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These Badass Seniors Prove That Your Tattoos Will Probably Look Awesome At Any Age (40 Pics)
A recent poll has found that more Americans have tattoos today than ever before. In fact, there’s been a 21% increase in people having at least one tattoo since 2012. And contrary to what skeptics believe, they are far from regretting it. In fact, 92%, which is a hopping majority, say they are totally happy with their ink art.
But when it comes to the older generation getting themselves a work of art embedded in the skin, skeptics get even more fierce. Luckily, the stigma is slowly going away thanks to some incredibly badass elders who rock their ink so well I watch them in awe.
So in order to celebrate seniors with fabulous tattoos, Bored Panda rounded up some of the most beautiful and creative examples in a list below. Scroll down, upvote your favorite pics and be sure to share your thoughts on tattooed elders in the comment section!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
A Grandpa Got A Cochlea Implant Tattoo To Become Like His Grandson
RELATED:
#2
This Is Tanya. She Is An ER Nurse. Last Year She Came To Me To Get Her First Tattoo Ever... On Her Head
She told me that she had developed alopecia, lost all her hair and that she was finally ready and happy to reclaim a bit of her identity back and own her Alopecia. Last week she came back for session 2 and we did this flower on the other side of her head
#3
Grandma Gets A Tattoo
On her 90th birthday grandma Heather Brooks got her first tattoo. She chose a Cancer Research pink ribbon to signify her victory after a five year battle with cancer.
To find out more about tattoos for seniors and whether they're more willing to go under the ink needle, Bored Panda spoke with Adam, the Studio Manager at Vagabond Tattoo. The studio was established in 2012 on East London’s popular Hackney Road and became known for their clean and original tattoos, spanning a range of styles. Vagabond Tattoo has made their name as one of the best contemporary tattoo studios in London.
When asked whether tattoos are getting more popular among older people, Adam said that he wouldn’t necessarily say so. Having said that, he explained the recent surge in people getting tattoos amid the pandemic: “I think we have seen an increase of older people who are already tattooed come in for more work then they usually would have. I think the fact that people haven't been able to travel as much has meant they have a bit more spare income to spend on themselves. Possibly there's more of a feeling of why put it off, let's just get more tattoos whilst we can!”
#4
Whang Od
#5
The Amazing Lilo Is Back. 92-Year-Old And Adding On To Her Sleeve
This woman survived a concentration camp. The holocaust. Cancer. The 70's. And now she's working on her sleeve. Amazing woman
ThEboRedEsTpANdA 3 years ago (edited)
"This woman survived [...] the 70s" made me laugh too much
#6
One Of My Favorite Clients Of All Time, Ann. She's 69 And She's Amazing
As for the particular tattoos he’d recommend for seniors, Adam believes there’s no rules. “Whatever tattoo they'd like to get!” However, some ink art designs may be harder on aged skin, so it’s good to keep that in mind. “I would say fine line tattoos are more difficult to tattoo on older skin, and they won't look the same as a 20-year-old's tattoos, but if it's something they want to get, then we try and accommodate them.” Adam added that “if we don't think it's a good idea, we'll tell them to do a similar design but in a bolder style,” so there’s always a solution that a good tattoo artist has at hand.
#7
100% Agree With You Gramps! You're Livin Life The Right Way. Tell Em How It Is. Wear That Shirt With Pride, And Be The Tattooed Gentleman You Are
#8
Coolest Gentleman Ever Wanted His First Tattoo On His Receding Hairline. Him And His Wife Were In Their 60's But Couldn't Have Been More Young At Heart
#9
This Is Incredible
#10
My Old Pappaw Has Waited So Long To Get This Tattoo
He was in the Navy Reserve as a young man and one night everyone was drinking and decided to get tattoos. He called home to ask my Granny if he could and she told him no. It's a good thing she did because the next morning they all woke up with swollen, infected tattoos. Finally, 58 years later, he can cross this off his bucket list.
#11
My 87 Year Old Step Grandmother Decided It Was Time To Get A Tattoo
#12
She's Amazing
#14
Cool Tattooed Grandpa
#15
Proof That Age Doesn't Matter. My Grandmother Inked All My Tattoo Ideas. Amazing Woman
#16
This Beautiful Maori Kween Is Terewai Kingi, She Had Her Traditional TaMoko Tapped 21 Years Ago
#17
My Friend Knows Me Well. “Assuming I’m Just An Old Lady, Is Your First Mistake”
#18
When People Ask What Are You Going To Look Like When Your Older With All The Tattoos? You'll Look Cool
#19
Met This Guy At Target Today, He Is 75
#20
She Is One Of The Last Tattooed Tharu Tribe Women. They Used To Do Tattoos In Order To Be Avoided To Be Selected As Slaves By The Royal Nepalese Family
#21
This Is How Our Generation Will Look Like In The Future. Cool
#22
So Yeah I'm A Grandpa
Dorothy Parker 3 years ago
Cool from head to toe. Even the shirt tuck in front. His tattoos are just a part of it. And a grandbaby!
