Feminist Tattoos?

I am really interested in getting a tattoo, but I want it to mean something to me, so I really want a feminist-themed tattoo. It's probably going to be on my right hip. I want it to be easy to cover up but also somewhere that I could show someone if I wanted. Right now I'm considering Rosie the Riveter but I really want other suggestions! Do you have a feminist tattoo? If not, do you know anyone who does or have any ideas?

Posted by aimeelynn061 - August 17, 2008, at 01:46AM | in
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12 Comments

This isn't specifically feminist, but I often think about getting a little tattoo of the humanist logo, which is called the happy human. It would remind me to be happy and to help make life happier for other people in everything I do. And it makes me smile!

You can see a version of it here on the UK Humanist Assoc site: http://www.humanism.org.uk/ - and coincidentally there's a story on that page about how their Chief Exec is raising money by getting it tattooed herself! I'm not ready to get a tattoo so for now I'll donate some money through her campaign instead.

I have a couple sort of feminist tattoos...
I have what have been deemed my 'prochoice' tattoos on my feet... there is a little cartoon fetus on each of my feet, one has an X for an eye and has a plug coming out for an umbilical cord and the other is 'alive' and has a lit up light bulb at the end of its cord.
I also have a leg tattoo that's an ode to punk rock feminism, it's a punk rock girl 'skanking' (a kind of punk rock mosh pitting sort of?).... I'm definitely going to get more feminist tattoos too...

I always liked the Venus (woman) symbol with a fist (power) like on the cover of Sisterhood is Powerful and have thought of getting it myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Sisterhood-Powerful-Anthology-Writings-Liberation/dp/0394705394

Yay! This is what I was considering as well. I've been looking up feminist symbols to have tatooed on me as well. I was thinking that I should get a scarification, w/blacklight and normal tattoo ink, but am running into the same problem with not finding enough female/feminist empowerment symbols.

I was checking out the female symbol w/fist as well, but wanted a more intricate one, that would be cool with blacklight.

When I looked up feminist symbols on yahoo.com I found a site on LGBT symbols where the site said that the labrys (a double-ended axe) was used by the scythian amazon warriors.

I like the woman symbol/fist thing, I don't know why I never thought of it myself, the feminist group I'm VP of uses it all the time in print material.

And haha on the feminist knuckles... maybe a little hard to look professional with.

This summer I got "rise up" with two swallows on my inner wrists in white ink. One bird with "rise" on the left, and then "up" with the other bird on the right. It's from 32 Flavors by Ani, "God help you/if you're a phoenix/and you dare to rise up from the ash/A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy/well you just/fly past." I got it more to do with growing up in an abusive situation--I get the feeling no one expected me to become anything other than an alcoholic abuser like everyone else in my family. That said, many of my friends have taken it to be more connected with feminism and activism, and strangers who see it have asked if I'm an activist. I don't correct people who make those kinds of assumptions about it, because, well, that's fitting too.

I've enjoyed the white ink a lot, so if you'd like yours to be subtle and easy to hide, I'd definitely recommend finding someone who's experienced with white.

I have a tattoo that I consider feminist - dealing with balance and harmony between the sexes. On the left ankle I have a symbol for femininity, an upside down triangle/chalice and masculinity on the right side, the reverse triangle/blade. The symbols themselves are a bit binarizing but put together on my body, especially on separate legs that meet in the middle, it symbolizes equality and balance to me.

Basically, every step I take should be taken with balance in mind (literally too or else I fall over, hah!)

I would like a few new tattoos. I am looking to get some Goddess or Native/Indigenous medicine womyn on my body somewhere.

I do also like the womyn symbol with the fist as a tat! ;)

It's hard to describe, but I have a female symbol combined with the male symbol (so that it's one circle with the cross on the bottom and arrow on top) and a yin yang inside the circle of the symbol. I wanted something that would show there is a balance in all things in the world and there is no reason to think that women are one way (feminine) and men are another (masculine). Instead, we all have qualities that could be seen either way.

I'll be getting another tattoo on my wrist in white ink, but I haven't decided exactly what yet.

Beverly Thompson, a women's studies professor is making a documentary about women and tattoos called "Covered: A Social History of Women and Tattoos" but I'm not sure if it's done yet. BME has a very extensive gallery of tattoos, but nothing catagorized as feminist. I also really like the tattoos on some of the geek sites like Contrariwise (literary tattoos) and Carl Zimmer's collection of science tattoos at Discover Magazine. None these are targeted specifically for women or feminists but they might give you ideas.

I would be really interested in hearing from women who have feminist tattoos. I started a new blog for women interested in tattoos or thinking about getting a tattoo, so if anyone wants to share ideas or photos I would love to post them. The site is still a work in progress. I would love to start a category on the blog "feminist tattoos" with photos and stories of women's feminist tattoos.

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