Tattoos are cool, at least in my opinion. In fact, I think they're so cool that I'm currently considering getting my fifth one. The downside is that there's always the risk that they might not turn out the way you wanted. About 24% of Americans say they regret getting one or more tattoos.
The people from this list would probably feel the same. We've compiled a collection of tattoos of questionable quality courtesy of this subreddit about bad tattoos. So, let their bad decisions be warnings to all of us tattoo enthusiasts about what not to do.
#1 Why Would You Waste Your Hard Earned Money On These Ugly, Horrible Pieces
Image credits: realalpha2000
#2 Oh Dear God
Image credits: WhippiesWhippies
#3 Speaks For Itself
Image credits: NotGodMeme
Tattoos are no longer something we associate with subcultures or deviance. More and more people (especially young people) are getting tattoos, so much so that the number of folks with at least one tattoo has almost doubled in the last five years.
Although statistics vary, with some sources claiming that 40% of Americans have ink on their skin and other surveys showing it's only 32%, the trend is still there. Tattoos are experiencing an unprecedented boom in popularity since the number of inked Americans in 2019 was only 21%.
#4 Yikes
Image credits: alternate_world_
#5 15 Year Old Me Should’ve Never Had A Tattoo Machine
Let all my friends tattoo their names years ago and am really regretting it not to mention I wouldn’t consider most these people to be a friend these days.
Image credits: Confident_Ice_5690
#6 S**ty Or Brilliant?
Image credits: i-am-foxymoron
We might think that tattoos are a fairly new development in our society, but non-Western cultures have been inking their skin for thousands of years. Dr. David Lane, the author of The Other End of the Needle: Continuity and Change among Tattoo Workers, told Byrdie that the oldest human remains we have recovered have tattoos on them.
For the longest time, we thought Egyptians were the earliest tattoo artists. But, in 1991, archaeologists recovered a 5,300-year-old mummy near the Austrian-Italian border that had many tattoos. Most Egyptian female mummies with ink on their skin were from around 4,000 years ago, making the Italian-Austrian Otzi the Iceman, the oldest inked person that we know of.
#7 “The Cigarette Fairy”
Image credits: Ok_Airline7121
#8 Someone I Went To College With Got Another $40 For A Chest Piece
i just don’t know what this even is. they’re all this bad. it’s impressively bad ngl.
Image credits: rnegvn
#9 My Husband's Arm
Image credits: Limacology_nerd
The word "tattoo" comes from the Polynesian culture. When Europeans arrived there in the 18th century, they mispronounced the Samoan word "Tatau" and wrote it down as "tattoo." "Tatau" actually means "to strike" because the traditional method of tattooing there is hand-tapping.
#10 I Saw This Monstrosity On Snapchat
Image credits: reddit.com
#11 Saw This At A Party
Image credits: irvitty
#12 Wife Found This Masterpiece On Fb
Image credits: Any-Commission-3523
The most tattooed living person in the world is from New Zealand. It's the performance artist and street performer Gregory Paul McLaren. He had his first tattoo when he was 16, his second one at 18, and after that, he got tattooed regularly "as much as he could." As Lucky (that's his stage name) jokes, he has one tattoo, the biggest in the world. But in some places on his body, he actually has three or four layers of ink.
#13 Girl I Went To High School With Made A Horrible Decision
Image credits: HesusHrist
#14 Shi**y Execution
Image credits: Constant_Safety1761
#15 It's Not Me, It's You
Image credits: Godzira-r32
Did you know that Winston Churchill was possibly inked as well? Some sources claim that he got a tattoo of an anchor after his military service. But others say it's just an attempt to make him more rebellious and relatable to the masses, much like his mother, who, as an aristocrat, supposedly had an ouroboros tattooed on her wrist. There is no physical evidence of these tattoos, so, historians are skeptical.
#16 “I Would Like A Well-Shaded Tattoo!” Tattoo Artist: Don’t Say Anything Else!
