HALIFAX -- Andrea Kay sits patiently with her hands in her lap, leaning forward slightly, while a buzzing needle traces the gossamer wings of a fairy on her arched back. The emerging black outline stretches like a permanent canvas from just below her neck to the top of her low-slung underwear and will take weeks to heal properly.

It's the 23-year-old's fifth tattoo in seven years. A beautiful butterfly adorns a shoulder and another image runs from her belly button to just above her knees -- the location chosen to hide stretch marks from having a baby.

"As soon as I turned 16 and was allowed to go and get a tattoo I went," Kay says with a smile as tattoo artist Kyle LeBlanc continues to work. "It was sort of my way of showing I was old enough and could decorate my body as I chose instead of getting pierced or buying a new pair of jeans."

Young women are shrugging off social taboos and heading to the tattoo parlour in surprising numbers, says sociologist Michael Atkinson, a professor at Memorial University in St. John's, Nfld., who has studied enthusiasts of the ancient art in Canada since the mid-1990s.

But they're not doing it for obvious reasons. It may start out as a rebellious act for some, but their choice of tattoos tells a different story, says Atkinson, who has interviewed about 200 women, most between 18 and 30, for his research.

He'll publish his findings in the book Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a Body Art, to be released in July by University of Toronto Press.

Although a few of the women he met had tough-looking images, such as skulls and cross-bones, most chose muted tattoos that reinforced traditional ideas of femininity, such as a red rose on the shoulder, butterflies, young animals and dolphins.

"Particularly among the younger women I talk to, there's a real conscious use of a tattoo to highlight femininity, rather than reject it," Atkinson says. "A lot of women talk about their tattoos as making their bodies more beautiful or sexy."

He says it's no accident that most body art highlights a slender ankle, taut midriff or the curves of the lower back and hips.

Kay says she can't remember what first drove her to body art, but she feels her tattooed stomach makes her hips look curvier and takes away from a slight paunch, left behind by her pregnancy.

"It's addictive," she says, adding that she plans to get more work done after the huge fairy on her back is completed in about a year.

Historically, tattooing in North America has been seen as a masculine activity practised by drunken sailors, biker gangs and others from the wrong side of the tracks.

But body art has exploded in popularity in the last decade, especially among young women, who now make up about 65 per cent of customers, Atkinson estimates.

During a 30-minute wait at Skintastic, LeBlanc's Halifax tattoo parlour, several young women come through the door looking to get work done. One arrives with her conservative-looking mother in tow, while another drags in a nervous friend who blanches at the sight of the needle.

LeBlanc confirms that about 65 to 70 per cent of his customers are women, but says he hasn't seen a spike in their numbers since he started working as a tattoo artist 13 years ago.

Look at any magazine and chances are you'll see a photo of some celebrity showing off a tattoo. Rapper Eve has dog paw prints between her breasts, Bif Naked's sinewy arms are covered with coiling designs and Angelina Jolie's numerous tattoos are perhaps more famous than her acting chops.

But tattoos are definitely not mainstream, Atkinson says, noting there is still some stigma toward heavy, visible images. So young women and men negotiate their tattoos, keeping in mind future employers and dear old mom and dad.

"They'll get a smaller design, a less socially confrontational design and put in a place that is easily concealable in everyday life," he says. "It's like walking on the proverbial tightrope of respectability."

All of Alicia Filpowich's tattoos can be hidden with clothing or a simple watch strap.

"Everyone is getting more liberal with things like this . . . but every employer is different," says the 24-year-old Toronto college student.

"I don't want my chances to be ruined because someone can see a big fire-breathing dragon on my arm or something like that."

Her first foray was a pig on her ankle -- a mark of her independence after leaving home in Saskatchewan at 18. She and a friend decided to get tattoos after watching a documentary on the subject.

She has since added a Fijian tribal design across the bony expanse of her foot and a small heart on the inside of her wrist. She plans to get four more tattoos before she stops.

"I think they're fun. It's a way for me to be different than everyone else," she says. "I think everyone should get one."

But Kay has a word to the wise when it comes to the first time. She admits she blundered badly by choosing a hand print on her back -- since reworked -- and by not doing enough research.

"I didn't really think things through," she says, cautioning others to make sure they know what they want before shopping around for a tattoo parlour with a good reputation.

- Source: Tattooed: The Sociogenesis of a Body Art, by Michael Atkinson

TATTOOS ALL ABOUT IMAGE

- A brief history: Tattoos are an ancient art form practised by several cultures around the world. They first appeared in North America in the late 1800s. The tattoo business picked up speed in the 1980s and '90s with new global styles being introduced, better inks and artists with art-school training.

- Who gets them: The fastest-growing segments are young women and men between the ages of 15 and25, as well as people 45 and older.

- What's driving the trend: A variety of factors; sociologist Michael Atkinson says it's part of the obsession with body modification. Botox, liposuction, breast implants, weight loss and gain, muscled physiques, hair colouring are all part of this.

- The designs: Young women ask for flowers, young animals, suns, moons, butterflies, dolphins, etc., while men get bolder and larger designs, such as tribal bands, dragons, skulls and cross-bones.

- The placement: Hips, lower back, ankle for women; upper arm and back continue to be popular for men.

- I'm so different: People may say they're getting them to express their individuality, but getting a tattoo is a very social act, says Atkinson. Tattoos show your inclusion in a group, whether it's an emotional bond, tribal hierarchy, gang signs or a family crest.

- You're from where? The most popular tattoo in Canada is the maple leaf -- a nice safe design even your grandmother will find it hard to disapprove of.

- This hurts: Burning, amputation, scarring and placing metal objects under the skin are less common and more extreme types of body modification.

DON'Ts AND DOs ABOUT TATTOOS

If a tattoo is on your list of things to do this summer, Michael Atkinson, sociologist and tattoo aficionado, has these tips:

- Don't price shop. Cheaper isn't always better.

- Be prepared to wait up to two weeks for a consultation and three to four months for an appointment to have the art done. Demand is high and artists are often booked up well in advance.

- Talk to the artist and get a sense of what type of art he/she best performs. Make sure the artist is someone you're comfortable with.

- Have a clear idea of what type of tattoo you want and where you want it. Don't decide this in five minutes while you're in the shop.

- Get something you'll be happy with for the rest of your life. Tattoos can be reworked or removed with lasers, but it's very expensive.

- Stay moderate in size for your first design. Try it out to see if you're comfortable living in tattooed skin.

- Ask up front about any health concerns you might have about the process of tattooing.