28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive
Interview With Author
Tattoos are a wonderful way to express yourself and to show the world who you are as a person. You’re wearing your heart on your sleeve in all of its inky glory. There is a big ‘however’ lurking here…
However, not all tattoos are inked equally well. It takes a skilled tattoo artist to bring your idea to fruition. And that only works if your idea works in the first place! You might be the most charismatic, athletic, and kind person on Planet Earth, but if you’ve got a misspelled word inked on your arm or a wolf tattoo with crossed eyes and a “fat weird face” on your chest, you probably won’t have too many fans. If you love it, then great! But don't expect everyone else's jaws to drop from admiration.
Those two examples are just the tip of the iceberg of the ‘tattoo turn-offs’ that internet users shared in a popular r/AskReddit thread, created by u/Flowerlock. Scroll down to read the most candid answers people gave, dear Pandas.
Bored Panda reached out to the author of the thread, u/Flowerlock, and he was kind enough to answer our questions. We had a chat about the inspiration behind the thread and why it caught so many people's attention, how people feel after getting a bad tattoo, and what the redditor thinks some of the coolest design ideas are. He also shared a couple of awesome tips on how to prevent any future ink-related regrets. Check out our full interview below!
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An anchor that says "Can't sink me"
THATS THE F*****G FUNCTION OF A DAMN ANCHOR!
Misspelled words.
I know everyone has different standards of quality and art is subjective but I think (within reason of course) the worst tattoo is just a badly done one. Lacking a basic understanding of anatomy, bad shading, terrible line quality, patchy colour, etc. I'm not a fan of certain tattoo styles but if they're done well I can respect them.
Redditor u/Flowerlock shared his thoughts about his thread and why it resonated with so many redditors in the first place. "What inspired me to create the thread was in all honesty to see some of the terrible tattoos that people have either seen in public, on the internet or when they’ve gone on a date with somebody. It's always amusing to hear anecdotes and ideas of randomers on the internet!" he told Bored Panda.
"I think it resonated with so many people because tattoos are so popular these days (especially with the demographic of Reddit) and everyone has their own idea on what makes a good tattoo," he said.
"So when somebody gets a tattoo which goes against your own taste, beliefs or opinions it can be amusing at best or downright cringeworthy or offensive at worst, so a lot of people have strong opinions on the subject matter."
Face tats.
Random Chinese words on someone who has no idea what they even say.
This one always gets me. How do you know that person doesn't know what the word means? I am white but lived in Japan for many years. I have kanji tattoos. Would you automatically assume I'm an ignorant white girl if you saw them? Maybe stop the judgments based on your ignorance.
A Marijuana plant .
I like smoking weed myself and do often but I wouldn’t go as far as to tattoo it on me. Those I’ve seen get it tatted on them normally revolve their whole personality around weed which is very dull.
I have a green medical cross tattoo with a negative space cannabis leaf. Not to be cool or because it's my life. I was however able to go off of prescribed opiates after using them for 15 years by using cannabis. It's been about 5 years and I haven't had a pain pill stronger than an ibuprofen.
Meanwhile, we were interested to get the OP's take on how someone might deal with feeling regret if their tattoo doesn't come out exactly how they imagined it would.
"I think in all honesty most people would politely say to the tattoo artist that everything is fine and that they’re happy with it, almost try to fool themselves that this design that they have for life is okay and that they’re happy with it, but deep down you’re embarrassed to show it off to your friends and you become self-conscious of it," redditor u/Flowerlock explained how people tend to shy away from dealing with the truth. At least, initially!
"After they’ve gotten over the initial stage of denying it and time has moved on I think most people would either laugh it off as a bad idea or try to cover it up with a better design as laser removal, I have heard, is excruciatingly painful."
It takes a very emotionally mature individual to recognize that they've made a mistake. Not everyone is able to embrace their embarrassment. However, doing so has its upsides. For one, you're preventing your feelings from shifting into deeply rooted shame. What's more, people actually tend to respect others when they demonstrate that they're mildly embarrassed. Generally, very few people like someone who tries to hide that they've messed up.