Image credits: PonyAnyS2
#17 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
#18 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
Do you know another unlikely person to have had a tattoo? Thomas Edison! He had a quincunx tattoo: four dots arranged in a square or, in other words, how the number five appears on a dice cube. But Edison didn't invent the tattoo pen; it was Samuel O'Reilly in 1891. Edison did, however, invent the electric pen that later evolved into the tattoo pen.
#19 Just Saw This Posted An Hour Ago
Image credits: jways999
#20 Isn’t It Supposed To Be “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies.”
Image credits: Corncob173
#21 People Seem To Either Love It Or Hate It
Image credits: brattyratgirl
One of the most common concerns for many tattoo owners is how to keep them looking fresh and vibrant for as long as possible. People like to say that tattoos "fade" into the skin, but the reality is a bit more morbid. Our immune cells, called macrophages, gradually eat the ink and disperse it. So slather that SPF and moisturizer on your tattoos as much as you can to prevent them from aging poorly!
#22 Placement Was Not Considered
Image credits: DegenerateSnails
#23 Dragon Bite That Looks Like Herpes
Image credits: goatladyx
#24 Regret
Image credits: Acceptable-Wear2718
Some 60 years ago, there was a ban on tattoos in New York City. In 1961, lawmakers deemed tattooing unlawful, and it wouldn't be until 36 years later that people could get tattooed in NYC again. The main reasons were health concerns (hepatitis and other infections) and the city trying to improve its reputation, since many associated tattoos with criminality.
#25 The “Coverup” Is On The Next Slide
Image credits: ginahandler
#26 Spotted In A Simpsons Facebook Group
Image credits: cornydog_
#27 I Normally Really Like This Artist’s Work But This Is Terrible :(
Image credits: smittywrbermanjensen
Yet, back in the day, tattoos weren't always for the criminals and the outcasts. In the late 1800s, there was a tattoo shop for London's elite on Jermyn Street in a high-end fashion district. He supposedly had many celebrity and influential clients, among whom were Queen Victoria's sons and the kings of Norway and Denmark.
#28 Yikes It's Performance Art It Doesn't Have To Be Hygienic
Image credits: Gone_Overboard1632
#29 It Just Looks Like A Colorful Rash
Image credits: Jeix9
#30 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
But what about you, Pandas? Do you have any tattoos? Did all of them turn out okay? And if some of them weren't what you expected, what did you do? We have more examples of bad tattoos from this subreddit, so if you're interested, head over here and here to either have a chuckle or learn what tattoo never to ask from your artist.
#31 Can Anyone Explain What This Means?
Image credits: Feeling_Party26
#32 No Words
Image credits: gerrymentleman
#33 Gonna Regert This In A Few Weeks
Image credits: Low-Cheesecake-7005
#34 Someone I Went To Hs With, I Had To Pause And Take A Breath After Scrolling Into It
Image credits: Nonpratical
#35 I Can’t Wrap My Head Around The Shadow Placement
Image credits: snakespoopin
#36 Has This Really Not Been Posted Here?
Image credits: sophiebophieboo
#37 My Dyslexic Son's Tattoo - He's Keeping A Postivite Attitude
Image credits: PistolGrace
#38 My Artist Said My Arm Was Starting To Look Like A Restroom Stall
Image credits: tylermagdalen00
#39 You Know What Would Have Been Sick
Image credits: DegenerateSnails
#40 Supposed To Be Doll Joints. From Another Sub
Image credits: lizzys_sad_girl
#41 Done By The Owner, 28 Years Of Experience
Image credits: davidmitchellseyes
#42 We’ve Seen Sh**ty Trump Tattoos, Why Not Sh**ty Harris Tattoos?
