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Corporate Logo Tattoos and the Commodification of the Body

University of Louisville, angela.orend{at}louisville.edu

Patricia Gagné

University of Louisville

This research explores the sociological factors underlying the increasing popularity of corporate logo tattoos. The authors draw upon critical theory, sociology of the body, and consumption to analyze data from in-depth interviews with a small sample of subjects with a corporate logo tattoo. Findings suggest that the increasing popularity of logo tattoos is a product of the commodification of culture via the culture industry. Findings show that the majority of the sample was motivated by brand loyalty and self-identification with a brand philosophy or lifestyle, while a small minority attempted to alter the intended meaning of the logo by appropriating it into a simulated meaning. This research suggests that corporate logo tattoos are one way that corporations have inscribed themselves onto the bodies and into the identities of many of those who acquire them, while others attempt to use such body modifications as a way to play with postmodern images.

Key Words: tattoos • commodification • consumption • identity • culture industry • body modification

Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol. 38, No. 4, 493-517 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0891241608330014


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