ABSTRACT
Tattooing in Western societies has always been heavily gendered. While women’s involvement has recently received a fair amount of attention, the connection between (heterosexual) masculinity and tattoos seems to be considered a given, despite changes in gender roles in the last fifty years. This chapter examines how contemporary representations of tattoos are reproducing traditional, heterosexual gender roles, despite appearances to the contrary. Using the American reality TV show Miami Ink (2005-2008) as a case study, it shows how traditional, heterosexual gender roles are discursively reproduced. Ultimately, it is argued that while contemporary society may ostensibly display more tolerance towards tattooed bodies, this tolerance exists within clearly delineated gender roles that resemble discourses of the early twentieth century.
