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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!

#1

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive An anchor that says "Can't sink me"

THATS THE F*****G FUNCTION OF A DAMN ANCHOR!

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#3

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.

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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.

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"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."

#4

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Face tats.

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#5

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Random Chinese words on someone who has no idea what they even say.

chickadeedeedee_ , Adam Gessaman Report

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MouseyMouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Abbigail
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if people in China do this with English words? Imagine someone walking around with “Taxes” or “Corn Dog ❤️” on their body 😅

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Stephanie Did It
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, they do. Just look at the random T-shirts and jackets posted on BP, especially the kids' clothing with F bombs.

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Sunshine Sunshine
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hahaha so my fiancé has 1 tattoo, Chinese lettering he got while young and in the 90’s, when he first showed me he said “it’s says Soy Sauce”. It doesn’t actually, but the little joke has always been so endearing to me. Definitely only adds to his hotness.

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Immortal Jellyfish
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mate got a massive one on his shoulder done in tiger print. It was supposed to be strength but what it actually translated to was beast or also used as sexual predator!

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Asexual Zelephant
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This happened to my dads friend - he thought he had his name and it turned out to say Coca Cola lol

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Erika
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ariana grande’s “seven rings” tattoo comes to mind here

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David Kennedy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex is Chinese and I use to get her to read these whenever I saw them. I'd say > 90% are meaningless. Many Chinese words require two characters to "lock in the meaning" and often these tattoos are just one of the two, so it has no real "meaning" yet. Of the dozens we have seen, only one or two was actually readable and was an actual word. I have NO CLUE why someone would do this with little to no understanding of the language, and no ability to confirm what you want done actually means what you think it does. The "best" one we ever saw was a woman with Chinese characters all around her heck. Each was only half a character with no space to put the rest of the words. She walks around with some unreadable characters permanently on her??

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Cassi Lyris
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In Japanese this single character is readable, (as Aku). So sometimes it's a case of shared characters. But yeah, people should definitely actually know what they're getting first.

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J Adams
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The idea of the wrong kanji symbol being tattooed so regularly is a myth, sure it happens occasionally but most are selected from professionally collated flash sheets that tattoo shops buy in from ‘reputable’ companies and most tattoo shops worldwide will have the same flash sheets, so if these companies were selling misspelling or error full products there would have been a big class action lawsuit, people often have the idea of tattoo shops and tattooists being the opposite but most are really lovely places with lovely people that actually care about their clients and their craft, tattoo shops are some of the few places where everyone is welcome and treated equally regardless of colour, sex, orientation etc

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David Kennedy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

see my other comments on this but from my experience, most of the Chinese tattoos are not readable. Most of the time they are a single character which lacks meaning without a "partner character" or are so badly formed they cant be read. I had my ex read every chinese tattoo i ever saw and it got to the point she was actually excited when it was readable because most of the time it was just gibberish. Classic ex comment "like you, from a distance it looked Chinese but when i got closer, absolutely none of it makes sense, it is just nonsense."

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Sergio Bicerra
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw a tv show long time ago, a guy got a tattoo that thougt said something like 'inmense power' They then buy chinese food and they ask the chinese delivery guy the meaning of the tattoo and he said "Is hard to translate, but it basically says 'in the relationship between a man and another man, you act like the woman'"

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kool mudkips
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got one when I was 17. Definitely not my shining moment. Luckily, mine says what it was intended to. Unfortunately, what it was intended to say isn't all that great. It is a negative, broody, teenage speaking and I'm 38. It looks really nice (line wise) and could be worse. So I just remember the me then whenever my teen girls act up. (Their acting up is a million times better than mine. The tattoo reminds me.) Luckily, I didn't get the bad kids my parents wished on me. (But they didn't get the bad parents I had either.)

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Cassi Lyris
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually love these... On other people! They're usually hilarious, and frequently backwards.

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Cassi Lyris
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And yes, this one says "悪", or "Aku". Basically "Evil","Wicked", "Bad", etc. Surely she is truly a bad bìtch. Definitely. 🤭

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Ambry Petersen
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Never get a tattoo in a foreign language unless you first study that language, and be sure that your tattoo artist knows it too.

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Sean Sean
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want to see more, check out this website: https://hanzismatter.blogspot.com He takes tattoos in foreign languages (mostly Japanese and Chinese) and tells you what they really mean. There are some hilarious ones.

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LuLuBelle
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

God yes. Don't get anything in a language you're not fluent in tattooed on your body, unless you have someone who is vet it first. Unless you like walking around with "asshat" on your am.