Anything poorly drawn. My ex was a hot guy. He got a wolf tattoo on his chest. Omg, it had crossed eyes and a fat weird face and for some reason pine trees embedded in the fur. Ugh. Just, whyyy.
Again, you jump to conclusions without asking. Could be a drawing by someone's child.
The author of the thread gave some spot-on advice that should help pretty much anyone avoid future tattoo regrets. "I have tattoos myself and I find the best way to not regret them is have them as your phone's wallpaper for at least six months and if you get sick of it after that time period then you are definitely going to get sick of it when it is on you for life," he shared with Bored Panda.
"And if you’re not happy with the design a tattoo artist has created, say it beforehand! Don’t wait until it’s too late, a moment of politeness could be a lifetime of regret if you don’t just speak your mind then and there!"
Meanwhile, u/Flowerlock said that, in his opinion, "the coolest designs are the ones which somebody has thought of by themselves or a design thought up by the tattoo artist and is unique to them."
He added: "I think it’s best not to follow trends as they are not permanent but your tattoo is!"
Those tattoos that look like someone ripped your skin and underneath is the American flag. I swear I've only seen Americans do this and it's so weird. The Rips but it's like a robot part underneath is cool though. The flag is just weird.
I once saw this guys tinder profile who had a tattoo of a cat on his stomach and his belly button was the cats b******e.
Omg 😂 Can you imagine getting naked with someone and that just pops up when they take their shirt off? Like how do you take them seriously and not pee yourself laughing instead???
Typos are fine in a digital document. They’re harder to fix when they’re on a billboard. And you’d best be prepared to shell out a large wad of cash if you want to fix a grammar mistake on your skin or remove it altogether.
That’s why it’s vital to know for certain what kind of design you want ahead of time. Run the design past a few of your friends (bonus points if they’re artists!). See what they think about the font and the phrasing. You never know, you might have accidentally mixed some letters up in your sketch.
The other half of the equation is finding a tattoo artist you can trust. Just like in any other creative space or job industry niche, not everyone’s the expert they might claim to be. Some stylists are masters of their craft and will give you the care and attention that you deserve. Some others might cut corners and work sloppily because they’ve fallen out of love with their jobs or they simply don’t have the skills to back up their boasts just yet.
Only God can judge me.
Except Carson Kressley. He was always "juging" people on the original Queer Eye. It seemed to mean adding just a bit of extra... something. This person could probably use some of that.
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Especially when "judge" is spelled wrong, as it is in the photo. I'll "juge" you all I want Darlene!
Seriously, who are they to juge? Feel like they should be put themselves in front of a juge and let them see how unpleasant it is to be juged. Jugental motherf*ckers. Okay, I’m done. Juge.
As a a language teacher and ardent user of the Pagemaker app and esthete I got a total nervous breakdown from this. It breaks every single rule of typography and my heart
And it's misspelled. The people that get this I think of as having been in prison... for a long while... for some BS they thought was badass and gangsty.
Well yes but you don't need it as a tattoo, it screams I'm a belle#d and I've got this tattoo to prove it
Ask my former mother in law, she aced judging other people on the daily ;p
I'm not God so I won't judge...but I'll sure as he'll juge you.
Well no, that's not true. There are plenty of people who can judge you. They're called judges.
I somehow get the feeling that only mean people would get a tattoo like that. You know, those who pretend to be all good and god loving but in reality bigoted, racist, misogynistic and homophobic
Leviticus states that anyone that marks their skin will go to hell so if there was a god, he would indeed judge them.
I mean all religious weirdo tattoos are creepy, but that basically says i can do whatever i want and only my magical overlord can judge me haha
One doesn’t have to damage their precious bodies to get your point across. Instead, have it printed on your t-shirt ect.. Voice yourself without being foolish..
I’m not bothered by the quote, but an all-caps ornamental font has me grinding my teeth!
