20 Problems Only People With Tattoos Will Understand

Getting tattooed stings a bit. Being stabbed by a bunch of tiny needles isn't half as irritating as the public's uninvited "feedback" on your own skin, though. Fortunately, the stigma of tattoos has very much faded, but it doesn't mean it's disappeared completely. Most people with visible tattoos have been in some sort of annoying situation with a blindly prejudice or frankly rude inquisitor.

Of course, tattoos are inevitably going to be looked at. If you get a great stonking phoenix on your back with galaxies for eyes and kittens living in it's tail, you're going to want to show it off, and anyone complaining about strangers glancing at their inked skin are twice as ignorant as the accused. It's art, at the end of the day (well, most of it is), and if it's on display, people will glance at it. The problem is when the negativity, assumptions and simply needless comments come rolling in.

Tattoo removal has surged a massive 440% over the last decade, and it's not just names of ex-lovers and regrettably huge-breasted pin-ups being zapped off. "No visible tattoo" policies still stand strong in many companies, and the elevated demand of laser treatment is partly due to job seekers needing to cover up for work. Fair enough, if you were applying for a nursery nurse role with "ACAB" across your knuckles and a swastika on your neck. On the contrary, those with completely non-offensive tattoos are still deemed less desirable by employers than those without - even if they're not working in the public eye.

Pretty shallow, huh? Still, the majority of people are completely aware of this corporate intolerance to tattoos; so as much as we object (and we bloody well will), we knew what we were doing the moment we sat in that tattooist's chair. Body art is an odd, beautiful thing; a personal thing, and what's more - it's fun. So let's look at the stupid problems most tattooed people can relate to: some are amusing, many are cringe-worthy, and the rest are just god damn infuriating.

20. When People Actually Grab You To Get A Better Look At Your Tattoo

You can admire my tattoos without physically touching me, Creepazoid. Unless you give consent for someone to touch your marvellous tattoo (and hey, what's wrong with that?) then this is terrible etiquette. And let's be fair, it's usually drunken strangers.

19. "Do You Watch Miami Ink?"

No, we don't. Yes, we've been asked this question more times than we've been asked if we want chocolate on our cappuccino. Not that we're saying it's bad - they're bloody good tattooists - it's just people assuming you watch it because you have tatts. Stereotype overload!