Women have always had a different place in society, whether in American culture or otherwise, but in recent times, more and more women have been going against societal constraints and have been getting tattoos, causing the views to change on women and tattoos. Though the first tattooed women were basically only paid attention to because of their sex appeal, women nowadays are being respected more and are being seen as wanting to be equals in this artistic industry, though there is still a fair share of stigma against them. The future of tattooing is still unknown, but wherever it's going, women will surely be a part of its future.

Methodology
Research for this topic was not as difficult as one might imagine. Anytime women do something that is deemed a man's activity, America seems to take notice. The history of tattooing in other cultures includes women as an equal (in the light of body art, not necessary as a societal equal), whereas here in America, due to societal constraints and ideals, women in the tattoo industry are not as accepted as men. The internet, though a good source for information, is not quite such for this topic of women and tattoos. Society has made anything on the internet having to do with women a path to porn. This is a good example, however, which shows that women with tattoos are not necessarily taken seriously, or are seen as a show, resembling the early tattooed women that worked in freak shows and circuses. Thus much of the research for this topic can be attained through library research in books.

Description and Analysis
The history of tattooing cannot be pinpointed, but it can be connected to past spiritual beliefs and cultures. The word tattoo came to exist when Captain John Cook came back from a sea journey from the Pacific Islands and reported that Tahitians used the word "tatua" to describe the marks upon their bodies (pg. 68, Hewitt).

Body alterations are common among women, but most of them are ones that society condones and accepts, whereas tattoos are still looked upon with a stigma by some of society. "In western societies body sculpting to attain beauty or to avoid identification with disvalued groups is a common practice" (pg. 7, Sanders). In the nineteenth century women used corsets to slim their waists. When this alteration is portrayed in movies and in our culture it is usually looked upon as a symbol of women trying to make themselves more attractive to men and that it was accepted. However, just like tattooing, some view this practice as "unwomanly," especially because it caused women to not be able to bear children (pg. 7, Sanders). Plastic surgery is also looked upon in different lights by the American society. With such pop figures as Brittany Spears in the news, American women are left wondering if their seeming "normal" size ten in jeans is good enough anymore. Thus, tattoos and other alterations come into play in defining a woman.

Women started to show up in the history of tattooing during the age of circuses and freak shows. "Barnum was the first to exhibit a tattooed woman, in 1898, which added the erotic element of viewing the female body" (pg. 70, Hewitt). Early on, the women that were tattooed were seen as sex objects because they were showing their body at a time when society thought this was not appropriate, which brought the element of secrecy and a thrill factor to the show. "Another aspect of their appeal was that tattooed women were seen as docile and chaste, which was an exciting contrast to the idea of tattoos, which had only been seen on men" (pg. 58, DeMello). In America, during the 30s, a psychiatrist and writer by the name of Albert Parry wrote about and spread the idea of deviance in correlation to tattoos. Parry especially shined a negative light on women, who possess tattoos, by giving them the stigma of "abnormal and accessible commodities" (pg. 71, Hewitt). He also preached the idea that mostly prostitutes were the ones to get tattoos and he "relished the stereotype of tattooing as a perverse and deviant activity" (pg. 72, Hewitt).

Tattoo designs have different meanings for different people and there are many factors when it comes to choosing a mark that will be on ones body forever. According to Clinton R. Sanders, a field researcher, "Typically, design choice is related to the person's connection to other people, his or her definition of self or, especially in the case of women, the desire to enhance and beautify the body" (pg. 45, Sanders). Women's tattoos are seen in a sexual way by some, with author Kim Hewitt stating, "Body alteration and adornment are often used by women to mark a life transition and often conveys erotic appeal, marital status, genealogical background, and self-expression" (pg. 78, Hewitt). Since women receiving tattoos is a fairly new concept in American society, feelings are mixed on what it means for a women to get a tattoo, but generally most still see it as an act of defiance toward society. "In a culture that has taught them to preserve their bodies for enjoyment of others, women who tattoo themselves are implicitly making a declaration of independence from at least some aesthetic standards expected of them by family, friends, and society" (pg. 79, Hewitt).

The design and placement of the tattoo also draws a defining line between men and women. Again, women are seen as possessing more spiritual tattoos and ones that display their femininity. "Although both tattooed men and women are drawn to the Neo-Pagan ideas and images, straight women and lesbians especially wear tattoos based on feminist images" (pg. 147, DeMello). Sanders found the difference of placement of tattoos very clearly in his research, stating, "There is a definite convention affecting the decision to place the tattoo on a particular part of the body. men, for the most part, choose the arm while women choose the breast, hip, lower abdomen, back or shoulder" (pg. 48, Sanders).

Sanders also states: (pg. 48-49, Sanders)

Women tend to regard the tattoo (commonly a small, delicate design) as a permanent body decoration primarily intended for personal pleasure and the enjoyment of those with whom they are most intimate. & Since tattoos on women are especially stigmatizing, placement on private parts of the body allows women to retain unsullied identities when in contact with casual associates or strangers.

Women tend to regard the tattoo (commonly a small, delicate design) as a permanent body decoration primarily intended for personal pleasure and the enjoyment of those with whom they are most intimate. ... Since tattoos on women are especially stigmatizing, placement on private parts of the body allows women to retain unsullied identities when in contact with casual associates or strangers.

One male whom Sanders interviewed reflects what some of society feels towards women and tattoos, verbalizing, "If a woman gets a woman. s tattoo, that's normal. If she gets a man's tattoo... I feel that is too far over the boards. A woman should act like a woman and keep her tattoos feminine" (pg. 51, Sanders).

The views on tattoos are very unclear and random in today's society. "Tattooing... blurs previous assumptions about gender roles for both women and men" (pg. 79, Hewitt). The societal stance of men and women are still considerably different, with most of society viewing tattooed women as masculine, as aforementioned by Sanders interviewee. Women who include themselves in something that was once deemed as masculine symbolizes how women's roles are changing in society, with women defying societal roles they were previously constrained to. The future of tattooing and the stigma that go along with it are still undefined at this point in American society's history, but more and more women are getting tattoos and will now and forever be a part of the industry no matter where it goes.

Reflection
Due to the nature of this report, having to do with societal standpoints, finding views on the subject was not hard. At first I expected to have difficulty finding information in books just about tattooing, but the role women have played in the industry, their first appearance being one of a sexual nature, has caused them to be an important part of the tattoo history. Trying to interview people about this subject was harder because it is pretty commonplace for women to have tattoos, so finding anyone who was opposed to it or found it odd was quite difficult. This component of my research, the interviewing, had to be thrown out due to time constraints and lack of diversity in people's opinions, due to the fact that college kids view the world differently than adults in most cases. In future research, I hope to be able to work more interviews in, to have a more solid case for my research. Book research finds the base for most reports, yet the human touch always adds a bit of personality to the research. Overall, this report was a learning experience, for I never realized that women had such a stigma against them having a tattoo, but this view in society is slowly changing, hopefully.