Big rule in graphic design, DO NOT USE ALL CAPS or very fancy font for every letter, looks cheesy and hard to read.
I was curious if juge was actually a word. It is French for judge. Obviously rest of tattoo is in English but crossed my mind to wonder if tattoo artist speaks French . For reference, I live close to Canada so it is not uncommon to see certain words spelled with either American or British spelling. TLDR: tattoo art should always be previewed / approved before permanent ink.
No. By getting that tattoo, you allow us all to judge your (under adequate) taste.
I find that people who say "Only God can judge me" are generally not great people and say it because they know they aren't. What they miss is that actually there's nothing stopping anyone from judging you, and just because you don't want them to doesn't meant they can't.
Nope, now everyone can juge you and the dumbass who did this.
And judges...And people on social media...His friends...And the tattoo artist who misspelled this, as a joke.
Yeah, I don't think the judge would agree if you tried to use that argument in court.
Tattoos of Jesus. His sad face is such a bummer at the dinner table.
When I was changing with my boyfriend for the first time, he took off his pants and his entire upper left leg was covered with giant leopard spots.
I almost screamed.
Whatever the case might be, don’t be afraid to do a bit of research beforehand. Check out the artist or their studio’s website and social media pages. Take a peek at their designs. Be honest with yourself if this is the level of quality you want for the price you’re willing to pay. Don’t be scared to postpone your giant chest wolf tattoo if you can’t find a specialist you’re comfortable with.
If you have a bit of spare time on your hands and if the stylists are friendly, consider dropping by the studio to ask them a few questions about how they work and what your expectations are. So long as you’re polite, genuinely curious, and aren’t disturbing them, then everything should go smoothly. True professionals are willing to share a bit of their wisdom with other artists and customers alike. They know the value of teaching others.
Tear drops under the eyes. Never has and never will intimidate me.
Wasn't it that if someone killed someone they get a teardrop tattoo? Or is it in memory of when someone they know is in a gang and gets killed?
A tattoo of your husband Kevin and your dog cheddar blended into one horrific aberration instead of individually, as I thought was clearly implied.
It's a reference to a joke in a tv show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine, about fictional characters. This is not real peeps.
Moreover, if you have any friends who have tattoos, talk to them about the process. Ask around for some reputable artists. Try to be realistic with your expectations, but don’t settle for something you wouldn’t enjoy, either. And you know what? If you want a derpy wolf tat, go for it! So long as it’s intentional and you love it, there’s no problem. Just don’t expect everyone to melt when they see it.
What tattoos instantly make you cringe, dear Pandas? What ink designs do you love the most? Are there any tats that you regret getting? Be sure to share your thoughts.
Are you in the mood for some more tattoo red flags? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! When you’re done with this list, take a peek at Bored Panda’s earlier post about tattoo tragedies right over here.
Those 2000s tribal tattoos on people with no tribal connections.
Letters on your fingers. It just makes you look like a child who's drawn on themselves while bored in class with whatever angsty teen mantra they have on their mind at the time.
Some cheeky a*s quotes like, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".
I disagree with this one. Sometimes people get words that helped them through depressive/traumatic episodes, or affirmations that have given them some kind of strength to not kill themselves, or keep trying, or what have you. I don't question these ones because I don't know what other folks have lived through.
A tramp stamp of boxing gloves and the phrase "hit it like a champ".
I want a sexy Jesus tramp stamp where he's laying on his side winking, one hand holding his head up the other making a little hand gun pointing and his loin cloth just covering his ripped bod hahahaha
I'm gonna be real; I'm really tired of seeing women with dream-catcher tattoos.
All I ever hear is how "unique" this girls tattoo is when I can not even move my head and see two more sheilas with the same damn tattoo.
My aunt has one on the back of her shoulder but it's nicely done and it's for her children. There's three feathers, two pink and one blue. I always thought it was cute.
Anything that has faded so much that you cant tell if its a tattoo or a skin condition.
Those giant last names ones in the ugly font on the forearm.
I have a tattoo on my wrist that says "rot in hell". I think that is probably the worst tattoo ever.
