TATTOOS OF POLITICIANS AND PUBLIC FIGURES IN IMAGE CREATION: A VISUAL-ANALYTICAL ASPECT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL PORTRAIT. PART 1.

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to construct a conceptual framework for applying key theories on the origins of tattoos as a component of nonverbal communication to politicians. This section serves as the first and introductory part of the article. It will present key theories on the origin and application of tattoos, along with selected demonstrative cases of public figures. The second part of this article will be devoted to the study of tattoos on specific Ukrainian and American politicians.

A number of research areas relevant to tattoos as a subject of independent study have emerged in the scientific literature. Among these, the author considers it necessary to highlight the (bio)evolutionary (cultural-anthropological), psychoanalytic (clinical-psychological and psychiatric), and cultural-sociological (art history) approaches. Each of these approaches offers its own explanatory framework for the origins of tattoos, the motivations for their use/application, and the psychological and sociocultural functions of tattooing both in the lives of individuals and in different social groups. Public figures, including politicians, more often than members of other social groups use tattoos to consciously manage impressions. This does not exclude the possibility of a politician having various tattoos applied at an earlier stage. However, inclusion in the public sphere and the acquisition of recognizable status predisposes one to edit one's personal image and alter the symbolic components of the body.

Politicians' constant contact with the media prioritizes the performative function of tattoos, as working with political advertising, propaganda, and PR technologies involves constructing not so much realistic images as simulacra that influence the perceptions of a particular target audience. This is because politics for the media is an art form primarily concerned with constructing appearances.

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Received: 24.02.26 / Revised: 04.03.26 / Accepted: 18.03.26 / Published:30.03.26