What can tattoos (and other types of body decoration) tell us about individuals, males and females?
Many women (especially the trashy ones) are always saying how they are seeking muscular and tattooed males.
Too bulky and muscular look can be considered a handicap - so the handicap principle applies.
Could tattoos be explained with the handicap principle aswell?
Also, having tattoos can signal a great degree of pain tolerance, which could be considered attractive, but this is more like conscious evaluation rather than a sub-conscious one, right?
On the other hand tattoos are, basically, permanent. So could tattoos signal, in some sense, stability and devotion, which could be considered positive in the mating market? But then again, everyday observations indicate that the male with lots of tattoos is more likely to be unstable and more like a criminal-type of a person than a stable and grounded one.
What about females?
Many times tattoos are considered to be masculine thing... and indeed most lesbians that I know, have tattoos... though not necessarily more than a few minor pieces of art in their bodies.
The interesting thing is, these tattooed lesbian women I know, tend to be very monogamous and faithful to their partners... and the relationships have lasted in best cases 10+ years. So in these women in particular, could having tattoos symbolize the ability to commit and devotion... wherever it's manifesting through body art or ability to be faithful to one sexual partner?
But then again; the very slutty type of a heterosexual woman often has lots of tattoos too. Though there are pretty much in the same degree sleazy sluts without any tattoos, so nowadays it's by no means so that "decent and sweet girls don't have tattoos".
Anyway... deeper analyzes?