Tattoos have become a common occurrence in everyday life, but some individuals feel as if tattoos on women are taboo, deeming them trashy and placing unfair prejudices on tattooed women. 

Women should have the right to decorate their bodies without judgment just like men do, and it shouldn’t determine their worth in society.

As a woman with tattoos, men have repeated Kim Kardashian’s famous words to me — “You don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley.”

These comments and beliefs are harmful as they reaffirm gender stereotypes placed upon women, like looking too masculine or feminine. 

The stigma around tattooing has existed since the 1900s. However, tattooing has existed long before that.

There is a deep history behind tattooing with it dating back almost 10,000 years. 

The oldest human ever found with tattoos is known as Ötzi the Iceman, whose body was found in the Swiss Alps in 1991, according to Penn State University. He was adorned with 57 tattoos. 

Tattooing developed a bad look in the 1900s due to its association with criminals, sailors and others who rebelled against the social norm. Since then, subcultures have adopted tattoos as a way to represent freedom and nonconformity.

In today’s world, not everyone has a problem with tattoos. However, I’ve noticed socially conservative men have the biggest issues with them, specifically on women. 

People get tattoos to mark personal moments in their lives, to decorate their bodies with things they like or to improve their self-confidence. If the tattoo is not hurting anyone or discriminating against groups of people, then the decision to get a tattoo is a personal one that should not be critiqued by anyone else.

The decision to get a tattoo is frequently critiqued by people who believe women should cater to their needs and be visually appealing. Many men are able to wear body art without any issue, but society tells women it makes them seem dirty and sexually promiscuous. 

Men are seen as more masculine for having visible tattoos, but women are seen as less competent or sociable.

Even though tattoos are relatively common now, with 32% of Americans having at least one tattoo, women with tattoos are judged more harshly than their male counterparts. 

Some men shame women for having tattoos, saying it makes them look less attractive.

Why should a woman care about what makes them look attractive in a man’s eyes? If a tattoo is attractive to the person getting it or if it makes them happy, then I say they should go for it.

Women should not have to fit into the mold of what makes them attractive to a man or to anyone. Women should not have to worry about how their tattoos make them look to outsiders.

Tattoos hold so much meaning and represent a moment in time in the individual’s life, making them a fun scrapbook to look back at as time progresses.

Tattoos are art and are beautiful adornments, showing the wearer has lived a full life with interests, memories and experiences.

It is understandable if tattoos aren’t for you, but women should not be shamed for expressing themselves outside of society’s norms or looked at as less than.