Tattoos are no longer reserved for bikies and Yakuza members. People all across the world now sport different types of in on their bodies. From the tribal stripe peeking out of the bank teller’s shirt collar to full sleeves on the arm of the chef at your local restaurant, tattoos are everywhere.

More and more people are expressing themselves through tattoos, with a study in 2012 finding around 45 million people (21%) in America alone have one or more tattoos. This was backed up by a Harris Poll survey in 2015 that found around three in ten Americans (29%) have at least one tattoo. 

The results of the study also found that 15% of men and 13% of women in the US have tattoos, which is quite a large number. The Harris Poll also stated seven in ten people have two or more tattoos, emphasizing the popularity of tatts. 

So why the sudden increase in people getting tattoos? There are many different factors, but many tattooists point to celebrity tattoo culture as the reason behind modern tattoo culture taking off and integrating with the mainstream. 

The Rise of Celebrity Tattoos

Shows such as Miami Ink and Ink Master helped make tattoos acceptable while a mass of celebrities started getting tatts and making it a cool thing to do. The likes of David Beckham, Kat Von D, Rihanna, and Scarlett Johansson are all people who have shown off their tattoos and influenced others to get inked. 

The exposure these shows and famous people have created has helped tattooing become the 6th fastest growing American industry. There are an estimated 21,000 tattoo parlors in the US alone, with Las Vegas and Miami leading the way with over 100 tattoo shops combined. 

Americans spend a whopping $1.65 billion getting inked yearly. 36% of those are US citizens aged 18-29 who have at least one tattoo.