Abstract
Tattooing is a form of body modification that has existed in society for thousands of years. All societies place importance on the body, and bodies are modified throughout the world by a variety of practices, of which tattooing is one.
This thesis explores tattooing in relation to practices of body modification, and as an activity located within particular cultural, class and gendered norms. It analyses the discourses of tattooing, especially in relation to the body, gender and sexuality.
Michel Foucault's views of the body, power and discourses are utilised to examine the tattooed subject. This is underpinned by what can be called a feminist poststructuralist perspective to provide an alternative view of tattooing and women's bodies. Tattooing is suggested as a possible discourse of resistance which can challenge and disrupt dominant notions of women's bodies.