While many tattooed folks and artists alike are happy with the popularity boost that tattoos have received thanks to TV shows like LA Ink and artists of rockstar proportions like Kat Von D, we all know that there’s a significant margin of hardcores out there who wish that had never been the case. It’s an understandable point of view and common to pretty much every subculture that ever made it big. From punk rock to Harajuku girls, there’s always those who want nothing to do with the mainstream acceptance of what they’ve loved since back when it wasn’t accepted. So for anyone who wishes that the fashionista/TV glam of tattoos and tattooing would die back down to normal proportions, this one’s for you…sort of.
A recent survey of 1000 Australians between the ages of 18-70 has found that 56 percent of men feel that women with tattoos are unattractive. Women seem to disapprove of men with tattoos slightly less, with 50% of those surveyed listing body art as a turnoff. Only 7 percent of Australians surveyed said that they felt tattoos made a person more attractive.
The thing is, all subcultures that have hit the mainstream eventually get dropped by the wayside and are left to the people who always believed in and supported the community to begin with. Maybe Australia’s modest disapproval is the start of something that will grow in momentum, streaking its way like wildfire across the countries and continents of the world? I guess only time will tell.
Personally I don’t think North Americans will be sharing Australia’s opinion of tattoos any time soon. Hell, tattoos have even made their way into a lucrative porn franchise over here.
My apologies to the hardcores for not bringing you more uplifting news on the demise of tattoo popularity among the mainstream. I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, there’s always Australia, right?