A new study has revealed the long-term psychological effects of tattoos on women.
Yahoo Health reports a research published in The Social Science Journal says women who have four or more tattoos have the highest levels of self-esteem than those who have less or none.
For the study, researchers at Texas Tech University looked at almost 2,400 college students in six different universities and found the correlation between having many tattoos and self-esteem. Even the study's lead author Jerome Koch, PhD, professor and associate chair of sociology at Texas Tech University, was surprised by their findings.
"There's just this weird paradox, only among women with four or more tattoos," he told Yahoo Health.
Koch suggests having this many tattoos made a major difference since these permanent body art pieces make up a person's identity. This empowerment goes the same with how breast cancer survivors feel about their bodies after their battles, he said.
Another surprising discovery is the connection between having tattoos to a woman's suicidal tendencies.
"In a way, I suspect suicide survivors are reclaiming their minds and taking ownership of themselves," he explained. "Women are bombarded with things like fat-shaming and hyper-sexualized expectations. Body art is one way that women especially might take control of their bodies."
His conclusion was supported by Los Angeles-based therapist Nancy Irwin, PsyD. "A lot of people who have been suicidal and were rescued or changed their mind did the work to unearth the reason for why they did that," she said. "It could be a great freedom and empowerment over their trauma or negative self image, whatever the cause of that."
Irwin added tattoos have served as a "badge of honor" that implies a statement saying they are a different person than before.
As how "Berserk Style in American Culture" author Kirby Farrell, PhD described it, "a tattoo can make a hazy or conflicted identity seem particular and concrete."
