BREAKING THE TATTOO TABOO: UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS RESEARCHER STUDIES THE SYMBOLISM OF SKIN ART

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - You've met your one true love, and now you're ready to make the most lasting commitment of your life - a tattoo.

But before you get your sweetheart's name permanently inked you-know-where this Valentine's Day, heed the studies of a University of Arkansas researcher who says you may be succumbing to a needle-friendly social fad.

Anne Velliquette, a Ph.D. candidate and instructor of marketing at the U of A, has been studying the tattoo industry for more than two years - accumulating over 300 pages of information and conducting more than 70 hours of research in tattoo parlors across the nation.

Her research indicates that today's social climate welcomes body art to an extent that no other period in modern history can rival.

"All types of individuals are getting tattoos right now," she said. "I've interviewed doctors, lawyers, teachers, college students, housewives, on and on. It's a very diverse sub-culture."

Velliquette admits the tattoo craze is probably a fad. But she thinks there may be good reason why they have boomed in popularity during this late decade.

"Our society is so fragmented and chaotic in this post-modern era," she said. "Your body is the one thing you have ultimate control over. Tattoos are a way of committing to something permanent and stable, of recording who and what you are right now."

This concept of commitment appeals to many people, but Velliquette cautions against impulsive decisions about one's body. When the permanence of a tattoo meets the transience of romance, remorse and regret often follow.

"There's actually a whole business called cover-up work in which the artist creates a design to cover or obscure an old tattoo," she said. "People use cover-ups when they're unhappy with the quality or size of their old design. But the number one group of people who need cover-ups are those with an ex-girlfriend's name on their arm."

Velliquette uses the tattoo industry to study symbolic consumer behavior ­ the idea that certain products are bought because they carry a "sign value" which conveys an image in addition to the normal, functional uses of the item.

"This idea of sign value is a way of using consumer identity to sell products," said Velliquette. "We see it on television ­ if you do this or buy this, you can become this. You can choose who you want to be through the products you consume."

While many products can act as status symbols, advertising one's wealth or ideals, Velliquette said that items like cars, clothing and homes also hold significant functional value. Tattoos, on the other hand, have no practical use which makes them almost purely symbolic, she said.

Velliquette's study consists of two phases. During the first phase, she conducted ethnographic research - using observation and interviews to uncover an underlying system of cultural beliefs.

To collect information, Velliquette frequented tattoo parlors in Fayetteville, Dallas, Toronto and San Francisco. She attended a national tattoo convention and visited museums that featured skin art-exhibits.

In doing so, she discovered that the tattoo trade transcends all social boundaries.

"The traditional stereotype is gone," Velliquette said. "We used to associate tattoos with criminals, bikers, sailors, all sorts of social deviants. That's not the case anymore. The typical consumer now is a female college student, women aged 18 - 30."

In addition, said Velliquette, tattoo studios represented one of the top 10 growth industries in the United States in 1996 - ranking alongside Internet services, cellular phones and communications industries.

"There are more than 4,000 tattoo shops listed in the United States, not counting the ones that operate underground because they don't carry a license," she said.

The second phase of Velliquette's study focuses on individuals. She interviews individuals to discover how they personalize the cultural themes that she observed in the first stage of research.

Velliquette organized her initial findings into four motivational categories. Some consumers want tattoos to portray a certain aspect of their personalities. This she termed an autobiographical or "scrapbook" effect.

Other people endure the needle as a means of social integration. Their tattoos represent an affiliation with specific groups such as fraternities and sororities, biker clubs or music bands.

Velliquette found that many younger consumers fit into a category called "simulated self" - they get tattoos, hoping it will change their image and personality. They want to create a new self.

The final category - social rebellion - contains a dwindling number of people. Velliquette claimed the low count doesn't signify an ebb in rebellious impulses but rather a surge in the popularity of tattoos.

"They're so in right now that it's practically impossible to get one and be out," she said.

In fact, tattoos have become so mainstream that they're beginning to show up in unusual places, like the toy market. Tattoos aren't just popping up on the bodies of young women. They're popping up on the most famous of all young women: Barbie.

"This is ultimate proof of how widely skin art is accepted," said Velliquette, holding a Tattoo Fun Skipper doll. The doll comes with tattoo stickers in flower and peace-sign designs.

For real people, Velliquette said the most popular designs include cartoon characters, roses, repeated geometric shapes and colorful Japanese images.

"Women typically choose to place tattoos on shoulders, ankles, hips. Men choose the arms or chest," she said. "Of course, if you become addicted to them, it doesn't matter - you'll have them all over."