SailorClaire

thanks for all the comments, and your honesty. i will definitely be taking this as a lesson and move on. thanks for your time. - - - Updated - - - also i am sorry if i did offend anyone, that was not my intention.

Hi everyone, unfortunately i seemed to have experienced a bit of a backlash on my 'tattoo study' thread! Also it was closed, so i wasnt able to directly reply and defend myself/apologise for my conduct on that, so this is for those who replyed to it. I hope ive included everything. First of all, sorry, i should of contacted mods first, as well introduced myself properly on the forum. I will say this in my defence, i am on limited time scale with this research, and had signed up to a lot that day and LST was my last one so yeah i did a little sloppily. Second of all- i am aware that this subject is nothing new and there is a wealth of literature on the subject. However it is an area that needs developing as opinions and views of tattoos change and develop in society. For instance Margo Demello in her work on tattooing has identified a change in social trends regarding who gets tattooed, indicating that tattooing today is a very middle class activity compared to it being a working class one in the 1950's. Therefore I see my work as something that adds to a better understanding of tattoos in western society rather than something completely new. I havent read matt lodders work but i will add it to my reading list- thanks for the suggestion! Also, I had done face- to-face interviews for my undergraduate work in which i also studied tattoos as a signifier of personal and social identity. The results were great, but because face to face interviews are time consuming and costly (especially as i only work part time) i couldnt collect a huge amount of data, and therefore could not generalise the results. So, taking this into account, for my masters degree, i otpted for online research and decided forums were the best avenue for this topic, thinking that i would have a wealth of data from an already set up focus group. So i have been out in the real world to do research, but in order to have more data collected in a less time consuming and costly manner online forums was the way to go. Also ive never met a tattooed person who didnt like talking about their tattoos- i am one of them! so hopefully that answers the next question- i do have tattoos! I have 5 mostly on my legs at the moment, would have more but need to save some money before i go ahead with the ideas i have! I currently have a pair of wings on my back, a portrait of marilyn monroe on my right calf, lily flowers on the front of my left calf, a mexican sugar skull on the back of my left calf, and some cherry blossoms on the outside of my left calf. I can put up pics if anyone wants to see. Also as for the cummunity research 101 thing- yes i got an education in it from this experience! Again, please take a look at my first point- it was the end of the day, last forum, etc i did it sloppily. for that i am sorry. Also I would love to have the time to contribute to this forum further than my reasearch- the last thing i want to do is take take take from you all, but (as mentioned above) am on a limited timescale with this and just went straight in. At the end of the day i could just look through all your posts and take what is relevant to my research without informing you. After all it is publicly available on the internet. However that is not how i wanted to conduct my research, i believe in ethics and want this research to be ethical as well as add something to the sociological study of tattooed bodies. anyways i think thats all i have to say! read this, dont read this i dont really mind, ive said my piece. also i wont be conducting my research on this site (im guessing most of you will pleased about this) and will leave as a member shortly. thanks, SailorClaire.

