"Drunk on Tattoos"

Tattooing has been analysed as a tool for resistance, reclamation and empowerment. Franco’s regime (1939–1975) involved a powerful body politics that deeply shaped Spanish women´s embodied experiences. We argue that the late appearance of body modification practices in the 1980s in Spain needs to be understood in light of this repressive political context. This paper presents the personal narratives of the first women professionals dedicated to the world of body modification in Spain, articulating their experiences within the broader sociopolitical environment. The narratives and experiences presented here are a part of an ethnographic study on Spanish tattoo culture. The first women tattooists demonstrate the importance of using a qualitative situated methodology to approach the rich world of tattooing from a feminist perspective. Their resistance and coping strategies were creative, courageous and, as their narratives show, effective. The subversion of stereotypes around femininity embodied by the women pioneers of tattooing in Spain is a necessary reminder that in the face of the pending mechanisms of control and surveillance of women's lives and bodies, there is also room for active and creative resistance.