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These days, getting a tattoo has become increasingly common. I, for one, have over 10 and will continue to get more. All this time in the chair has allowed me to have some awesome conversations with tattoo artists. Some have even become good friends of mine. When I asked what tattoos were overdone, I got immediate responses filled with laughs, eye rolls and some cringe moments. Get ready to cringe as you think of people you know with these tattoos.
11. The ‘Tiny’ Cactus
This has become a trend more recently than most of the others. Those gurls dranking their 20 shot cinnadochemultifrappacino lattes with extra skim full-fat milk are normally the ones with this tattoo. You will find it either on the wrist, ankle or behind the ear most of the time.
10. The Sun and The Moon.
I want to see both worlds as one. As do so many others. There are stories about how the sun and moon used to be lovers. There’s also the duality of day and night. Whatever the reason, it seems some variation of this has become a fairly regular trend. Whether it is a simple black-and-white line work or a colour explosion with full faces, artists have started to get sick of tattooing this.
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9. The Birds Variations
Although an interestingly terrifying and memorable movie by the late Alfred Hitchcock, it’s only one of these two things when it comes to tattoos. To many artists, the thought of doing any variation of the birds is interestingly terrifying. Whether it is the feather breaking into birds, the dandelion with its seeds turning to birds, or just a trail of birds up the collarbone or down the wrist. It has become overdone. Although no one will say that to your face, you may hear, “Oh nice! My friend Jenny has the same one!”
8. The “No Ragrets”
I’m sure most of you have seen the “No Ragrets” Tattoo. Even If you don’t think you have. Whether it is a misspelled word or phrase in English or incorrect symbols from another language. There’s nothing better than trying to get the word hope but being stuck with the word prostitute in Chinese on your arm. From simple, common phrases in a fancy script to foreign lettering, your tattoo artist wants you to pick something else.
7. The Quote
From famous words to biblical scripture, a lot of artists have done it all. One even told me, “By this point in my career, I have probably written the entire bible in different fonts. Not to mention that famous Bukowski quote on hundreds of people’s bodies”. By no means does this mean you shouldn’t do it. Just keep this in mind when talking to your tattoo artist about it. Some artists love doing it to practice their scripts and fonts.
6. The Stars
You see these a lot less nowadays than when tattoos started becoming popular. There are two main renditions that are the most overdone according to my sources. The first is the trail of stars or a shooting star behind the ear. The second is the nautical stars. You used to see these bad boys on everyone. It was the go-to first tattoo in the early to mid-2000s. Don’t get me wrong, we have seen some pretty awesome variations of these, but the normal ones are way overdone.
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5. The Zodiac
We don’t want to say these are completely overdone like some tattoos that are yet to come, but it’s pretty close. We still give major props to creative renditions of the zodiac animals. Saying that though, the symbols have gotten up there with the best of them. Big or small, tattoo artists are sick of slapping these on people.
4. The Deathly Hallows
I knew I struck a home run on this one when I was discussing this list with some friends of mine. As soon as I said this, one of my friends piped up. “Hey! No! You can’t put that one, ’cause I’m getting it soon!”, she cried. I mean, that kind of just proves my point. Since the last book came out, this has been ragingly popular and still is to this day. You even see it as a couple’s tattoo.
3. The Mustachio
Remember in high school how a lot of people would draw a moustache on their finger and put it up to their lips? Well, they grew up. Kind of…. They ended up getting that moustache tattooed on their finger. Now they pop it out whenever they want. From what I understand from my friends in the industry, they don’t really like doing anything on fingers. Therefore, this just adds to the bad taste in their mouths.
2. The Infinity
Tattoo artists hate this one. Not only does every girl and her dog have it, but they have them for their dogs, cats, sisters, brothers, boyfriends, microwaves, favourite Starbucks latte, or celebrity crush. They also allow for almost no creativity whatsoever. Yet this tattoo is overused, overdone, and not going anywhere anytime soon.
Honourable Mentions:
There are tonnes of tattoos in the world. More than just a handful are overdone. You have the butterfly of the 90s, the arrow and mountain outline of the 2010s, the Declaration of Independence, or big cats wearing crowns. You can’t forget the classic rose or heart tats, but I swear if I see one more person sporting an anchor saying “Refuse to Sink” I’m just going to scream. Anchors are supposed to sink. Yet regardless of the honourable mentions, nothing compares to number one.
If you are interested in more cringey tattoos, check out our list of cringey Christmas tattoos here
1. The “Cringe“
You will soon learn why I call this the cringe, and chances are you’ll agree. I know so many artists that will straight up refuse to do this. Couples getting each other’s names tattooed on themselves. Then there is worse. Only one of the two got the other’s name tattooed on them. Cringe right? Well, it happens. My old roommate got his new girlfriend’s name tattooed on his chest, and his on her ribs, after around a month or two of being together. Don’t be this person. I beg you.
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In Conclusion:
Just because something is overdone does not mean that it is not valid, cool, or special to the individual in some way. Don’t let this list discourage you from getting the tattoos that you want. It’s your decision. Talk it over with your tattoo artist. Just don’t say something that will annoy them too much. Saying that though, don’t get the cringe. Here are the 11 tattoos that are way overdone.
Do you have any of these? What should or should not be on this list and why? Let us know in the comments below!
2 Responses
my friend has all of them except the mustachio because my friend is a girl
Haha that’s Awesome! I have a bunch of female friends that have the Mustachio!