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‘That’s It, I’m Inkshaming’: 40 Times People Got Hilariously Bad Tattoos And Didn’t Even Realize It (New Pics)
It can be hard to commit to a specific dinner plan at times, so most of us would probably balk at the idea of getting an impulse tattoo. And if we did finally decide to get inked, I suspect that we would put at least some thought into what exactly the artist would put on our skin. But this is not an article about good decision-making.
This Facebook group is dedicated to the most bizarre choices made by artists and recipients alike. So scroll down and upvote your favorite terrible tattoo. And if your eyeballs can withstand it, here and here are some other collections of Bored Panda’s articles on horrible, horrible tattoo designs.
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The origin of the word tattoo seems to actually come from Samoan culture, which features intricate and detailed designs that are both a right of passage and a cultural artifact. Outside of Polynesia, before the 18th century, people would describe the tattooing process as painting or even scaring. Some forms of ‘tattoos’ are actually unintentional. When coal dust, carbon, or even gunpowder would get into a wound, it would leave some permanent pigmentation in the skin.
It’s somewhat shocking how bad these designs are, as the art of tattooing is older than a lot of other skills humans have developed. Mummified human remains have multiple tattoos, showing at least some interest in the artistic expression on one’s skin. Ancient Egyptians also had more figurative tattoos around five thousand years ago, cementing it as a pretty old art form. Despite all this time, it seems some artists still can’t draw their way out of a wet paper bag.
One advantage we have over our ancient relatives is the ease with which we can get rid of unwanted tattoos. Ease here is relative, it can still be a painful and costly process. But no doubt a laser is better than what humans had to deal with before. Women tend to regret their tattoos slightly more often than men, though this may be due to the fact that men have better coping mechanisms for bad tattoos. About half of the respondents in this study who wanted to get their ink taken off had higher education, including at least a university degree.
Tattoo regret isn’t always limited to terrible designs. Research shows that often enough, people who seek laser tattoo removal got their ink done as adolescents. Often this is proceeded by bouts of emotional pain, as the person regrets the pain and getting tattooed and the monetary cost of paying for it in the first place. In general, most study participants indicated that both the regret of a tattoo and its removal are very personal topics.
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Similar studies indicate that the earlier an adolescent gets a tattoo, the more often they express regret for their decision. The research suggests that people who get tattoos relatively early tend to do it from peer pressure and a lack of impulse control. As they age, they will often regret these specific tattoos, but not the process of tattooing in general. Older tattoos might reflect bands and fandoms the person was obsessed with but no longer cares about.
While some end up removing tattoos due to health reasons, like the pigmentation causing allergic reactions, in the majority of cases removal was driven by psychological regret. Overall, most people who get a tattoo do not end up regretting it and only a minority actually gets the piece lasered off. This could be partially due to better tattoo artists being able to take a ‘bad’ tattoo and convert it into something more aesthetic.
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Vanessa Richardson 2 years ago
The lioness one is actually really nice! That’s all I have to say about this overall🙂
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🧶𝔹𝕚𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕂𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕖𝕣🪡 2 years ago
🤫 No one tell him that it's actually the lioness who does all the hunting & protecting...
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Vanessa Richardson 2 years ago
Okay, it’s not the *worst* necessarily, but it *is* upside down😅
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Young Minami Kotaro 2 years ago (edited)
Eminem? Uma Thurman? Gypsy Eminem Uma Thurman?? Make me headache..
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Miss Tinker 2 years ago
"As wicked as you are you're beautiful to". The missing 'o' isn't surprising, really.
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Fish Fingers 2 years ago
Is it... feeding a lolly to it's eye-tongue whilst climbing out of a cabbage?
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barn owls ️ 2 years ago
as someone from virginia, i would laugh at this person. virginia sucks and i feel no pride in it
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Stardust she/her 2 years ago
I keep thinking of Nightmare Before Christmas each time I look at this and it gets more and more awkward by the minute
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NightmaresNope 2 years ago
Ok, so wait, what is this supposed to be? El Diablo? Cursed Sans? Halloween masks?? WHAT IS IT?! I CAN'T UNDERSTAND
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Monika Brandt 2 years ago
I think he meant he made a lot of tattoos that are in need of being covered up. Yikes!
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rs_adahl1971 2 years ago
I think that's cute. Unless cute wasn't going for then it's horrible.
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Genericist 2 years ago
It looks like Freddie Mercury eschewing his last shreds of heterosexuality
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Mickysixxx 2 years ago (edited)
The picture itself is messed up but they've done some good lines and solid colour packing as well as some dot work. Credit where credit due
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Vanessa Richardson 2 years ago
This is good though? I feel like a lot of these shouldn’t be on here. I mean none of these are amazing but there are some that are just fine.
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Rebelliousslug 2 years ago
I’ve got whoseits and whatsits galore, you want thingamabobs? I’ve got plenty, but who cares, no big deal, I want moooore. I actually hate that I know that.
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What do you think ?
Veronica Rabbit 2 years ago
Some of these were actually okay, and others would look really good with better shading!
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
I'm lost. So many of the top ones (I suspect ranking will still have MAJOR changes) aren't bad at all. Some of the others are ameteurish, but hardly shameful. Yes, SOME are terrible, but I don't see why the "shaming" in so many.
sweet emotion 1 year ago
I shame every tattoo I see - silently, unobtrusively, in my head. I just don't particularly care to see graffiti on the human body.
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
They should have invested in piercings. It would cost the same and it's removable.
Veronica Rabbit 2 years ago
Some of these were actually okay, and others would look really good with better shading!
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
I'm lost. So many of the top ones (I suspect ranking will still have MAJOR changes) aren't bad at all. Some of the others are ameteurish, but hardly shameful. Yes, SOME are terrible, but I don't see why the "shaming" in so many.
sweet emotion 1 year ago
I shame every tattoo I see - silently, unobtrusively, in my head. I just don't particularly care to see graffiti on the human body.
Guess Undheit 1 year ago
They should have invested in piercings. It would cost the same and it's removable.
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