Current Tattoo Trends!
Greetings, internet! It’s Livia Michael and I am a tattoo apprentice at Speakeasy Tattoo in Los Angeles, California! It’s been a while since my last blog post and I wanted to write about something fun and topical - current tattoo trends! Tattoos are an ever-evolving art and form of self-expression that is subject to trends, much like fashion, makeup, and interior design. There are a variety of tattoo styles that remain timeless (e.g. American traditional and realism), but in the last few years, there are some trends that have emerged or re-emerged with different interpretations/updates.
FINE LINE
Fine line tattoos have been popular for at least a decade now, and they have held fast in their popularity in the tattoo industry. Florals, calligraphy, and ornamental designs reign supreme in this category. Certainly there have been micro-trends that fall under this umbrella category, with a current fine line trend being tiny hand, finger, and arm tattoos. Many celebrities such as Gracie Abrams and Hailey Bieber have small fine line tattoos that are very en vogue at the moment.
CYBERSIGILISM
According to CO:CREATE, ‘cybersigilism tattoos are a striking blend of technological (cyber) influence and mystical (sigil) aesthetics. The designs that characterize cybersigilism appear organic, but often combine subtle figurative elements…As a genre, cybersigilism owes to a variety of other tattoo styles as well: etching, fine line, 3D realism, and tribal.’ Over the last few years, cybersigilism has become a very prominent trend in the tattoo world, especially among gen Z clients (which makes sense considering they have come of age in a world that is increasingly melding technology with human reality).
PATCHWORK SLEEVES
Patchwork sleeves have become increasingly popular over the last few years. Rather than get one large cohesive sleeve designed and scaled specifically for the entirety of an arm or leg, patchwork sleeves are a curation of smaller tattoos on the arm of leg over time. This trend goes hand-in-hand with the small, fine line tattoos, and are very popular among gen z, as it tends to be a more cost effective way of collecting body art for a demographic that is at the lower end of the socioeconomic scale.
Y2K-ESQUE PLACEMENTS
This trend is not about the style of artwork but more so the placement. Many tattoo placements that were common in the early 2000s (i.e. the lower back tattoo or ‘tramp stamp,’ bicep tattoo, back tattoos) have become fashionable again. This seems to correlate with the resurgence of Y2K fashion trends in the 2020s.
These are a few current tattoo trends that have piqued my interest. I am looking forward to seeing what falls in and out of popularity and what remains steadfastly popular in the tattoo realm. With that being said, it is important for a person to choose something that feels true to them when deciding on their ink! Whether it’s a trending cybersigilistic tramp stamp or a classic American traditional rose, we are lucky enough to live in a world where, as adults we have our own bodily autonomy to decorate our vessel as we see fit!
Until next time…
-Livia Michael
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