Lisbeth's Tattoos
"He looked down at the dragon on her shoulder blade. He
counted her tattoos. As well as a wasp on her neck, she had a loop around one
ankle, another loop around the biceps of her left arm, a Chinese symbol on her
hip, and a rose on one calf."
-Chapter 23, page 459
-Chapter 23, page 459
In chapter 14, it is found out that Lisbeth often gets tattoos as a "reminder" of what had happened in her life. Shortly after she was raped for the second time by Bjurman, she goes to a tattoo parlor and gets "a simple little tattoo depicting a narrow band" on her ankle. It is assumed that her other tattoos mean something.
Dragon
Wasp
Ankle Loop
Bicep Loop
There is no explanation of this tattoo, but some think it is to remind Lisbeth that she was institutionalized.
Chinese Symbol
No information is known about the Chinese symbol.
Rose
No information is known about the rose.
The way Lisbeth looks and acts contradict the stereotypical feminine gaze. It can be said that she is a third wave feminist due to how her sexuality is apparent throughout the book, as she challenges female heterosexuality and uses it as a form of empowerment. She's not two dimensional and critics praise Stieg Larson on this excellent female character.