The communicative value of a tattoo: the role of public self-consciousness on the visibility of a tattoo

Abstract

This study was designed to explore the degree to which participants consider their tattoos communicative and to probe the relationship between public self-consciousness and tattoo visibility. Based on impression management theory, two hypotheses were generated for tattooed people who consider tattoos to be evaluated positively and negatively by others. In the positive evaluation condition, a positive association was expected between public self-consciousness and tattoo visibility. In the negative evaluation condition, a negative association was expected between public self-consciousness and tattoo visibility. A total of 181 participants were surveyed from the University ofHawai'i and tattoo shops in Hawai'i. Results showed that participants considered their tattoos as somewhat communicative. Additionally, support was found for the prediction that for tattooed people who consider tattoos to be negatively evaluated by others, as their level of public self-consciousness increased, visibility of their tattoos decreased. No support was found for the other predicted relationship.