If you think you’re too old to get a tattoo, think again. Studies show that almost 30% of people getting tattoos are adults between the ages of 40 and 50. A smaller percentage of 16% are those over the age of 50, deciding to go for a tattoo. But, several questions need to be answered when it comes to this topic. Why is it that adults or older people are only now getting tattoos? And why is this such a taboo topic?

In the following paragraphs, we’ll take an honest look at the relationship between age and the tattoo. We’ll also tackle the cultural aspect of getting a tattoo at an older age, and what it actually represents for the person getting tattooed. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Too Old To Get A Tattoo? – Discussion

1. Let’s Look At Reasons People Get Tattoos At Older Age

Younger adults, or millennials, aren’t really aware or interested in the way things were before the Internet. Nowadays it is completely normal to do whatever you want to your body, and no one will judge you. However, 40/50 years ago the situation was different. Getting tattooed was deemed either sinful or often associated with something described as a low-life, criminal, etc.

Overall, tattoos were closely related to bad behavior, doing drugs, committing a crime, even if that wasn’t the case. So, people who were growing up in such a cultural environment didn’t really have the chance to get a tattoo and express themselves for the sake of social and cultural acceptance.

Now, those young people have grown up to be 50/60, and times have changed. Getting a tattoo is a sign of self-expression, and it is not generally associated with bad behavior or crime, at least here in the West. So, people are doing what they’ve always wanted to do; they finally get a tattoo.

However, it seems that there are still people who find this action a bit out of place or not in line with ‘one’s age’. Such judgment usually comes from other older adults who haven’t changed their perception and mindset ever since their own youth.