them rather than someone say they like them. I have had positive comments, but majority have needed explaining to get anything out.

I await the next installment x

That was a great read.

Margret Cho? Fabulous? Dear lord.

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