Confederate flag, the number 88, or any other white supremacist nonsense.
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At least try to tattoo something useful like, "Tip Your Waitress" ... or ... "Tip You're Waitress" if you prefer.
I like tattoos and find them attractive on people when they're well done - I love my tattoos, my husband still finds me attractive but tattoos aren't his thing so he won't ever get any even if I think they'd be hot - each to their own. There's other things I don't personally find attractive on people, doesn't mean I'd ever be as bold as to say having such things instantly makes a person less attractive, I'm aware my preferences aren't the rules people need to live by
I'm in the same boat as your husband. I like tattoos on other people, but I have no desire to get one myself. My husband has several tattoos, and I love them all.
Load More Replies... As someone who finds natural skin extremely attractive (when taken care of), all tattoos make someone less attractive to me.
The only tattoos I ever got were the temporary, easily-washable tattoos meant for kids.
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A bunch of judgmental a******s is all I see...a tattoo isn't harming any of you, so why tf do you care so much about what another person decides to get on their own damn body??
Easy there, while I agree with you a bit, there's no need to get cranky over it. Others are allowed to have opinions too, although we don't *agree with* them. I also don't care what other people get. My ink has meaning for me, but someone else (clearly) will judge them. That is their issue, not mine (or yours). I've got a few insects, and the Chinese character for tiger (虎) on my neck, though I know others think they suck. Oh well, not my problem.
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I know a guy who has a huge spider tattooed across his face. And I know another guy who has "KILLER" tattooed on his forehead. Interesting choices, to say the least.
I know a guy who has HALF of his face tattooed to look like a zombie. It's ridiculous.
Load More Replies... I made an account to post this. I was dating someone who was Chinese and eventually when things progressed I discovered he had a tattoo below the belt line that said 'Azian'. He explained it was a drunken mistake and I suggested that explains the spelling as well, to which he only then noticed that it had a z in it. Poor guy never had noticed the spelling error until I pointed it out.
Tattoos of infamous rather than famous people. Tattoos of your kids names, dates of birth like you're going to forget it somehow, or even worse on the back of your neck.
The kids names ones are usually because the kids are really important to the parents and they probably won’t forget their kids name but it’s meaningful to them
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The infinity sign. Every 2nd person has them these days! Especially those with names in the loops.
I find large tattoos on women to be very tacky and super unattractive.
Sister in law has a vine tat that comes out the front of her pants, across her stomach, around her back and over her shoulder. While her sisters are saying how cool it is I'm thinking: so nasty down there it supports plant life .
"Back in the day" I got my HS boyfriend's name tattooed on my forearm. Two years later, I had it removed at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital which entailed novocain, a cut around the tattoo deep enough to remove all the ink and 13 stitches. People would see the scar and ask me if I tried to "erase" my tattoo. After a few months, explaining got irritating so my reply became, "Yep, grabbed a big *ss pencil with a big*as eraser and erased a big*as hole in my arm where the tattoo used to be." How on God's green Earth does anyone think you can erase a tattoo??
Weather or not a tattoo makes a person less attractive is for those who look at it, it's personal. For me, the swastika (as mentioned before by BP John, is although one I would never ever consider as "just a mistake" or "less attractive" There are also many more things that make people less attractive that have nothing to do with ink or piercings or other body modifications. What makes a person attractive to me is how they are, if their character is pleasant, if they have an opnion of their own instead of copy cats to what others say. Intelligence plus empathy is a major attractive thing in a person, but that's just me ;)
I got piercings over tattoos. When I got sick of them, I could take them out with no permanent scars. I just don't think I would like something that much to get it on my body unless it was in memoriam. So I don't get why people sometimes get "stupid" tattoos that have little to no meaning. Just because it is funny, looks cool, or is mainstream right now (people that get those mustache tattoos on their fingers) doesn't mean it will look cool or still be funny when you're older. Yeah, you can get them removed but it is costly, time consuming, and painful
Because making your body your own is fun and enjoyable. Everyone does it in their own way
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Brand tattoos. Particularly the Nike swoosh or Monster energy drink M. Roman numerals on heart signifying date born or important event. Nautical star unless a sailor. No, a Norwegian Cruise doesn’t count. Likewise, symmetrical robins above the pecs or on clavicles.
