What tattoos can teach us about modern fandom

What makes a person love a movie or TV show so much that they want to wear it on their skin forever? The answer is rarely simple — but always personal.

Tattoo
(Image credit: (Oli Scarff/Getty Images))

I study Gene Kelly, the classic Hollywood song-and-dance man, for a living. I publish articles on his life and career. I require my introductory film students to watch Singin' in the Rain. Once, I even taught a class focused solely on Gene Kelly's choreographic contributions to the film musical.

By extension, I also study the (very active) fandom associated with Gene Kelly. Although he has been dead nearly 20 years, devoted fans still share fan fiction, original artwork, personal blogs and Tumblrs, cosplay, video tributes­, and — among the most devoted — tattoos. With ink, they literally mark themselves as Gene Kelly fans.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Kelli Marshall teaches courses on Seinfeld, stand-up comedy, film musicals, Spike Lee, and other fun stuff at DePaul University. Read more about her take on the media and her experiences in higher ed at kellimarshall.net.