Inked Mag Staff
May 24th, 2021
10 Tattoo Trends Gen Z Loves
Are you a part of Gen Z?
For decades, all we heard about was millennials. However, now it’s all about Gen Z. Gen Z applies to those born between 1997-2012, making them the kids, teens and young adults of the moment. That’s right fellow millennials, we’re old now. There are over 68 million Gen Z-ers in America, which means they have a huge influence over trends in media, art and culture at large. And as they get older, they’ve slowly but surely started to influence tattooing. We’ve curated 10 tattoo trends that Gen Z is obsessed with in the gallery below, take a peek at our picks and let us know if we forgot a trend in the comments section on social media.
Butterflies
I don’t know what it is, but Gen Z is obsessed with butterflies. It likely has something to do with the resurgence of Y2K, as butterfly tattoos were a big trend during this time. Either way, you can’t really go wrong with a butterfly.
Flowers
Flowers have always been a big tattoo trend, but Gen Z is all about the delicate and dainty flowers. Whether they’re opting for a bouquet or a single rose, this generation loves their flowers in ink.
Astrology Tattoos
As a millennial who loves astrology, I love seeing this trend in tattooing. Gen Z is all about the astrology tattoos, especially those that are more subtle (such as constellations).
Friendship Tattoos
While millennials got plenty of couple tattoos, Gen Z is embracing matching ink among friends. And just as long as they’re not getting each other’s names, we’re all for it.
Small Symbols
A big theme among Gen Z as a whole is tiny tattoos, dare we say, the tinier the better. Universal symbols such as hearts, stars, lightning bolts and moons are great for this trend, as they’re simple and legible on an ultra-micro scale.
Hand-Poked Tattoos
Minimalist Tattoos
Gen Z knows the world is complication, which is why they gravitate toward minimalism in their tattoos. Minimalist tattoos are totally timeless and they can be interpreted in so many ways.
Music Nostalgia
Gen Z has their own music idols and they’ve already taken to collecting tattoos in their honor. While us millennials grew up with 90s and 2000s pop stars, this generation is all about Billie Eilish, Lil Peep, XXXTentacion and Mac Miller.
Pop Culture Nostalgia
’80s and ’90s tattoos are all the rage for millennials, because they remind us of our childhood. The same goes for Gen Z, but it’s shows and movies that came out during the mid 2000s and 2010s.
Anime and Kpop Tattoos
Growing up, anime and Kpop were very niché and you often got picked on for liking them. The same cannot be said for Gen Z, as they’ve embraced these cultures in full force.
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