Accordingly, the presence of tattoos is evident in the street as well as in the media. Originally associated with rituals and sacred rites, for some, tattoos have become increasingly fashionable, with this trend largely driven by mediated diffusion channels. Tattoo phenomenon, initially associated with traditional ethnic groups and later with marginal cultures, has in recent decades experienced unprecedented expression in contemporary societies spreading out into very diverse segments of the population, where this practice was heretofore alien. The present paper aims to locate the act of tattooing as a consumer activity, and to explore its performative use (Butler, 2011), ie, how tattooed individuals employ acts, not only behavioral ones, but also acts of speech to express an identity. It intends to explore the possible theoretical relationship between the pattern of strong curatorial consumption (McCracken, 2003), the issue of extended self (Belk, 1988) and the formation and administration of the identity narratives of the tattoo collector. The proposed discussion is based on consumer research literature. Abstract This is a theoretical essay that intend to discuss how the individual becomes a kind of curator of his own skin through the conspicous usage of tattoos, going from a non-tattoed identity for a tattoo collector. Busca-se através do trabalho situar o ato de tatuar-se como uma atividade de consumo, bem como explorar seu uso performativo (BUTLER, 2011), ou seja, como os indivíduos tatuados se valem de atos não apenas comportamentais, mas também de fala para expressar uma identidade. Pretende-se explorar as possíveis relações teóricas entre esse padrão de consumo fortemente curatorial (MCCRACKEN, 2003), a questão do self estendido (BELK, 1988) e a da formação e administração de narrativas identitária do colecionador de tatuagens. Resumo Este é um ensaio teórico cujo objetivo é discutir, principalmente com base na literatura de estudos de consumo, como o indivíduo, através do consumo de tatuagens, exerce uma espécie de curadoria sobre sua própria pele, tatuando-se ostensivamente e passando de uma identidade não-tatuada para uma de colecionador de tatuagens. In articulating the links between bodies, their utopias and heterotopic places where these are carried out, we contribute not only to the understanding of the meaning that consumers attribute to the transformation of their body, but also to the role played by spaces – sites as well as gendered bodies – in our understanding of these phenomena. The paper draws attentions to the emergence of women in the world of tattooing and their transformative role of highly gendered meanings and practices. We highlight the material and symbolic exchanges that “take place” and “make place” between the shop as a heterotopia and people’s utopias of the body. We show how the changes that affect heterotopic places in the world of tattooing impact the way body identity projects are taken care of. the observation of the shop and interviews conducted with its two managers, three male tattooists and a young female apprentice. Our approach is based on an ethnographic work, i.e. Investigating the context of tattooing, it conceptualizes the various articulations that link the body as a topia and a utopia, and the street shops (as “other” places or heterotopia) where consumers’ identity projects are undertaken. This paper brings a fresh contribution to the role of space and places in Consumer Culture Theory.
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