“Seems A Tad Done To Death”: 30 Tattoo Designs That Scream “I Have No Creativity,” According To People Online
The subreddit r/AskReddit is a place full of interesting and thought-provoking discussions, and user u/PaLiaRoTH's post was no exception. Their question, "What tattoos scream 'I have no creativity?'" had Redditors sharing their opinions and experiences on the subject.
While some folks argued that tattoos are a personal choice and the only meaning that matters is that of the individual, others couldn't help but say that certain designs have become overdone and the lack of originality might backfire on the "wearers" in the form of regret.
Some of the top answers in the thread included pop culture references like Baby Yoda and Harley Quinn, as well as widely known phrases such as "live, laugh, love" and "only God can judge me." Overall, the post sparked a lively conversation and showcased people's diverse thoughts and tastes in body art.
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I'm told mine has no creativity.
It's a fist-sized peach, between my upper shoulder blades. I got it for my 50th birthday, to honor the childhood nickname my Opa gave me. He's been gone 29 years, I still miss him every day.
I've been told the next one I'm getting is similarly boring. A pomegranate with 6 seeds missing and my granddaughter's name and date of birth. Her name is Korra, an epithet of Persephone meaning "Heart".
I'm OK with being "boring". My ink is for ME.
I have a dolphin on my calf because I really wanted to be a marine biologist when I was 17. I'm in the medical field and it serves no porpoise now.
Confederate flag. It also shows you have no tact, manners, or an education.
I was going to say "That could have been the flag of Norway" before I saw the stars.
Tribal arm symbols. What f*****g tribe are you apart of Bradley?
Unless you actually belong to a culture that has tribal tattoos. Otherwise don’t.
I'm samoan and I'm planning on getting a tribal tattoo lmao
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one doesn't have to be a part of any tribe to get a tribal pattern, as with any other tattoos, these are also done for the aesthetic or because someone likes such patterns (i.e. tastes..)
It just feels too close to ripping off cultures that actually have tribal tattoos for real reasons for me.
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What if you get it from someone of that culture? (Getting it the traditional way). If they are ok with inking an "outsider", why are other outsiders judging the outsider? (I had an ex who had a tattoo done that way I think). I don't like the idea of him getting hate for it. (Even if it is an ex).
Good point and kudos to you for your attitude towards your ex.
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Spoiler alert. Your 2023 super trendy massive tat will be as badly considered in 20 years.
They are really good geometrical drawings and s in it the curved shape of the body
What tribe? There are many to choose from. Industrial Malaise. Easily Confused. Techno Potpourri. Cultural Appropriation. 3rd World Wannabes. Lost Tribe of the Misbegotten. Sexual Regrettables. Bad Credit. Metham Impossibles. The Bewildered Ones.
Now debating if I should get the Mi'qmak Medicine wheel on my left shoulder...
well, only if they don't belong to the tribe/ethnicity whose artwork it is. (i.e. someone Polynesian wearing Polynesian tribal ink is totally fine)
Although sometimes you can't tell ethnicity from looks. I'm part Indonesian but don't look like it, does that mean I will always be judged when wearing Indonesian clothing etc? That saddens me, that people still judge a lot by looks.
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Im on the tribal tatts should only be tribal approved and be worn by tribal members. I dislike the idea of culture appropriation. This is cultural appropriation. Just dont.
Well, I dont think there are any rules about not creating new tribes. Go crazy and make your own tribal style!
An ex boss had his own name in Olde English script down the inside of his forearm. I'd been working with him for months before I saw it, the conversation went as such.
'What's that?'
'A tattoo.'
'Well yeah, but what does it say?'
'Darren.'
'Why have you got your own name tattooed on you?'
'I wanted a tattoo for years, so my wife bought me one for my 40th.'
'And that's what you came up with after 40 years?'
Needless to say, I was fired soon afterwards.
The “Never Sink “ anchor. Anchors are supposed to sink!!!
Anything copied from or inspired by the Joker and Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.
