Queering Tattoos for Mutual Care and Community Building During the Pandemic : A Case Study of LGBTQ+ TikTokers

Amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, social media platforms, notably TikTok, have emerged as crucial channels for fostering interpersonal connections and mutual support, especially for vulnerable groups with limited medical resources and assistance. A recent trend on TikTok, namely “Don’t Be Sad, Go Get a Tattoo,” has created an avenue for individuals to share personal experiences about employing tattoos as a means of survival and personal growth. Concurrently, tattoos, as a practice capable of permanently transforming one’s body, have been observed to positively impact mental well-being, identity validation, and self-perception within LGBTQ+ groups, as they strive to assert agential power over their own bodies. By employing search tools such as hashtags #dontbesadgogetatattoo and #tattootherapy and LGBTQ+-associated tags, this research identified and analyzed 50 videos created by queer TikTokers who engaged in and promoted therapeutic applications of tattooing. Drawing from this queering methodology, this study primarily investigates: (1) the role of tattooing as a bodily practice in affirming queer identities and facilitating self-care; and (2) the potential of TikTok as a medium for fostering connections within the queer community. Building upon the newfound knowledge about tattoos within queer groups, the authors aim to augment community-building endeavors and transform tattooing into a tool of mutual care for LGBTQ+ groups.