Recently, Reddit user u/Dexley posed the question, "Tattoo artists, what pieces are you tired of doing?" Here are some of the most overdone tattoos, according to tattoo artists:
1. Big cats in crowns.
"The head artist at my shop was getting super burnt out on big cats (specifically lions) wearing crowns. In about a month, he'd done five realistic lions (and a panther) wearing crowns on dudes who wanted to feel like kings. I had to start politely turning them down when people called to inquire about them."
2. Anchors — usually accompanied by the words, "Don't sink."
"And when you ask them what it means, it's always, 'It symbolizes that I can't be held down.'"
3. Forests around people's arms.
"My tattoo artist told me he's refusing to do any more forests around people's arms."
4. Chemistry tattoos.
"I have a couple chemistry tattoos, and my artist made a comment about girls getting dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin with the word 'Happiness.' Seemed like he might have done a few too many."
5. The entire Bible.
"I'm not religious at all, but I think I've ascribed the entire Bible on human flesh at this point."
6. Palm trees.
"My local tattoo shop in the Caribbean has a running tally of how many times they've had to tattoo palm trees on girls' ankles."
7. Pocket watches surrounded by roses.
8. Barcodes.
"My friend got so tired of doing barcodes on people's necks, he made a game out of using the silliest products as references. So if the customers scanned the tattoo, they’d see that the barcode was for sanitary products, a bag of nuts, mashed potatoes, etc."
9. Latitude and longitude coordinates.
10. The outline of Pikes Peak.
"I went to a tattoo artist in Colorado once. He asked what I was thinking of doing, and I said, 'I want an outline of—' and he just sighed and said, 'Listen dude, I'm sorry, but if I have to tattoo Pikes Peak one more time, I'm gonna lose it.'
"For the record, I was asking for a rat, and he apologized profusely, but I thought it was hilarious. I know three different Coloradans with Pikes Peak tattoos."
11. Mandalas and tree silhouettes.
"IDK, but 20 years from now, there's gonna be a lot of old people with mandala tattoos and tree silhouettes."
12. A mustache on the inside of a pointer finger.
"I've seen so many people get a mustache on the inside of their pointer finger. I feel like that fad has to have gotten old with a few artists."
13. Two M's on people's butt cheeks.
"My tattoo artist told me he's no longer doing matching M's on butt cheeks. Ya know, so it spells out 'MOM' when you bend over. The joke's been played out."
14. Astrological signs.
15. Face tattoos on 18-year-olds.
"I’m not against face tattoos — I have friends and peers that wear them quite well. My issue is 18-year-olds who want to get them because they want a certain look. Pop culture has made them seem a lot more acceptable then they actually are. At the end of the day, in the majority of careers, they will hinder employment."
16. Octopuses.
"I'm completely sick of octopus tattoos. Everyone who has one thinks they're insanely unique and doesn’t realize it’s a ridiculously popular tattoo."
17. Literally getting the words "your name" on someone's butt.
18. The Deathly Hallows symbol.
"My friend who's a tattoo artist said he's done the Deathly Hallows symbol probably 15 times in his career."
19. And lastly, infinity loops.
"As I was setting up my last appointment, my artist and I were talking at the front desk when the receptionist took a call. They told the caller, 'Just a minute,' and asked my artist: 'Hey, do you have time for a walk-in today?' He looked over and said, 'Maybe, what do they want?' 'An infinity loop.' 'Are they on hold?' 'Yes.' 'Fuck that, I'm so fucking sick of infinity loops. Tell 'em I'm busy.' Safe to say my artist is sick of infinity loops."
Answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.