My experience taught me that any Joker symbolism on a person (tattoo, profile pic, shirt...) means that in 90% of cases, I'll be dealing with a human equivalent of stepping on LEGO in a wet sock.
Probably the - - - - - - “cut here” on the neck. But I’m gonna get it anyway
# 𝓛𝓲𝓿𝓮, 𝓛𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱, 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮
Usually on a foot, ankle, or side of the torso.
I’m a tattoo artist, For me it’s three types of people.
1. The ones who are getting them only because it’s a current trend. They always come back wanting it covered or wanting it lasered off.
2. The ones who bring me something directly off Pinterest. And have 0 interest in letting me design it my way. I actually tell these people I’m not interested and direct them to another artist. That only happens every once in a while now.
3. Patriotic tattoos. Cornbread dudes walk in the shop wanting a battle flag and a 3% logo. I either try to talk them out of it or tell them I’m not doing it. Regardless of how much money it’d make me.
There is many more I could go on about but those 3 stick out the most. Everyone has opinions these are just mine
Big kudos to this tattoo artist for having [testicles] and refusing to tattoo alt-right c**p.
Bible verses
My friend once told me got a tattoo. We live in Tennessee so I jokingly said “is it a skull with a rebel flag that says don’t tread on me somewhere?” He lifted his sleeve to show me and said “yes it is”
Barbed wire
While I am creative, the tattoos I chose were drawings from my daughter and my son, 1 each. I'll always carry a piece of my children with me. :)
Ill-behaved fuckwits with Bible verse tattoos. Typically the most racist, self-absorbed, intolerant c***s on the planet
The Council Cabbage. The owners always insist it’s meant to be a rose.
Love the description. Council Cabbage is far more accurate.
Monster energy drink logo
what a sad life you must live if you decide that's what you want as a tattoo o.O
I knew a girl who got “throw me to the wolfs and I will come back leading the pack” in massive writing on her thigh... wolfs.
Anything in Hebrew. I know I'll get a lot of s**t for this but as a raised conservative Jew it makes no sense. Jews aren't supposed to get tattooed per biblical beliefs, then Hitler and the SS solidified that by branding and tattooing 6 million of us as identification.
It's kind of an insult to injury thing in my eyes. I'm not against peoples rights to tattooing, I just find Hebrew tattoos yelling "look at me" im either that Jewish or hey I really like this old testament looking s**t. Kind of like Sanskrit, can you actually read any of that Angelina Jolie?
one of my forebears was killed in the camps and I have a tattoo of his prisoner number to commemorate.
The lion, clock or rose tattoo for UK boys half of the population has it. I’m all for your body body your rules but cmon man put at least an ounce of creativity into it
Walk around the PNW for about 10 minutes and take a shot every time you see a pine tree on someone's forearm, you'll be dead by minute 9 I promise
Edit: Minute 2 if you walk by a college or one of the military bases
Getting your own name tattooed on you
To be fair, that would come in useful when you get Alzeimhers.
Remember the mustache tattoos that everyone was getting on the side of their fingers?
What happened to those people?
No Regerts
Elvish script tattoos are very very common in New Zealand...
We REALLY got into Lord of the Rings as a nation.
I'm a tattoo artist and if I have to do an infinity tattoo one more time...... DX
Star on the foot, names on your neck, chinese lettering that probably says "chicken noodle soup" even though you asked for "live laugh love" or some s**t.
... I always get reminded of that dude that wanted "Asian Girl Lover" and got tattooed "Foreign Pervert" instead. Serves him right, very likely, and is just hilarious. Never got the reasoning behind having something written on me in a language I cannot read or write or speak or understand, and that isn't even extinct yet - that may be a different case, because nobody will read "pervertere peregrino" in the language they actually speak, but then again ... why even use a language, a thing meant to transmit thought, that I am not able to use, but could learn, and somehow decided not to? Why? What's the reason that this is better than just using english, german, french, ...?
Every man from Essex that wears those dumb a*s tight tops and trousers has a sleeve that has a melting clock. So mysterious
I have 2 flying birds on my ankle lol I feel like I belong to this category…
I have a colleague who has a whole collection of what I call “Starbucks tattoos”, as in they cost pretty much like a Frappuccino and take as long to ink as a barista to make your order.
