Generational Tattoos

Hello! I’ve been studying tattoos and tattooing at Speakeasy Tattoo in Los Angeles California. I have recently been curious about tattoo trends. You’ve probably noticed certain generations tend to get specific types of tattoos that were popular during their 20s or 30s. We’ll be taking a look into which tattoos each generation tends to lean towards and exploring some context around them.

Starting with baby boomers the most obvious tattoo trend would be Sailor Jerry and Don Ed Hardy tattoos. However, this group of people were in their 20s around the 1960s in the heat of the Vietnam war. “The tattoo renaissance was fueled by feelings of rebellion and liberation. And since this perfectly aligned with the zeitgeist of the sixties – anti-Vietnam sentiment, pro women’s lib and civil rights – this brought body art closer to the mainstream. As a result, tattooing began to attract new social groups: musicians, biker gangs, artists, members of the counterculture – and even middle class young people,” (Naama studios). Patriotic tattoos declined as there was less support for the Vietnam war and themes of peace and love were tattooed instead. 

Next on our list is Generation X. This Generation was in their 20s around the 80s. As we know the 80s had some of the most interesting trends but among those for tattooing we find tribal blackwork and the emergence of New School. With the 80s punk scene on the rise more and more people were getting tattooed as acts of self expression and rebellion. 

There are several ways I could include Millennial tattoos on this list but we shall stick with infinity symbols, dream catchers, and of course watercolor tattoos. This generation was in their 20s around the early 2000s and these tattoos were influenced by the fashion trends of that time. Another honorable mention would be tattoos of cartoons from Millennial childhoods. “Many millennials also decide to defend the cartoons of their childhood, and they wear them on their skin in very innovative ways. For this reason, there are those who call this generation with the Peter Pan syndrome,” (10masters). 

Lastly we have Generation Z. These tattoos include cyber sigilism, anime tattoos, and micro tattoos. As millennial tattoos were heavily influenced by fashion, Gen Z tattoos are heavily influenced by social media. There was also the case of the viral Z tattoo that Gen Z members were getting tattooed and then posting on tiktok until unfortunately realising that the Z was the same as a Nazi symbol. 

While you can absolutely get whatever you want tattooed on your body, it is overall best to not let social media or fashion or trends influence your tattoo decisions as these things all fade and give way to new trends. I have found that my favorite tattoos are free of influence and are curated by artists with the most originality.