#23
"I’m Sure My Tattoos Look Very Old Fashioned To My Children, Who Have A Different Approach"
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 3 years ago
I personally think it looks very elegant--I love the muted colour palette.
#24
Still Collecting Ink After All This Time
#25
The Man With The Endless Vibe
#26
Age Doesn't Matter. My Clients Are The Best
#27
"Real Men Ain't No Pussies"
DC 3 years ago
That, I also considered, like collecting the cats I lived with. Four who lived between 12 and 20 years now, always started as a couple (the first were there before me), now I'm down to one, who needed to be adopted from incompetent humans (I had planned to look for old cats who aren't that likely to get adopted, but she intervened and screwed my plan ... love her, of course ...).
#28
Throwback To Tattooing My 88-Year-Old Nana. Such An Amazing Experience. So Much Love For This Beautiful & Tough Lady
#29
Jane Is Totally Enchanting And The Biggest David Bowie Fan We've Ever Met
#30
Nothing Beats Grandpa Granddaughter Love
Dorothy Parker 3 years ago (edited)
Granddad had a bad accident? Still handsome and cool but ow.
#31
69-Year-Old Charlotte Guttenberg Has Officially Become The World's Most Tattooed Person Ever With 98.75% Of Her Body Covered In Ink
Demi Zwaan 3 years ago
How can she be the most tattooed person ever, when we have Lucky Diamond Rich, who has tattoos covering his entire body, including the insides of his eyelids, mouth, ears and foreskin? He has held the certified record since 2006, being 100 percent tattooed.
#32
Grandpa Has A Way With Babies
#33
This Is Grandma Eva. I'm Looking Forward To Be Like Her
#34
I Thought He Was The Best Daddy, Turns Out He's The Best Papa Too
#35
Like Father, Like Son
#36
Proud Grandmother Has Drawings Of Her Granddaughter Tattooed On Her Body
#37
Thom DeVita Showing Some Ink
#38
Jack Paid Us A Visit Today
#39
Merv. 1980s
#40
1992 Inkslingers Ball - Captain Don
#41
Carey With Unique Freehand Tattoos
#42
"You're Gonna Regret Those When You Get Old." Nah!
#43
Beautiful Cardinal For Jan Done Today By Albert
#44
Lovely Old Lady Showing Off Her Rad Tattoo
#47
It's Never Too Late To Get Your First Tattoo
#48
Salty Dogtommy's Backpiece. His "Sailors Grave", Which Was Put On By His Uncle, Is Well Over 40-Years-Old
#49
Older Adults Get Tattoos Too
#51
I Had The Best Day Ever Adding On To My Grandma's Arm! She Now Has A Poppy And A Sunflower, Two Flowers Her And My Granddad Were Super Serious About Growing
#52
Thomas And His Cool Tattoos
ThEboRedEsTpANdA 3 years ago
I will never lose respect for people with the courage to have face tattoos
#53
I Was Honored Yesterday To Work On Glenda Again
#55
This Beautiful Young Lady Came In Today For Her 1st Tattoo At 92-Years-Old! Truly One Of The Coolest Clients I’ve Seen Come Thru Our Doors
#56
Look, He's Perfect
#57
Proof That You're Never To Old To Get Your First Tattoo. This is Bette, She's 76, She Likes To Make Teddy Bears
#58
Happy Birthday Boss
Joris Meijs 3 years ago
Dutch tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher. Celebrities tattooed by him : Red Hot Chili Peppers W***y DeVille Lemmy Kurt Cobain Lady Gaga Adam Levine Black Crowes Pearl Jam Keith Haring
#59
"When You Get As Many Tattoos As I Have, There Is Always A Risk That They Become Your Personality; The First Thing People Notice When They See You"
"They can be a weapon, something to hide behind. But to me they have come to represent courage and independence - and a certain subversiveness."