Tribals are really hard to cover, my bf has a band on bicep he would love to cover but just got it incorporated into a full arm design. 20 years ago it was cool so it's more of an etching of history and your past, no need to regret what you can't change.
My niece had the nick name of her ex boyfriend tattooed above her eyebrows while she was in jail that says "Klick Clack". Her EX BOYFRIEND. My reaction was this is the excuse she will have for the rest of her life of why she can't get a job. I know I can't afford to help her get that lasered off of her, but It sucks that she has to live with that for the rest of her life when she's only 30 now. Giant clown tats on her eyebrows.
For me, it's splotches of color that look like injuries....especially red or bruise looking ones. Permanent rash x.x
Any tattoo on the neck. Don't know why it bothers me, but it just does. It's like the person is dirty, unclean.
I hate hate hate the dolphin butterfly birds 90s stuff. Yeah I got a small lower back tattoo by an apprentice at a shop. Years before the tramp stamp name came into play. Also hate people who are like covered in something you know they can't afford so the live in their parents basements. And the chicks ya know what they did to get $10000 worth of back or arm ink for. Trust me I worked with a girl who w@@@ed herself for her badly done ink.
"angel numbers" my sil has "999" it looks like 666 and the reason she chose it was because she was born in 1992, one of 4 kids was born on January 16, and her lucky number is 6. The font of course is old English.
To me, many tattoos remind me of the Holocaust and being "branded" as belonging to someone.
A tramp stamp of the entire Smurf village would be embarrassing, too.
While they might not be for me, I have no problem with tattoos, as long as they aren't offensive, like hate speech. What you do with your skin is not my business.
This just made me want to get tattooed even more. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the pain, though.
Confederate flag, the number 88, or any other white supremacist nonsense.
Load More Replies... At least try to tattoo something useful like, "Tip Your Waitress" ... or ... "Tip You're Waitress" if you prefer.
I like tattoos and find them attractive on people when they're well done - I love my tattoos, my husband still finds me attractive but tattoos aren't his thing so he won't ever get any even if I think they'd be hot - each to their own. There's other things I don't personally find attractive on people, doesn't mean I'd ever be as bold as to say having such things instantly makes a person less attractive, I'm aware my preferences aren't the rules people need to live by
I'm in the same boat as your husband. I like tattoos on other people, but I have no desire to get one myself. My husband has several tattoos, and I love them all.
Load More Replies... As someone who finds natural skin extremely attractive (when taken care of), all tattoos make someone less attractive to me.
The only tattoos I ever got were the temporary, easily-washable tattoos meant for kids.
Load More Replies... A bunch of judgmental a******s is all I see...a tattoo isn't harming any of you, so why tf do you care so much about what another person decides to get on their own damn body??
Easy there, while I agree with you a bit, there's no need to get cranky over it. Others are allowed to have opinions too, although we don't *agree with* them. I also don't care what other people get. My ink has meaning for me, but someone else (clearly) will judge them. That is their issue, not mine (or yours). I've got a few insects, and the Chinese character for tiger (虎) on my neck, though I know others think they suck. Oh well, not my problem.
Load More Replies... I know a guy who has a huge spider tattooed across his face. And I know another guy who has "KILLER" tattooed on his forehead. Interesting choices, to say the least.
I know a guy who has HALF of his face tattooed to look like a zombie. It's ridiculous.
Load More Replies... I made an account to post this. I was dating someone who was Chinese and eventually when things progressed I discovered he had a tattoo below the belt line that said 'Azian'. He explained it was a drunken mistake and I suggested that explains the spelling as well, to which he only then noticed that it had a z in it. Poor guy never had noticed the spelling error until I pointed it out.