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morticia_b85
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes!! I wish I could upvote this more than once! I had an ex who got THEIR OWN NAME tattooed on themselves in Chinese... it did not spell his name. It spelled something like chicken love or soup love or something stupid haha

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Francis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A woman I worked with thought she had a “Strength” tattoo on her but a Chinese friend told me it was “ice box” and another one said it ment “refrigerator”. That tattoo artist was very quick at picking up her true vibe.

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BatPhace
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have characters in my forearm tattoo but my artist's apprentice's first language is Cantonese so he literally worked with her to make sure everything was going to come together and mean what I wanted. Ive been working with that artist for years and I trust him. Barring that, do some research, talk to people who speak and\or write in that language, don't just walk in and be like 'do this character'

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Pandora Edmundson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It means malicious/vicious. If you use Google translate camera, it shows "evil". It's not that hard to find out the meaning!

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Melinda Flick
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a fridge magnet that says "your Chinese tattoo means 'kittens for sale'"

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Raul Mendoza
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love going to the waterpark and seeing all the badly Google translated or otherwise nonsense Chinese/Japanese tattoos. Unless you are fluent, just don't do it!

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Helen Bird
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was once standing in line behind a young girl who was explaining to her friend that she had gotten a tattoo when she was drunk and later found out that it said “pork fried rice”.

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Bennett Mickley
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I really want to get my grandparents' names tattoed since my grandpa's Chinese and my grandma's Vietnamese (they use chữ nôm, which is equivalent to kanji or hanja), but i'm hesistant cuz some dumbass white dude named Brandon is gonna get "chicken breast" on his elbow (i'm also white so it adds to the stigma)

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nirmormor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Agree.. and and moreover with wrong 'spelling' like this one. 惡 the the two vertical lines are not supposed to run down

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Ramona Negrete
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Totally agree! In addition, some foreign expressions can’t be translated, because it loses it’s meaningful purpose..

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David
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What is the point even? People who can not read their tattoo likely spend their time around other people who can't read their tattoo. So they have a random symbol that means nothing to most everyone who sees it. True even if it doesn't say something dumb like "mop handle"

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JitkaBlitka
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I seriously think about getting a tatto of chinese words, something like "sweet and sour chicken" and than when somebody asks what it means say something like "courageous lion" and change it everytime someone asks.

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GoGoPDX
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even better, "I have the Asian symbol for peace"... Well, there are many different symbols in many different languages in Asia, so basically you are saying you have no idea what word you have permanently tattooed on your body?!?!

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Jane Hower
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I heard about a gal who had a tattoo of a chinese symbol from a restaurant napkin and found out it said "Cheap, but good"

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Timbob
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

This one says, “ I’m a stupid IDIOT for getting a tattoo!

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#6

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive 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.

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Joel Davis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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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!

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"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.

#7

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Property of (NOT YOUR NAME).

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#8

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive 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.

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MouseyMouse
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, you jump to conclusions without asking. Could be a drawing by someone's child.

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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!"

#10

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive 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.

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JL
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think it would be weirder for non-Americans to have a tattoo of ripped skin with an American flag underneath.

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#12

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive 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.

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RagDollLali
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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???

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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.

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#15

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive 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.

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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.

#16

Playboy bunny.

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Gina Babe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone I work with got a matching tattoo with her mom. This is what the mom picked for them.

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#17

Tear drops under the eyes. Never has and never will intimidate me.

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StrangeOne
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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?

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#18

A tattoo of your husband Kevin and your dog cheddar blended into one horrific aberration instead of individually, as I thought was clearly implied.

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Let’s All Just Try And Be Decent
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a reference to a joke in a tv show called Brooklyn Nine-Nine, about fictional characters. This is not real peeps.

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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.

#19

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Those 2000s tribal tattoos on people with no tribal connections.

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#20

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.

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#21

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Some cheeky a*s quotes like, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

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️️Upvote faery️
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#22

A tramp stamp of boxing gloves and the phrase "hit it like a champ".

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Mickysixxx
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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

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#23

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.

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Courtney Christelle
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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#24

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Anything that has faded so much that you cant tell if its a tattoo or a skin condition.

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#25

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Those giant last names ones in the ugly font on the forearm.

Impossible_Mall_8671 , www.instagram.com Report

#26

28 People Share Tattoos That Instantly Make A Person Less Attractive Lion clock rose.

Oolivees , bit.ly Report

#27

I have a tattoo on my wrist that says "rot in hell". I think that is probably the worst tattoo ever.

paisleyhunter11 Report