The ones that are visible are:
-paper airplane with swirly dotted “travel lines”
-minimalist sun (circle and lines going outwards)
-minimalist wave (just a single line making a sort of wave shape.
-song verse (for the life of me I can’t recall what song) in a generic calligraphy alphabet.
-infinite sign with word in it (a name, in almost illegible script)
I think that these are more or less the standard catalogue of the “I’m not like other girls” type of tattoos.
Im probably gonna get a minimalist sun tattoo because the sun has a lot of meaning for me and I like it a ton
The Harry Potter Deathly Hallows tattoo seems a tad done to death
I used to have a death eater tattoo… then it somehow faded within a year
Tiny hearts
Roman numerals with someone’s birthday
Stupid quotes like ~She Believed She Could, So She Did~
I am a tattoo artist and absolutely hate the Lion with a crown tattoo. Thankfully I think the trend is dying out now but it’s always the people with no creativity trying to convince themselves they’re the ‘king’
Always reminds me of a J.Cole song
‘Be wary of any man that claims (he’s a king)
Because deep down he clings onto the need for power
In reality he’s a coward’
Don’t think this answer really fits the brief but I’m just ranting
I got not one but two Tool album art tattoos when I was 18, never got anymore tattoos but don’t regret getting them either. It reminds me of a time in my life that I am very fond of and at that time Tool was a very important band to me (still like them). Most ppl either don’t know what they are or are Tool fans that want to talk about Tool and admire them.
Edit: Thanks for the love everyone didn’t expect to get any likes from this post
I once went to a hairdresser who had a tattoo that said "I dress hair"
My ex had a tattoo of the recycling symbol on his chest. We dated for a year and and have a child together and I never found out why. Whenever I ask him why he got it he just says "because recycling is important." He doesn't recycle.
That second sentence is fun to read by itself, leaving out the context of the tattoo.
A Rose on your neck,
The buttons of an MP3 Player,
A tribal above your a*s (in germany, we call it an Arschgeweih >>A*s-Antler<<)
Infinity sign...
The Tasmanian devil tattoos from the early 90’s. I work with a guy that still shows his off proudly. Cringey doesn’t do it justice.
Baby yoda tattoos that you’ll probably regret in like 5 years
In Australia, I'd have to say the Southern Cross...it's the mark of the bogan. And it you're an alpha bogan...then the southern Cross with bullet holes going through the stars
An uncouth or uncultured person Bogan. (Noun) An uncouth or uncultured person, usually. See also: feral, ratbag, reptile, bevan etc. “I can't understand that bogan's broad Australian accent.” - https://www.yha.com.au/travel-and-tours/traveller-stories/the-20-aussie-slang-words-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=Bogan,that%20bogan's%20broad%20Australian%20accent.%E2%80%9D
Praying hands with bible quotes
The peace sign.
However someone had it, his name is Stephen and he said to us at a festival, after we asked for a sip of water:" It should be illegal not to give people water"
Then we had a group hug.
Stephen, we'll never forget you man.
I don’t have any problems with anybodys tattoos, art is valued differently to each person. Or it’s just for fun. That being said, I’m here looking for my tattoos. Oh and a buddy of mine had a donkey tattooed on his lower back so he could spin around and show off his “a*s”. It was creative, but he got tired of it reeeaaalll quick.
Guy I know has "your name" tattooed on a butt-cheeck in the local Flemish dialect. So he can tell any girl 'hey, i got your name tattooed on my butt !".
I have a Llama with a hat thats barfing.. Think Carl
Its a tattoo of a drawing a good friend made to me the first time we met. She then died 22 july 2011 while I survived, so its my memory tattoo.
But to onlookers, it just looks funky :p
The infinity symbol. Or a feather breaking off into birds flying away.
Tribal c**p, navy star, Celtic knots, Chinese characters , butterflies, I ❤️whatever.
