Women, Tattoos and the Internet

OK, this is my first post on this type of subject, so be nice!

I have been looking through the internet a LOT recently, to find some inspiration for numerous tattoos that I am considering getting throughout the course of... well, my life, really.  I have also been reading some powerful blog posts and getting an idea of things from a feminist perspective.

In doing both, I have noticed that a lot of professional shots of tattooed women on the net are highly sexual.  I get it, that there are tattoos women have that are in places that standard clothing will cover up, and when proudly displaying someone's ink you want to show as much of the artwork as possible.

However.  Is it really necessary to put them in such alluring poses, against walls, on beds, some with ridiculously high pleaser-heels, and pouty expressions reminiscent of page 3?  Yes, a back tattoo more than likely will require the owner to go bra-less for a photo, however it does not follow that, if female, she needs to be wearing skimpy knickers - a pair of jeans will do just fine!

Google the term "tattooed men" and the story is a little difference (yeah people, I said a little, ok!?) Most of the pictures are of men in poses that would not be out of place in a clothing magazine.  Naturally there are a lot of 'shirt off' sites (like I said, if that's where the ink is...) but the images seem to be a little more conservative.  There are lots of shots of men bearing back tattoos, but very few include a view below the waist.

But, let's not do the internet a complete injustice, there are a few pictures of men in some VERY provocative poses, but the quantity I'd say less than half that of the female equivalent.

Tattoos are sexy, but are we celebrating the art of the ink, or the body they're attached to?

Whether we are celebrating the body, or the ink, the question is why is there such a discrepancy in how the subjects are depicted?

ST x