Stunning Scissors Tattoos That Are Shear Genius

I can’t speak for everyone, but my first memory of using scissors was during arts and crafts in kindergarten. After being handed a colorful sheet of construction paper and told to cut along the dotted line of whatever predetermined shape was already on the paper, I went to town, carefully following the guide and attempting to get the shape out. My lines were crooked and I cut off way more than I should have, but the shape in my hand was one of my own creation, and I couldn’t wait to show my parents what I made.

Historians don’t precisely know when scissors were invented, but the earliest known pair appeared in Mesopotamia 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. This first pair consisted of a set of blades connected to a tiny sliver of metal that created a spring action to cut. However, the design we’re most familiar with wasn’t invented until circa 1761 in Sheffield, England. The design proved to be a hit with strong sales. Today, scissors come in various types, colors, and styles ranging from kitchen shears to designs best suited for left-handed users to make cutting more comfortable.

Besides elementary school arts and crafts, scissors are mostly associated with their relationship to hair. In the Bible, Delilah betrayed her lover, Samson, by having a servant cut his hair while he was sleeping, depleting him of the source of his strength. And while it seems foolish for hair to have that much power in one’s life, the story’s sentiment still exists. Today, cutting your hair is a symbol of control in one’s life and reclaiming one’s identity in the world by letting go of the past to embark on new beginnings. In their most poetic form, scissors are a tool of creations and rebirth through destruction.

Scissors are also a versatile tool in many trades other than hairstyling, with tailors, chefs and even surgeons using scissors as a daily part of their jobs. Many who work in these trades often get scissors tattoos to display their love and devotion for their craft. And while you don’t need to work in one of these fields or even have a particular meaning in mind to get a scissors tattoo, in our gallery below, we found some of the best scissor tattoos that are a cut above the rest to serve as inspiration for your next appointment.