Tattoo’s and tattooing has become somewhat mainstream in western culture today and we, as therapists, will work with tattooed individuals every day. But how many of us have actually considered them through an occupational lens?

The notes collated for this episode were kindly researched by the amazing Emily Cheesman. I can’t thank her enough for the time and effort she has put into this!

During the episode, I also discuss Dr Sarah Grey, an Australian Surgical registrar who actively pushes against the negative stereotypes often associated with heavily tattooed individuals.

Check out a news story about “The World’s Most Tattooed Doctor” here:https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/meet-the-heavily-inked-aussie-doctor-smashing-stereotypes-c-429841

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr Sarah Jane (@rosesarered_23) on Apr 30, 2019 at 9:28pm PDT

Context:

* We, the tattooed nation: Australian tatt stats: 2018 statistics released by McCrindle state that 1 in 5 Australians admit they have a tattoo.  Women with tattoos outnumber men with tattoos (21% to 19%); people of all ages have tattoos (and not just in their youth – 36% were 26+ when they got their first tattoo). 31% of people with tattoos say they regret ‘to some extent’ getting a tattoo  (McCrindle, 2018).* There’s a global resurgence of ink: Tattoos are increasingly visible with a global stage of celebrity/social/media/TV (Rees, 2016).  The current tattoo in a resurgence in Australia is sometimes dismissively referred to as a fashion or fad. * However, tattooing traditions have rich histories and meanings: these can be traced back to the Stone Ages, and across continents and cultures, with tattooing traditions developing independent of each other (Buss & Hodges, 2017, p.5; Dinter, 2005, pp. 9-21; Farley, Hoover, & Rademeyer, 2019, p.155).  * Buss & Hodges (2017, p.5) explain a trajectory of tattooing: ‘(1) from ancient traditions in which tattoo practices were fully integrated into social settings; to (2) a period of tattoo stigmatization, even taboo, which paralleled the rise of organized religion and nation-states with ambitions to conquer and colonize the world; and then  (3) to the resurgence of tattoo [from the 1970s] that we are seeing today.’* Multicultural & contemporary Australia may represent many tattoo traditions and systems of meaning: Nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians have either been born overseas (first generation Australian) or one or both parents had been born overseas (second generation Australian) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2017). See also Rees  (2016, pp. 165-167) on cultural fluidity, appropriation & tattoos generally.

Key concepts/literature informing tattoo as an
occupation:

* There’s no tidy formula to explain the reason for, or the impact of being tattooed, either in historical or contemporary settings (Buss & Hodges, 2017).* But an occupational lens can be applied: Kay & Brewis consider ‘mainstream’ tattooing in UK through an occupat...