Butterflies are sometimes for people who self harm, so please don't call them cringe. I'm getting a butterfly tattoo as soon as I can
For men: clocks, roses, and lions.
For women: Infinity simbols, dream catchers, and the underboob mandala (imo I feel like it's the new tramp-stamp). No disrespect to anyone who has these though, do what makes you happy.
Anything with spider webs or skulls.
I have a pineapple on my upper arm. Why? No reason. I’m not creative and I like to make people wonder
isn't it a symbol for swingers to recognize each other? At least that's what I've been told
Basic quotes like “carpe diem” or the persons last name across their back.
I love the look of mandala tattoos, but mandalas are totally the new nautical stars.
Some girl I worked with had a nautical star.. my family is really into sailing so I asked her about it and if she was into boating or sailing. She looked at me like I had 6 heads and said “No! I got a Nor Cal star because I’m from Northern California!” I had to explain to that sweet summer child what it was and she told me that I was wrong. 🤦🏻♀️
I know someone with that COEXIST bumper sticker tattooed on them. It’s so terrible. I think of them every time I see that sticker on a car.
Edit: [This one](https://www.google.com/search?q=coexist+sticker&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=isnv&sxsrf=APq-WBsWreRTR2FT7Dppl_dRcaFgEx08JA:1645381242708&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3lvfj8o72AhWokIkEHTeFBEcQ_AUoAXoECAIQAQ&biw=390&bih=663&dpr=3)
here's a more useful version of the link, if anyone was interested: https://tinyurl.com/ms9k64yy
I'm dying laughing here because apparently almost all of my tattoos scream no creativity. Whatever, I like them, and they have meaning to me. The only one I have ever slightly regretted is the butterfly tramp stamp because of the placement and quality, but even that one has meaning to me: 1) my sister who had recently passed loved butterflies and 2) I got it in downtown Hollywood on a whim, with a friend and while on vacation. It was stupid, impulsive, and it looks terrible, but it's a great memory. I plan to incorporate it into a new tattoo someday, I just haven't decided what I want yet.
(My friend's choice was a kanji character, btw. But at least she knows it's the right one.)
Something with roses or cards. So many People have it, that it’s common. I Think it says “I want a tatto, but just for show”
Bowser from Super Mario Bros wailing on a double-neck guitar on a surfboard with shades on looking all cool, with a pot leaf behind it and a cross behind that, and at the bottom it says “happy birthday Rick.”
That big ole tattoo that says...........MOM
Random Japanese characters that don’t mean what you think they mean.
I have two tattoos one if from my martial arts era and is a centipede and other is tribal of a skeleton hawk in a eleclips
All of mine lol. I just like the way they look, they don’t have any real meaning to me.
In Colombia I would say Owls, Dreamcatchers and mandalas, everybody here tattoo themselves just because they want to belong to the tattoed people circle!
I like tattoo however I haven't tattoed myself as I haven't found anything so that means that much to me.
An Egyptian eye
Fun fact: It's called the eye of Horus and it's the eye of the Falcon headed god Horus who lost the eye when he fought Zeth, the eye was later restored and now represents healing, well being, and protection
Spoiler guys...Just don't get tattoos...or do any hobbies you like...or enjoy things you do because somewhere someone is writing a list with your enjoyment on it and telling everyone its cringe AF XD
I get really insulted when people blow off my semicolon tattoo as "random chubby yt chick following a trend." It happens uncomfortably often, even though everyone knows what the damn thing means and ought to have the tact to not mock it. It means I'm proud of surviving hell and making the choice to keep going even when everything in me begged to let it end. I got into it not too long ago with someone about how I just wanted to be on the "trauma bandwagon" so I could have something "special" about me so I could be more than a basic chubby yt chick. They shut up once I started describing details. TL;DR don't mock mental health tattoos. Glad they aren't on the list.