Image credits: Fr0stybit3s
#43 What Am I Even Looking At
Image credits: ShooterOfCanons
#44 My Son's Ex
Image credits: fitsonabiskit
#45 Bottom Text
Image credits: 420_sided_die
#46 A Walk-In My Artist Did
Image credits: xDisciple
#47 Blackouts Are Old Now, Pinkouts Are The Next Big Trend!
Image credits: Feeling_Party26
#48 Not Sure If "Shi**y Decisions" Belong In This Group Or Not, But
Image credits: WhippetRun
#49 Thoughts On This? Yes It’s A Tattoo
Image credits: Feeling_Party26
#50 Found On Facebook
Image credits: Few_Independence7489
#51 An Acquaintance Of Mine Just Got Her First Ever Tattoo…
Image credits: Asylum_Princess
#52 Is This Shi**y?
Image credits: sunnysunny4k
#53 Oh My
Image credits: DegenerateSnails
#54 At Least The Hair Will Grow And Cover It?
Image credits: carpe_denimuwu
#55 It’s His Birthday. ? Just In Case He Forgets
Image credits: AshleyTheRedPanda
#56 Hitachi Magic Wand
Image credits: Unicorns-Poo-Rainbow
#57 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
#58 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
#59 'freehand Ocean Design' She Did On Herself
Image credits: Important-Stomach406
#60 Terrible Tattoo I Found On Instagram
Image credits: One_Bicycle_1776
#61 My Wife’s Tattoos
Image credits: pigeonhoe
#62 Trump Tattoos Are Just Shi**y
Image credits: Mobile-Brush1323
#63 Maybe I’m Just A Hater But…?
Image credits: ganjagilf
#64 My Boyfriend's Chest Tattoos
Image credits: skinnyjay13
#65 Be Brutal. How Bad Is It?(Less Than 1 Hour Old)
Image credits: Yomomgo2college
#66 Found It On Instagram
Image credits: Apprehensive-Shift40
#67 Decipher That
Image credits: Joe_Bruce
#68 My 18 Yo Son's New Tattoo
Image credits: 2CentzWurth
#69 Twilight Tattoo No One Asked For
Image credits: TrailerparkFairy
#70 Is It That Bad?
Image credits: lumpacious
#71 Just Saw This “Mozzarella Sticks” On Ig
Image credits: FLSleepy
#72 I Got This As An Ad. Not Sure If This Is Terrible Or If I'm Just Old Fashioned
Image credits: roomonfire321
#73 Are These Actually Bad Or Are My Friends Messing With Me
Image credits: ThreadStalker5550
#74 Wicked...ly Bad
Image credits: AltruisticBug5769
#75 What I Got
Image credits: ZwergenPriese
#76 I Just Saw This.. No Words
Image credits: Strawberry-vape
#77 Found On My Ig And He Has 75k Followers ? They Are So Bad
Image credits: complikaity
#78 Post Was Removed So Fixed
Image credits: reddit.com
#79 Posted By A Pretty Prominent Shop In My City
Image credits: Mgm82
#80 Cash Only I’ve Had Them For 12 Years Got Them At Age 11 ?
Image credits: Blue_wafflesl
#81 Local Artist With 20 Years Of Experience
Image credits: ryans_bored
#82 Yeah, What's Stopping You?
Image credits: Goodthrust_8
#83 Orange
Image credits: Neat_Ad_3043
#84 Please Convince My Wife To Find A New Artist
Image credits: Living_Variation316
#85 Been Getting A Lot Of Mixed Reactions To This, Is It Really That Bad?
Image credits: Prophonicx
#86 Artist I Found On Insta
Image credits: urjok
#87 A Friend Of Mine Got This Done Recently, And I Don't Know What To Tell Him
Image credits: HudsonArsonist
#88 I’ve Been Told No One Can Tell What My Tattoo Is, Is It That Bad?
Image credits: parapluie10
#89 Quite The Collab
Image credits: OverallBiscotti4809
#90 Facebook Discovery
Image credits: Ididnt-start-thefire
