Tattoos are a permanent artistic expression of oneself, so androgynous tattoos that celebrate gender fluidity can be a worthwhile investment. deep down, all tattoos can be considered androgynous. If we remove the gender associations that we place in many images or ideas, there are few tattoos that actually celebrate androgyny specifically, rather than being casually unisex. however, tattoos are, in my opinion, the best way to tell the world that you care. If androgyny is a big part of someone’s identity, it only makes sense to combine a love of tattoo art with a respect for gender fluidity.
If you pride yourself on going against traditional beauty standards, I think that’s an aspect of yourself that needs to be celebrated on a daily basis. the power and strength it takes to present yourself as totally androgynous is impressive in our heavily gendered world. although androgyny often manifests as a physical representation of the self, taking the step towards a permanent work of art that represents so much seems even more admirable to me.
Some of these ideas are quite simple and not entirely obvious to those outside the community, while others are totally straightforward. Whichever route you choose, well done for staying true to who you are.
1. hedwig and the angry inch
hedwig and the angry inch is possibly one of the most queer movies/musicals ever made. Following the journey of a transgender rock singer from East Berlin, her songs are often illustrated with little drawings like this one. the Greek myth of humans once uniting with “two sets of arms, two sets of legs, two faces peering out from one giant head” sums up the simultaneous enactment of androgyny by more than one gender.
2. both gender symbols
Often championed by transgender people, this symbol combines both traditional gender symbols into one. It is a perfect representation for those who feel equally masculine or feminine.
3. a dragon
It’s time to say hello to the stunning and androgynous lisbeth salander, played by rooney mara in the girl with the dragon tattoo. Its androgyny of hers is, in my opinion, what adds to her mystique and beauty. this pop culture tattoo may be a sly reference to the badass salander.
4. equal sign
Often used by the queer community to show the fact that all types of love are equal to one another, the symbol can be applied similarly to gender. after all, being androgynous can often mean that one feels equally masculine and feminine.
5. androgynous icons
Why not represent your androgyny with a tattoo of an androgynous person you admire? Personally, I’ve been thinking about getting a David Bowie tattoo for a long time.
6. meaningful quotes/lyrics
With a lot of androgynous artists, there are a lot of lyrics celebrating androgyny that could really speak to you. I believe that quote tattoos can be truly special and beautiful, so why not associate them with an androgynous representation? Even Lady Gaga herself had the “born this way” mantra tattooed on her body, and that’s a message that can certainly resonate with the androgynous community.
7. evee from pokemon
an eevee is a great pokemon to represent androgyny due to the potential of the species to become a wide variety of different pokemon as they evolve. if you ask me, the ability to be whatever you want and feel like you are is a key message behind being androgynous.
In general, your tattoo can be large or small, obvious or subtle. you should be proud of your bravery in celebrating your fluency through permanent ink. these designs can also be fully customized to represent your own personal brand of androgyny, because androgyny can mean different things to different people.
image: jeremiah/flickr (1)