I agree! I want a semicolon tattoo but my dad helped me design it so it has even more meaning to me
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Why does this article even exist? Just let other people get the tattoo/clothes/haircut /hobby/whatever they want and stop being the goddamn CooLNeSs police shaming other people! Let people have fun, let people live in peace if they don't hurt anybody! And some of the tattoos are really cool TLDR: get a life
I like that it exists because I'm connecting with other people like me (my comment about semicolon). But I heartily agree with you regarding judging someone else's tattoo. The only time I think "oh that's a horrid person" if I see a tattoo is if it's a hate symbol.
Load More Replies... Why does your tattoo need to show your creativity? If someone wants a very standard tattoo, because that's the thing that happens to make them happy, they should get that! Why do you need to change from choosing the tattoo you love, to choosing something that makes you look unique? Why on earth is that more important than what makes you happy?
I really, really love this comment, @Jaya. I mean, I'm glad the article gave me a chance to connect with people similar to me, but now that I think about it, the whole thing harkens back to the 1980s and1990s fashion magazines where you HAD to follow the trends but not overdo it or look like you were trying too hard, etc. Those magazines messed up so many heads....
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I don't think there is such thing as a bad tattoo - people should do as they want! I have never asked why someone got a tattoo, but I have often praised those I think is very good. For those who have racist tattoo it's even more amacing, because now I know I don't want to be your friend!
I was once sitting for a tattoo and a guy walked in for his appointment with the other artist. He was covered in random tattoos. He was in shorts, a tank top and flip flops. He walks in carrying a slurpee from the nearby 7-11. The artist says, so what are we doing today? I thought that was weird because my artist and I always have a plan worked before the appointment. The guy stands there moment, looks around, looks down at his splurpee, shrugs, and says, "How about this?" He had a slurpee tattoo put on his thigh. I thought it was flippin great. I think of that guy often and how he was just living life so carefree. Life is short, do what makes you happy. People who sit in judgment are probably miserable.
Ok so next time im gonna get a tattoo Im going to ask a bunch of strangers for their aproval!
some of those entries read like "stop having fun" or "what you like is cringe"
I don't really care what other people think of my tattoos. They all mean something to me.
For years now, I have wanted to get "GAME OVER" tattooed on my knuckles. The only reason I have not done this yet is because (a) I'm not old enough, and (b) Knuckle tattoos f*cking HURT. I also have 3 dots on my right shoulder that make a perfect triangle, and I wanna get the lines connecting the dots tattooed on, and a paw print inside the triangle as a remembrance of my now dead dog, Bender. (Nov. 17, 2007 - Oct. 7, 2022)
I've heard people say that wings on the back are apparently cringe, which I don't get. I want that one for a very personal reason.
All mine are original that I drew myself. Some are copies of well-known symbols etc., but let's just say Professor Langdon would have a wet dream if he saw me.
I'd be tempted by the pattern of one of my Morris teams figures, or the symbol of my other dance tradition, or an image of my musical instrument, or the first bar of a favourite tune.
Listen.. I'm covered in tattoos. Are their styles or designs that I don't like or that I think are played out or lack creativity? Of course. That's why I don't have that design/style on my body. But what you get tattooed on your body is none of my business! My only pet peeve with other peoples tattoos is when they copy someone else's tattoo. It's okay to be inspired by someone else's work... but make it your own! I've had 3 of my tattoos stolen. Tattoos that i designed myself. 2 of which are tribute tattoos to my late father & pitbull. That's why I don't post photos of my tattoos on social media anymore. But other than that who fucken cares what you tattoo on your body. As long as you're happy with it & you didn't copy someone else.. then that's all that matters. Stop being pretentious, judgmental jerks about what other people do with their body.
People on here being the gatekeepers of Polynesian tribal tattoos...lol!
Spoiler guys...Just don't get tattoos...or do any hobbies you like...or enjoy things you do because somewhere someone is writing a list with your enjoyment on it and telling everyone its cringe AF XD
I get really insulted when people blow off my semicolon tattoo as "random chubby yt chick following a trend." It happens uncomfortably often, even though everyone knows what the damn thing means and ought to have the tact to not mock it. It means I'm proud of surviving hell and making the choice to keep going even when everything in me begged to let it end. I got into it not too long ago with someone about how I just wanted to be on the "trauma bandwagon" so I could have something "special" about me so I could be more than a basic chubby yt chick. They shut up once I started describing details. TL;DR don't mock mental health tattoos. Glad they aren't on the list.
