How gendered is the way we think of tattoos?

I am a woman, and I’ve been considering getting a tattoo for some time. But there’s something that keeps me from it, and it’s been really hard for me to put my finger on it. Tonight I did some Googling, and I feel like I may have realized what it is that bothers me about being female and getting a tattoo.

I think I get the feeling that tattoos are thought of as inherently sexy on women, and not necessarily so on men.  Maybe more so in the sort of indie/alternative/ etc. scene (which I would say I am part of). If they’re not necessarily thought of as inherently sexy, we at least do have something of an archetype of “the sexy tattooed woman.” (Think Suicide Girls, etc.) Do we have anything comparable for men?

When I say “women” and “tattoos” in the same sentence, I hear a lot of responses that use words like “sexy” and “cute.” I don’t feel like I heard the same responses for men.  A Google image search of “tattoos women” turns up a lot of sexy results (lots of tattooed women posing sexily), although “tattoos men” does yield a fair amount of comparable results. This is all anecdotal evidence because I’m just now piecing together my thoughts on the subject– I guess it’s just a nagging feeling I have, and I’m wondering if anyone else feels the same.

I suppose my question is, do you think that we see tattoos on women as sexy, and tattoos on men as something else? Or do tattoos on both men and women have a “sexy” connotation?  (If so, why?) And, is it silly to let this deter me from getting a tattoo?

I’m especially curious to hear from tattooed women. What kind of responses do you get to your tattoos? Do you feel that people would respond differently if you were a tattooed man?

Thanks, everyone!