Tattooing: An expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain

The study aimed to explore the motivations underlying the practice of tattooing. There were 100 participants: 50 (30 men, 20 women) with tattoos, and a comparison group of 50 non-tattooed individuals. Participants completed measures of appearance investment, distinctive appearance investment, and need for uniqueness. It was found that tattooed individuals scored higher than the comparison group on need for uniqueness, but not on the appearance investment measures. Among the non-tattooed, need for uniqueness predicted future likelihood of getting a tattoo, and this relationship was mediated by distinctive appearance investment. These results support our conceptualization of tattooing as an expression of uniqueness in the appearance domain.