I agree! I want a semicolon tattoo but my dad helped me design it so it has even more meaning to me
Load More Replies... Why does this article even exist? Just let other people get the tattoo/clothes/haircut /hobby/whatever they want and stop being the goddamn CooLNeSs police shaming other people! Let people have fun, let people live in peace if they don't hurt anybody! And some of the tattoos are really cool TLDR: get a life
I like that it exists because I'm connecting with other people like me (my comment about semicolon). But I heartily agree with you regarding judging someone else's tattoo. The only time I think "oh that's a horrid person" if I see a tattoo is if it's a hate symbol.
Load More Replies... Why does your tattoo need to show your creativity? If someone wants a very standard tattoo, because that's the thing that happens to make them happy, they should get that! Why do you need to change from choosing the tattoo you love, to choosing something that makes you look unique? Why on earth is that more important than what makes you happy?
I really, really love this comment, @Jaya. I mean, I'm glad the article gave me a chance to connect with people similar to me, but now that I think about it, the whole thing harkens back to the 1980s and1990s fashion magazines where you HAD to follow the trends but not overdo it or look like you were trying too hard, etc. Those magazines messed up so many heads....
Load More Replies... I don't think there is such thing as a bad tattoo - people should do as they want! I have never asked why someone got a tattoo, but I have often praised those I think is very good. For those who have racist tattoo it's even more amacing, because now I know I don't want to be your friend!
I was once sitting for a tattoo and a guy walked in for his appointment with the other artist. He was covered in random tattoos. He was in shorts, a tank top and flip flops. He walks in carrying a slurpee from the nearby 7-11. The artist says, so what are we doing today? I thought that was weird because my artist and I always have a plan worked before the appointment. The guy stands there moment, looks around, looks down at his splurpee, shrugs, and says, "How about this?" He had a slurpee tattoo put on his thigh. I thought it was flippin great. I think of that guy often and how he was just living life so carefree. Life is short, do what makes you happy. People who sit in judgment are probably miserable.
Ok so next time im gonna get a tattoo Im going to ask a bunch of strangers for their aproval!
some of those entries read like "stop having fun" or "what you like is cringe"
I don't really care what other people think of my tattoos. They all mean something to me.
For years now, I have wanted to get "GAME OVER" tattooed on my knuckles. The only reason I have not done this yet is because (a) I'm not old enough, and (b) Knuckle tattoos f*cking HURT. I also have 3 dots on my right shoulder that make a perfect triangle, and I wanna get the lines connecting the dots tattooed on, and a paw print inside the triangle as a remembrance of my now dead dog, Bender. (Nov. 17, 2007 - Oct. 7, 2022)
I've heard people say that wings on the back are apparently cringe, which I don't get. I want that one for a very personal reason.
All mine are original that I drew myself. Some are copies of well-known symbols etc., but let's just say Professor Langdon would have a wet dream if he saw me.
I'd be tempted by the pattern of one of my Morris teams figures, or the symbol of my other dance tradition, or an image of my musical instrument, or the first bar of a favourite tune.
Listen.. I'm covered in tattoos. Are their styles or designs that I don't like or that I think are played out or lack creativity? Of course. That's why I don't have that design/style on my body. But what you get tattooed on your body is none of my business! My only pet peeve with other peoples tattoos is when they copy someone else's tattoo. It's okay to be inspired by someone else's work... but make it your own! I've had 3 of my tattoos stolen. Tattoos that i designed myself. 2 of which are tribute tattoos to my late father & pitbull. That's why I don't post photos of my tattoos on social media anymore. But other than that who fucken cares what you tattoo on your body. As long as you're happy with it & you didn't copy someone else.. then that's all that matters. Stop being pretentious, judgmental jerks about what other people do with their body.
People on here being the gatekeepers of Polynesian tribal tattoos...lol!
