When did the popularity of tattoos among British people start increasing, what do you think caused?

[LadybirdsTakingTurds]

Can you tell me when tattoos became very popular in British culture? I recently went to a new gym and noticed a large number of young people, both men and women, with tattoos covering their bodies, even up to their necks and covering limbs. I was aware tattoos are much more common now than they were in previous decades but it was even more noticeable with everyone showing more skin.

It's now perfectly normal in the UK to see a person with a heavily tattooed leg, whereas this would have been considered unconventional just half a century ago. What do you think caused it - was it influenced by pop culture or a trend? Do you think its here to stay?

Some of the designs I've spotted repeatedly include lions, clocks, naked women, prayer beads, eagles, elephants, mandalas, chequered flags, clown faces, flowers, skulls, butterflies, roses, stars, and crying eyes.

‘Tattoo’ threads always include a load of consultants and high court judges being cited. Or posters claiming to be such people. Not many encountered in real life.

This was part of my masters dissertation about perceptions of people with tattoos, particularly professionals and it has become normal

Yet I have literally sat opposite one.

I feel very sorry for your backwards way of thinking. I bet you find life really hard.

Marking escape from dark people.

Severe depression ignored by everyone.

I have tattoos both legs are slowly getting covered.
My first tattoo was when I was 18 then second and thirds early 20s now I've picked up again in my mid-late 30s.

Tattooing has defiantly come on in the last few years people no longer care there is no more stigma with having tattoos and a professional career.

I know not everyone loves them and that's fine we are all different. I don't smoke or drink either so I guess tattoos are my thing which makes me happy.

I'm neither tough nor interesting, nor do I want to look that way.

Well that’s one, K0OLA1D.

You bet wrong on my finding my life really hard. Quite the reverse.

Tattoos are not a new thing, they have been around for thousands of years, Google is your friend!!

I’m not a chav, sheep or trying to look hard. I run a couple of successful businesses, well educated and have loving supportive family & friends and I’m not some kind of social outcast that these sort of threads seem to imply, I genuinely don’t care what people think of me.

My tattoos are my way or remembering a close family member who is no longer with me and the art work on them both is incredible.

I have no regrets whatsoever and I’ve had them for years

Is it self-mutilation though? I consider Botox and fish lips as self-mutilation. Different strokes for different folks. Does David Beckham have psychological issues?🤔

You honestly think that 4 out of 10 adults all have a homogeneous reason for getting a tattoo?

One of mine subtly relates to my kids, one to my wedding, one to someone important in my life. None of these are dark reasons.

Winston Churchill's mum had a wrist tattoo.

Most of my older female relatives have tattooes including all my aunts on my dad's side (born 1940s/50s), my SIL (50s) has several and so does my son's nanny (60s) as well as piercings. My mum's female best friend in the 80s had a full sleeve back then. I often see older women (by which I mean 60+) in summer with sleeves or back tattoos.

Basically I can't believe the prurience about tats on MN. I'm quite boring, middle aged and middle class and tattoos have been normal on both sexes and all ages for all of my life.

This! My 3 tattoos are all personal to me, and 2 are from artwork I found on the internet that represents something personal. The third was designed by my dd2, and is very personal.

Yes, my tattoos of my cute cat are designed to make me look tough..

Tattoos have been part of human behaviour since time immemorial.

I have several, and have noticed how banal and commonplace they are, too. In my previous workplace it was the utterly non-edgy types who had the most!

My tattoos have personal meaning to me, and only just recently one in particular gave me strength during a low patch. I'm glad I have them, and will probably get at least one more before I shuffle off this mortal coil and leave behind a decorative corpse.

It’s taking the piss out of people who have “Chinese” or “tribal” tattoos where they have no idea if it says what it’s supposed to.

He did, along with Robbie Williams at the turn of the century.

A few women at my work have tattoos. They looked ok before, but now in their late 50’s or early 60’s it’s not a good look tbh. With sagging or ageing skin you can’t even see what some of them are. A pity as their clothes and hair style etc otherwise is modern, but this shows their age.

Maybe one day there will be tattoos with colours that you can remove and change often and cheaply.

I don’t know op, but I can’t bear tattoos and I still think they carry a stigma - I wouldn’t trust a doctor/lawyer/Judge that was covered in tattoos so I guess it’s only increased in certain sections of society and not everywhere.
I would be unemployable in my industry for instance.

Is there something wrong with showing your age?

Why wouldn't your trust a doctor/lawyer/judge just because they have some ink on their skin? What makes them less trustworthy?

Of course not. They themselves however are careful of having a modern style, and don’t like their tattoos anymore as the style of them is now outdated and doesn’t suit their skin.

That sounds very much like a you problem

I really don't care for tattoos personally, but humans inking ourselves is an ancient practice that has arisen in lots of different cultures and places. Here is no exception. The name 'Britain' may even have arisen from a word for tattooed, it's been going on here for centuries. We stopped for a bit, is all.

It just seems to be a thing lots of humans like doing.

@Newchapterbeckons you'd ask for another doctor would you, if they had a tattoo?

Someone that covers themselves as adults in ink would indicate to me as someone that has/had mental health issues and is expressing their grief, loss love, pets, hobbies, death on body parts is bizarre to me. Or even if they are doing it for enjoyment/rebellious, it looks odd to abuse your body with needles and pain in that way. There are other ways to communicate your feelings whatever they are. The permanence is unfortunate.

Given the above, I simply wouldn’t feel comfortable trusting someone with something important given they would think it is professional?! It’s off putting and unprofessional in my view.

A nurse once had a tattoo and I felt uncomfortable receiving a blood test. She didn’t look clean.

On a personal note, I think aesthetically they look grubby, ugly and unattractive and wreck the beauty of the human body. I guess thats the point…