Historically woman received their tattoos much as males did, through rights of passage or marks of status or social position, many examples have been found of ancient women with tribal tattoos as far back as 2000BC!
In the early days of the modern tattoo renaissance, women were severely frowned upon for having them -and rather unfairly too! Deemed as rebellious and also as a sign of promiscuity it took many years before female tattoos were accepted into the main, and today we do not think twice about seeing a woman with a tattoo, however there are still some prejudices – image a women with a full sleeve, neck tattoo or a full chest piece?
I doubt it would have the same reaction if I asked you to imagine a man.
Even now our society accepts only smaller, more feminine designs and in a more ‘appropriate’ location. Lower back tattoos are generally seen as sensual and there is an air of sexuality that you would not likely find with male tattoos. The ankle is another popular choice, again this could be seen as a sensual area. Small designs by the naval, and on the bosom, hint at sexuality.
Women generally chose their tattoos for very different reasons than men, females are more influenced by their feminine nature and societies perception and tend not to get caught up in the macho side of tattoo choice. I.e. huge shoulder pieces, full sleeves etc. This leads to smaller and more delicate designs often in more sensual locations, click here for female tattoo designs
Women’s designs tend to compliment their style and fashion sense, where men will just wear a t-shirt to show the arms off.
The era of the celebrity has accelerated the acceptance of the female tattoo; stars like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Angelina Jolie have helped to make them cool, sought after and accepted. Commonly chosen modern-day tattoos to include flowers (roses) lower back, fairies, suns, butterflies and dolphins.