Colouring a living canvas : becoming a tatoo collector

Abstract

In the last few decades the Maltese society witnessed a considerable resurgence in the popularity of tattooing especially amid young people. This research project attempts to investigate what initiates this enthusiasm for tattoos in some young people and the transitions some of them go through after getting their first few tattoos and progress into becoming hardcore tattoo collectors. It also tries to gain insight on the motivations these young people have to cover such extensive areas of their bodies with tattoos. The sample consisted of five tattoo collectors and a tattoo artist, who is also a tattoo collector. Each of these participants sat through an unstructured in-depth interview. All the participants were male, between 18 and 30 years old. For the participants in this study, becoming a tattoo collector seems to have been socially learned through different associations in their life course. Eventually, becoming a tattoo collector seems also to entail several intrapersonal changes. Primarily the tattoos seem to be a means of self-expression and also an essential part of their identity. Moreover, through tattoos, enthusiasts report to experience an increase in their self-esteem and confidence while they also start to take better care of their bodies. It seems that initiation into the actual practice for these young tattoo collectors was motivated by affiliation to close associates or as a rite of passage. However, later in their careers as collectors, their motivations evolved. They seem to be more motivated to build their collections as a quest for individuality, as a means of cultural resistance and selfnarrative.