#60
Debbie (Sophia) And Vyvyn
#61
Bill's Been Tattooing Him For Over 30 Years
#63
In The Photo, A Mon Woman Is Praying In A Small Church Made Out Of Wood
#64
Her Bucket List
#68
Got To See The Late, Great Mike Malone's Work In Person On Gary
#70
Just Look At These Two. This Is Literally Me When I'm Old
#71
Brave Lady, Lots Of Respect From Us
#72
85 Years Of Age And Sits Like A Rock For Her First Tattoo
#74
Gave My Nana Her First Tattoo. You Don't Get Much Cooler Than Her
#75
Today I Tattooed My Grandmother, She's 78 Years Old And This Was Her First Tattoo
#78
My Grandma Got A Tattoo From Her Husband, My Grandpa
#79
So Honored To Tattoo This Lovely 85-Year-Old Lady! Her First Tattoo Was On Her Bucket-List And She Got Two, One On Each Arm
#80
My Grandma Is 83 Years Old And We Took Her To Get Some Ink Today. I Drew This Tattoo For Her After We Lost My Uncle
#81
The Great Bill Salmon In The Tattoo Yearbook Photobooth
#82
My Grandpa Just Got His First Tattoo: My Grandma’s Name
He’s a farmer and she’s a retired teacher and they’ve been married for 54 years. He said he’s been driving by a parlor in their town for many years and finally went in and got one Wednesday.
#83
Grandma Got Ink Portraits On The Both Arms
#84
Visiting Grandpa Bob Today. We Both Have Old School Indian Head Tattoos. His Was Done By Me 16 Years Ago And Mine - 19 Years Ago
#85
Believe It Or Not, This Guy Is 78 Years Old And Got Today His First Tattoo. You Are Never Too Old - But You Better Ask Your Doctor First
ThEboRedEsTpANdA 3 years ago
what does xi (11) and viii (8) mean? was it the date he got the tattoo? Like the 11th August (British) or 8th November (North America)?
#86
The Second Session On My Granny
#87
Never Too Old
#90
Charlie Showing His Work
#93
Yep, She’s Got Tattoos, She Puts Out
#94
Grandson Visiting The Tattoo Shop This Afternoon
#95
An Old Headhunter From The Konyak Tribe
#97
I Wish I'd Look This Cool When I'm Older
#98
Such A Cool Grandpa Got Some Bold Tattoos Back In 1950. For Those Who Says Tattoo Doesn't Stay As It Is For Long Terms
#101
Grandma Estella Proving You’re Never Too Silver For A Sword On The Face
#103
For My Grandma’s 80th Birthday I Added Another Rose And Some Baby’s Breathe To Her Existing Rose
#105
It's Never Too Late To Get A Tattoo
#106
My Friend John
#107
World's Greatest Tattoo Fan, Elizabeth Weinzirl, And Walter Stiglitz, Most Individual Tattoos Record Holder In 1982
#110
"Rave'n Since 19-Ever"
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Lisa T 3 years ago
I am 50, and although I did get a couple of tattoos when younger, they were on my back and easily hidden. In the last five years I’ve got a few arm ones (my latest being a portrait of my beloved Bowie). I also have facial piercings and usually have bright coloured hair (pink, blue etc). I find it’s the people of my own age who don’t like it, that I’m “too old”. Younger people think I’m cool! I’m also a gamer, something else older people are apparently not supposed to do. I love tattoos as an expression of me…my likes, things that are important to me etc. Plus when you get older, you stop caring so much what others think and you get to be the TRUE YOU and it’s absolutely wonderful
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
I'm turning 57 on Friday. So far, I have five tattoos, with plans for several more. I've also had multiple facial piercings (although I have none at present) and am a gamer. Also, I love, love love your beautiful turquoise hair!
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DKS 001 3 years ago
young people today who think this is "gross" are going to be them in about 30+ years. I'm sure it won't be "gross" anymore
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
There is always the tattoo removal studio though. I recently read an article about how they all make brisk business and most of the people who go there don't even have wrinkled skin yet. But in 30 years, maybe we'll have wrinkle removal studios too...
Load More Replies... Lisa T 3 years ago
I am 50, and although I did get a couple of tattoos when younger, they were on my back and easily hidden. In the last five years I’ve got a few arm ones (my latest being a portrait of my beloved Bowie). I also have facial piercings and usually have bright coloured hair (pink, blue etc). I find it’s the people of my own age who don’t like it, that I’m “too old”. Younger people think I’m cool! I’m also a gamer, something else older people are apparently not supposed to do. I love tattoos as an expression of me…my likes, things that are important to me etc. Plus when you get older, you stop caring so much what others think and you get to be the TRUE YOU and it’s absolutely wonderful
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
I'm turning 57 on Friday. So far, I have five tattoos, with plans for several more. I've also had multiple facial piercings (although I have none at present) and am a gamer. Also, I love, love love your beautiful turquoise hair!
Load More Replies... DKS 001 3 years ago
young people today who think this is "gross" are going to be them in about 30+ years. I'm sure it won't be "gross" anymore
Martha Meyer 3 years ago
There is always the tattoo removal studio though. I recently read an article about how they all make brisk business and most of the people who go there don't even have wrinkled skin yet. But in 30 years, maybe we'll have wrinkle removal studios too...
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