Section Article

Tattoo Culture as an Emerging Social Identity Marker
Author(s): Ruhi Pandit

Abstract
Tattoos once associated with deviance tribal affiliation or rebellion have undergone significant transformation and are now increasingly recognized as legitimate expressions of personal identity lifestyle choices and cultural belonging. In India tattoo culture has moved from the periphery to the mainstream especially among urban youth and creative communities. This paper investigates the emergence of tattoos as a social identity marker analyzing their role in self-expression community formation and subcultural belonging. Drawing upon ethnographic interviews media analysis and sociological theory the study explores how tattoos are used to communicate individuality resistance memory and spirituality. The findings suggest that far from being merely aesthetic tattoos function as embodied narratives that reflect evolving notions of identity in a globalized yet culturally rooted society. The paper argues that tattoo culture challenges conventional ideas of respectability status and conformity becoming a dynamic site for negotiating identity agency and social positioning.