Tattoo milestone
Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Corbis Historical/Getty Images.
For American women, tattoos are becoming powerful symbols of resilience, identity and joy.
Stat du jour: Tattooing was once a male-dominated practice. Today, 38% of U.S. women have at least one tattoo, compared with 27% of men, The Washington Post reports, citing the Pew Research Center.
The majority of women between the ages of 18 and 29 (56%) and the ages of 30 and 49 (53%) are tattooed.
Why it matters: Tattoos are joining the ranks of other beauty practices — like fashion, hairstyling and makeup — that many women use to express their individuality.
✒️ Zoom in: One study of women who got tattooed after struggling with infertility or dealing with miscarriages found that the art provided catharsis and a sense of control over their bodies.
One woman chose to get a phoenix feather to mark "rising again" after a painful experience. Another woman honored lost pregnancies with a heart, and symbolized her bond with her adopted child with a jigsaw piece.
Many who undergo surgery also get tattoos. "Women will tattoo the site of a mastectomy scar, sometimes with flowers and trees — things that represent life and renewal," Cheri Van Hoover, retired adjunct professor of midwifery and women's health at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, told The Washington Post.
Go deeper: Axios CEO Jim VandeHei wrote this year about getting his first tattoo and called it "wearing your heart on your body."
In response, Finish Line readers across the country told us the stories behind their tattoos. Read them.