do you know what, thats a good point! ok then lets start again. Hi all! I would like to use this forum that you have chosen to discuss your tattoos online in to interview you on your opinions of them. Is that ok? - - - Updated - - - and thank you graeme im sure i will! - - - Updated - - - Ok so heres the study information for those interested! I am studying for my Masters degree at the moment and as part of the course I have to do an original study on a topic of my choice. I decided to look at the tattooed body, a personal as well as an academic interest for me! The focus of my research will be on the experiences and societies perceptions of tattooed women, and how these may differ from those of tattooed men. This project aims to further understanding of women’s experiences of being tattooed and will answer questions such as: Do women challenge typical gender norms through the practice of tattooing? Or are they creating a new way to express femininity? Is the tattooed female body considered rebellious within society? What makes it rebellious? Are the experiences and perceptions within society of the tattooed male body any different to those of the tattooed female body? If so why are they different? I will be using this forum to conduct my research by posting questions on this thread every few days! PLEASE KEEP READING IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PART!!!! IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!!! What is required from you? You will be invited to take part in an online focus group on the discussion forum site you are currently a member of, in which you will be discussing issues with other members and me regarding your tattoos, your experiences of being tattooed, your thoughts on the reactions to your tattoos within society, your own perceptions of your tattooed body as well as anything else to do with tattoos and body modifications that you feel is important within the discussion.Please do not hesitate to discuss these issues using anecdotes and stories of your experiences. Your responses will be available on the internet for other members, in the same way any other posts and forum threads on the site are available, however, if you do not want other members to view your response, then it is perfectly fine for you to private message me with your answers rather than post them within the thread. I will be keeping a record of your responses on my personal computer and they will be used in the subsequent write up of the study. Place and duration of focus group: The focus group will take place online in the chosen discussion forum site over a suggested timeline of 2 months. This will allow adequate time for me to post questions and to receive responses. I will aim to put up a new question every other day to allow time for you to respond. Therefore I suggest that if you want to take part throughout the whole discussion, you should check the thread every other day for new questions. Consent and right to withdraw: You are free to withdraw participation at any point. Participation is completely voluntary. Even during the course of the discussion, if you wish to withdraw or wish not to answer a particular question or questions, you are free to do so. Also I am aware of the nature of online discussion forums, and that some people may only want to post once on a thread, therefore you will not be expected to keep on posting, and may respond as often or as little as you like. If you would like to discontinue your posts on the thread you are free to do so and do not need to contact me to inform me of your decision to do this. However, if you would like your previous posts withdrawn from the project, then you would need to contact me with your username so I can remove your responses from my notes, but I cannot guarantee I can remove them from the website (this depends on the website and their terms and conditions on posting and removal of posts). If you do wish to withdraw your responses, please inform me by May 2013 at the latest. This will give me time to remove your results before my final write up of the project. Data storage: The raw data will not be passed on to anyone in future for personal use of any kind. I, Claire Beale, the only investigator in this study, shall be responsible for the information when the study is over. I will ensure that it is stored safely in its original format and in accordance with the University of Birmingham’s Codes of Practice for Research. Confidentiality: Due to the interviews being conducted through an internet discussion forum, it is likely you will use a user-name or nick-name rather than your real name, meaning that your identity is anonymous to an extent, but most forums require a real name to sign up and/or create a profile, so you will be traceable, and therefore not completely anonymous. I will however assign each participant an ID code for the write up of this study, so you will not be identifiable and therefore your responses will remain confidential if mentioned. Right to information: If you so wish you will be given a chance to check your data. If you have requested to be anonymous, you can ensure that nothing is included which may identify you. Also, a summary of the research will be made available to the participants, as well as a copy of any publications resulting from the research, if desired. Further queries: If you have any other questions and require further clarification, please email me: [email protected]. I will be happy to answer any questions. Also feel free to email my supervisors if you would like to discuss anything with them: Dr Charlotte Ross [email protected] Dr Emma Foster [email protected] - - - Updated - - - heres the first set of questions if you would like to take part- What is your age, sex, location, ethnicity and sexual orientation? What tattoo/s do you have? Why did you choose that particular design? Does it have a particular meaning for you? Was your choice of tattoo affected by current trends in tattooing at all? If so was there a reason for this? If not, why? Where are the tattoo/s on your body? What was the reason behind the placement of your tattoo/s? If so why? (If there is one as mentioned above). next set of questions will be posted on monday! will also get some photos up of my tattoos to share with you all x

Hi everyone hows it going? Im Claire and love tattoos, anything retro or vintage, old movies, and music that rocks. I am also currently studying for my masters degree, in which I have decided to focus my thesis on tattoos, gender and the body. I will be using the forum on this site to interview you guys on your opinions of your tattoos! So if you would like to take part please take a look at my my forthcoming forum thread and all the information you need will be on that!!