Perhaps the most common and easiest mistake to make in getting a tattoo is getting one of your favorite band or music artist. You may think that your 18 year old love of Hoobastank is going to last forever, so why not immortalize it in a permanent tattoo! The problem is so many things can go wrong with your favorite music related tattoo. Maybe your own music tastes drastically change and you regret the tattoo. Or even worse, society‘s view of your once favorite band shifts drastically and you are now walking around with a punch line on your arm. If you must get a music related tattoo, choose wisely. Below you will find 8 examples of the worst music related tattoos that you should definitely avoid.
The Boy Band Tattoo
Usually you have to be 18 years old to get a tattoo. Common logic dictates that by 18 you should be over boy bands, but if you still have a passionate love for your favorite group of pretty boy singers that does not mean you should permanently etch that group‘s name onto your body. You will risk being routinely made fun of by your friends in the short term and forced to explain to your grand kids just who 98 Degrees are in the long term. This is easily one of the worst tattoo ideas out there.
The Frat Rock Tattoo
An intense love of frat rock bands like O.A.R. is common among college freshman. Unfortunately, the “cool“ factor shelf life of these bands is notoriously short. By the time you are 25 years old there‘s a more than likely chance that not only will your peers have moved on from following Dispatch around the country, but you will also be deeply embarrassed by your former bro tendencies and frat rock tattoo.
The “Butt Rock“ Tattoo
Arguably even more derided in pop culture than frat rock is “butt rock“. What is “butt rock“ you may ask? The watered down power chords and cheap sex pun fueled rock of bands like Nickelback, Seether, Hinder, etc. Many people in their youth get into a deep but short lived infatuation with “butt rock“ which means any tat you get of one of these bands you will surely regret within 5 years. Plus, these tattoo designs are notoriously ugly.
The Concert Ticket Tattoo
It‘s easy to be having some intense life affirming feelings following the greatest concert experience of your life. However, that does not mean you should make the mistake of getting your ticket stub permanently inked onto your arm. These tattoo designs are not aesthetically pleasing and it‘s just best if you frame your ticket stub like a normal person.
The Song Lyric Tattoo
People love to get tattoo quotes. Even more specific than that, they love to get tattoo quotes of their favorite song lyrics. The problem with this is that most of the lyrics we love aren‘t nearly as deep as we like to think they are, and to the outsider they just seem hilariously vague in an unintentional way. If you want to avoid looking like a faux-intellectual, avoid the song lyric tattoo at all costs.
The Sensitive Rock Tattoo
Sensitive souls love sensitive tattoos. However, soft rock bands don‘t lend themselves to cool tattoos most of the time. If you‘re trying to be a badass, getting a tattoo of Coldplay on your arm is not the way to do it.
The Autograph Tattoo
There‘s nothing wrong with getting an autograph from your favorite singer. However, there is something wrong with tattooing that autograph onto your body. Besides the already mentioned risk of no longer being a fan of the singer later in life, often those signatures are difficult to read and it can look like someone just scribbled on your arm. Not to mention, you could be a grown man with “Taylor Swift“ on your bicep and that instantly cancels out whatever tough guy look you‘re going for.
The Face Portrait Tattoo
The worst is saved for last. There are so many things wrong with this idea. For one, portraits are notoriously easy to flub by the tattoo artist. You run a great risk of having the face of someone unrecognizable on your body that you are then forced to explain to strangers repeatedly for the rest of your life. And maybe even more importantly, they just look creepy and often not in a way that you would intend. It‘s also advisable to avoid getting these tattoos on your feet.