Statististically, and otherwise, we are in the midst of one King-Hell tattoo boom. From 1995-2005, more tattoos were needled on than ever before, and more tattoo parlors opened than in any ten year span.
A Harris poll conducted in 2003 found that 16% of all adults in the U.S. have at least one tattoo. [1]
From 2005 on, it has possibly even increased...I just can't find any data past 2006. In late 2006,
Flumesday.com collected the ten most pathetic categories of tattoos:
- The tramp stamp - the tat above the buttocks that skyrocketed to popularity with the rise of thongs and low-rise jeans.
- The Jailhouse tat.
- The teardrop
- Anything on the ankle
- Barbed wire "Nothing says, "I got a tattoo in the late '90s" like the barbed wire arm band."
- Anything on Mike Tyson's body. He has a Maori face tattoo and a picture of Mao on his arm.
- Something tribal
- Something misspelled (awsome for awesome for example)
- Your lover's name
- Chinese characters
Flumesdat also mention in their article that, unlike horn-rim glasses, beehive hairdos, and other fashion statements, tattoos are a bit more permanent.
Where do these folks even work? I mean, we're used to seeing 7-11 clerks and baristas duded up with tats and piercings, but not quite to this extent. . .
[1] I'm pretty sure the number approaches 100% in prisons:
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