Spread the love

Tattoos are cool, at least in my opinion. In fact, I think they’re so cool, 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 saythey regret getting one or more tattoos.

The people from this list would probably feel the same. We’ve compiled a collection of tattoos that are 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 Oh Dear God

Image credits: WhippiesWhippies

#2 Yikes

Image credits: alternate_world_

#3 Artist I Found On Insta

Image credits: urjok

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 My Husband’s Arm

Image credits: Limacology_nerd

#5 I Saw This Monstrosity On Snapchat

Image credits: reddit.com

#6 Why Would You Waste Your Hard Earned Money On These Ugly, Horrible Pieces

Image credits: realalpha2000

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 that the Egyptians were the earliest tattoo artists. But, in 1991, archaeologists recovered a 5,3000-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 Artist I Found On Insta

Image credits: urjok

#8 Isn’t It Supposed To Be “Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies.”

Image credits: Corncob173

#9 Wife Found This Masterpiece On Fb

Image credits: Any-Commission-3523

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 Dragon Bite That Looks Like Herpes

Image credits: goatladyx

#11 It’s Not Me, It’s You

Image credits: Godzira-r32

#12 We’ve Seen Shty Trump Tattoos, Why Not Shty Harris Tattoos?

Image credits: Fr0stybit3s

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 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

#14 Girl I Went To High School With Made A Horrible Decision

Image credits: HesusHrist

#15 I Normally Really Like This Artist’s Work But This Is Terrible 🙁

Image credits: smittywrbermanjensen

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 Just Saw This Posted An Hour Ago

Image credits: jways999

#17 Saw This At A Party

Image credits: irvitty

#18 Shi**y Execution

Image credits: Constant_Safety1761

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 “I Would Like A Well-Shaded Tattoo!” Tattoo Artist: Don’t Say Anything Else!

Image credits: PonyAnyS2

#20 Speaks For Itself

Image credits: NotGodMeme

#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 slab that SPF and moisturizer on your tattoos as much as you can to prevent them from aging poorly!

#22 Yikes It’s Performance Art It Doesn’t Have To Be Hygienic

Image credits: Gone_Overboard1632

#23 A Walk-In My Artist Did

Image credits: xDisciple

#24 Artist I Found On Insta

Image credits: urjok

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 Artist I Found On Insta

Image credits: urjok

#26 Regret

Image credits: Acceptable-Wear2718

#27 Spotted In A Simpsons Facebook Group

Image credits: cornydog_

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 Can Anyone Explain What This Means?

Image credits: Feeling_Party26

#29 Someone I Went To Hs With, I Had To Pause And Take A Breath After Scrolling Into It

Image credits: Nonpratical

#30 At Least The Hair Will Grow And Cover It?

Image credits: carpe_denimuwu

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 I Can’t Wrap My Head Around The Shadow Placement

Image credits: snakespoopin

#32 Done By The Owner, 28 Years Of Experience

Image credits: davidmitchellseyes

#33 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.