Coveredin Ink’s main objective is to present the experience of heavily tattooed women: their love of ink as well as their experiences of prejudice from strangers, family, employers, and media representations. While other books and media focus exclusively on the tattoo designs, Covered Women takes a macro-sociological approach to understanding heavily tattooed women in society as they struggle with gender norms, employment discrimination, family rejection, and social stigma. Women’s experiences within the tattoo community are so very rarely mentioned within tattoo books; therefore, a book devot ... More

Coveredin Ink’s main objective is to present the experience of heavily tattooed women: their love of ink as well as their experiences of prejudice from strangers, family, employers, and media representations. While other books and media focus exclusively on the tattoo designs, Covered Women takes a macro-sociological approach to understanding heavily tattooed women in society as they struggle with gender norms, employment discrimination, family rejection, and social stigma. Women’s experiences within the tattoo community are so very rarely mentioned within tattoo books; therefore, a book devoted to their place in this subculture is imperative. Covered in Ink is based upon five years of ethnographic research in the United States’ tattooing community. Utilizing participant observation, interviews, and visual sociological artifacts (photography and documentary video), this book provides an insight into the world of women and tattooing in their own words; it is the only book on the topic based upon such in-depth, empirical, nationwide, and visual research.