An Exploration of Body Art in Retail Advertising

Abstract

This study will examine whether body art has an impact on clothing perceptions in retail advertising. The study included two focus groups – Millennials and Baby Boomers and an online questionnaire, matched pairs of models with and without tattoos over a four-month period. We assert that the type of body art models display may limit their roles. Further, the hypothesis examined whether body art may take away from the actual clothing or whether the artwork could enhance the clothing. The question then becomes, will Millennials be influenced or impacted by models with tattoos in a way different from prior generations?