Traditional associations between tattoos and rough, marginalised, untidy men are being challenged by research from Central Queensland University.

Research conducted by Honours student Cathy Millan, PhD candidate Leeana Kent and Dr Lynne ForsterLee has found that tattoos are now part of mainstream society, used as a form of self-presentation.

The research involved 191 participants (99 males and 92 females; 79 tattooed and 112 non-tattooed) from the general community who completed self-report style questionnaires.

The study examined social psychological aspects of body modification, focusing on how having (or not having) body modifications may influence a person’s perception of his or her body.

“The study examined how the relationships between gender, body modification, and style of thinking impacts upon one’s evaluation of the body, and the individual’s participation in grooming behaviours,” Ms Kent said.

“The findings indicated that tattooed males who are deep thinkers, as opposed to tattooed males who do not like to engage in effortful thinking, spend significantly more time attending to their appearance.

“The research suggests that tattooing may be being utilised by men as a positive form of social self-presentation, rather than as a signifier of belonging to marginal groups.

“Deep-thinking tattooed males may be representative of what society deems to be the new age ‘metro-sexual’ male’.” Ms Kent said the research also indicates that for females, in comparison to males, it is the tattooed women who are not deep thinkers who have the most investment in their appearance (that is, they spend the most time attending to the presentation of their physical appearance).