No go Tattoos

There are some very beautiful tattoos out there. Some, sadly, are less so. Tattoo trends may come and go, but unfortunately the tattoos themselves will last forever. If you’re thinking about getting some ink done, but aren’t sure what to get, check out this list of the worst tattoo trends ever and try your best to not make the same mistakes.

Take this walk with us back in time and explore the worst tattoo trends of the past.

Let's start with the barbed wire bands. Is there a worse tattoo trend than barbed wire bands? Those are right up there with tribal tattoos. Barbed wire tattoos started in the late '80s among the motorcycle gang types and slowly made their way into the world of regular folks (and on Pamela Anderson's arm).

Tribal Tattoos were all the rage in the '90s. Technically they've been popular for over 2,000 years when Samoan tribes began to tattoo each other to demonstrate the strong ties they felt to their culture. But in the '90s, the tribal style was co-opted by every 20-something guy who wanted to look cool on a night out.

Tramp Stamps: If you were an adult woman in the late '90s, there is a high chance that you got a tramp stamp tattoo on your lower back. Let's hang our heads in shame.

Chinese Characters: As beautiful as the Chinese written language is, you probably shouldn't get a Chinese character tattooed on your body if you can't understand it, or any unfamiliar language to you perhaps. People started getting these tattoos in the '90s, and it isn't uncommon that your characters mean something completely different than what you think it means.

Face Tattoos: Everyone made fun of Mike Tyson when he got his face tattooed in 2002, but a decade later, every guy who didn't want to get a real job found himself inking a skull or a pair of Ray Bans on their face.

Bows on Calves or Thighs: Bow tattoos starting showing up everywhere during the retro/pin up explosion of the early 2000s. They show off a sense of femininity, while still being a monument to pain. Also, they're very tacky.

Paw Prints: Paw print tattoos were also very popular in the early 2000s. Those were usually tattooed on people who have an animal they love, but it's still super lame. Even your dog is embarrassed for you ;)

Butterflies: If you were an 18 year old girl early 2000, you probably have a colorful butterfly tattooed on your shoulder. Maybe you wanted people to know that you were about to fly free, or maybe all your friends were getting a tattoo and you didn't want to be left out.

Portrait Tattoos: Please honor the person you love in a better and less horrifying way than a badly made portrait tattoo.

One Word Statements: Around 2008 or so, one word tattoos started showing up everywhere. What do these tattoos even mean? And they were all in the same cursive script too.

Black Flag Bars: At some point around 2012, many people thought it would be cool to start putting the Black Flag logo on everything they could including their skin. The ironic thing about these tattoos is that most of the people that have them weren't even old enough to see the band live in their original iteration.

Arrows and Infinity Signs: When some celebrities got those tiny tattoos of arrows and/or infinity signs tattooed, the trend exploded in the last couple of years! It's hardly the worst tattoo trend, but it's extremely mainstream and unoriginal.

Finger Tattoos: Those have made a big come back in the second decade of the 21st century. From hipster mustache tattoos to your favorite eight letter phrase, finger tattoos are so hot and so annoying right now.

Let us know what you think of those no go tattoo trends of the past and are you perhaps guilty of any of these? Which ones did we miss? Leave a comments below!