Tattoos of infamous rather than famous people. Tattoos of your kids names, dates of birth like you're going to forget it somehow, or even worse on the back of your neck.
The kids names ones are usually because the kids are really important to the parents and they probably won’t forget their kids name but it’s meaningful to them
Load More Replies... The infinity sign. Every 2nd person has them these days! Especially those with names in the loops.
I find large tattoos on women to be very tacky and super unattractive.
Sister in law has a vine tat that comes out the front of her pants, across her stomach, around her back and over her shoulder. While her sisters are saying how cool it is I'm thinking: so nasty down there it supports plant life .
"Back in the day" I got my HS boyfriend's name tattooed on my forearm. Two years later, I had it removed at the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital which entailed novocain, a cut around the tattoo deep enough to remove all the ink and 13 stitches. People would see the scar and ask me if I tried to "erase" my tattoo. After a few months, explaining got irritating so my reply became, "Yep, grabbed a big *ss pencil with a big*as eraser and erased a big*as hole in my arm where the tattoo used to be." How on God's green Earth does anyone think you can erase a tattoo??
Weather or not a tattoo makes a person less attractive is for those who look at it, it's personal. For me, the swastika (as mentioned before by BP John, is although one I would never ever consider as "just a mistake" or "less attractive" There are also many more things that make people less attractive that have nothing to do with ink or piercings or other body modifications. What makes a person attractive to me is how they are, if their character is pleasant, if they have an opnion of their own instead of copy cats to what others say. Intelligence plus empathy is a major attractive thing in a person, but that's just me ;)
I got piercings over tattoos. When I got sick of them, I could take them out with no permanent scars. I just don't think I would like something that much to get it on my body unless it was in memoriam. So I don't get why people sometimes get "stupid" tattoos that have little to no meaning. Just because it is funny, looks cool, or is mainstream right now (people that get those mustache tattoos on their fingers) doesn't mean it will look cool or still be funny when you're older. Yeah, you can get them removed but it is costly, time consuming, and painful
Because making your body your own is fun and enjoyable. Everyone does it in their own way
Load More Replies... Brand tattoos. Particularly the Nike swoosh or Monster energy drink M. Roman numerals on heart signifying date born or important event. Nautical star unless a sailor. No, a Norwegian Cruise doesn’t count. Likewise, symmetrical robins above the pecs or on clavicles.
Tribals are really hard to cover, my bf has a band on bicep he would love to cover but just got it incorporated into a full arm design. 20 years ago it was cool so it's more of an etching of history and your past, no need to regret what you can't change.
My niece had the nick name of her ex boyfriend tattooed above her eyebrows while she was in jail that says "Klick Clack". Her EX BOYFRIEND. My reaction was this is the excuse she will have for the rest of her life of why she can't get a job. I know I can't afford to help her get that lasered off of her, but It sucks that she has to live with that for the rest of her life when she's only 30 now. Giant clown tats on her eyebrows.
For me, it's splotches of color that look like injuries....especially red or bruise looking ones. Permanent rash x.x
Any tattoo on the neck. Don't know why it bothers me, but it just does. It's like the person is dirty, unclean.
I hate hate hate the dolphin butterfly birds 90s stuff. Yeah I got a small lower back tattoo by an apprentice at a shop. Years before the tramp stamp name came into play. Also hate people who are like covered in something you know they can't afford so the live in their parents basements. And the chicks ya know what they did to get $10000 worth of back or arm ink for. Trust me I worked with a girl who w@@@ed herself for her badly done ink.
"angel numbers" my sil has "999" it looks like 666 and the reason she chose it was because she was born in 1992, one of 4 kids was born on January 16, and her lucky number is 6. The font of course is old English.
To me, many tattoos remind me of the Holocaust and being "branded" as belonging to someone.
A tramp stamp of the entire Smurf village would be embarrassing, too.
While they might not be for me, I have no problem with tattoos, as long as they aren't offensive, like hate speech. What you do with your skin is not my business.
This just made me want to get tattooed even more. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the pain, though.
