From roses to skulls, these are the most popular tattoos of 2017 so far… according to social media
WHILE many ink-lovers insist their tattoos are intensely personal and unique to them, they may be disappointed - as some very clear body-art trends have emerged.
A new study of 20,000 pictures on social media has revealed that roses are the most popular tattoos of 2017 so far, closely followed by popular sayings and skulls.
The top 10 tattoos on Instagram
- Rose (7.8%)
- Popular saying (5%)
- Skull (4.5%)
- Pop art (4.4%)
- Bird (3.9%)
- Image with words (3.6%)
- Script (3.5%)
- Bimechanic (2.9%)
- Lowbrow art (2.5%)
- Black tribal (2.2%)
Pop art and bird tattoos also make the top five - according to the Instagram .
When it came to less-specific trends, animal tattoos were the most popular choice - making up 16.3 per cent of inks.
While script tattoos, such as Chinese characters and quotes, came second with 13.6 per cent - and flower tattoos came third, with 12.5 per cent.
Tattoos of famous artwork made up 8.2 per cent of tatt photos on social media - while flash tattoos made 6.3 per cent.
Flash tatts - including anchors, birds and flowers - are stock designs an artist can knock-out quickly.
The top 10 tattoo themes
- Animals (16.3%)
- Script (13.6%)
- Flowers (12.5%)
- Works of art (8.2%)
- Flash tattoos (6.3%)
- Original art (5.6%)
- Face (5.3%)
- Tribal (4.6%)
- Skull (4.6%)
- Symbolic e.g. a cross (3.8%)
When it came to permanent sketches of family members, kids stole the spotlight.
More than a quarter (27 per cent) of family tattoos were a head shot of the person's child.
Those saying 'mum' and 'mother', meanwhile, made up 12 per cent of the family tatts.
INK-CREDIBLY HARD Can YOU name the celebrity from just their tattoos? Take our quiz to find out
And where are people getting their tattoos? Are they displaying them proudly, or hiding them away?
Forearms were the location of choice with almost a third of inkings being done there, while biceps (13.4 per cent) and shoulders (8.8 per cent) came in second and third.
The chest (8.2 per cent), calf (5.6 per cent), upper back (5.3 per cent) and hand (5.2 per cent) were also popular choices.
Forearm tattoos were also the ones which got the most likes so, if you're looking for Insta-approval, this should be your go-to spot.
We previously brought you the tattoo trends artists absolutely hate... from inspirational quotes to Chinese words.
While Rihanna has sparked a new trend for painful-looking CUTICLE tattoos – so would you get one?
