By Dylan Sciacca | Reporter
What was once viewed as irrational or rebellious is now something that is much more common.
In the past decade there has been an especially large spike in college-aged people getting tattooed. As of 2023, the Pew Research Center found that 41% of Americans under 30 had at least one tattoo. Among women ages 18-29, the percentage was 56%.
Waco is no exception to this trend, with over 20 tattoo parlors in the area.
There are many reasons that have sparked the recent change, including the original spike in the early 2000s. Zach “Lefty” Colbert is the owner and an artist at Infamous Ink, a tattoo shop just outside of Baylor’s campus at 1813 Speight Ave. He said that the stereotype changed because of parents.
“I have watched the trend of tattooing go from nothing,” Lefty said. “You know, just the GI’s, bikers and strippers that got tattoos. Then it went mainstream and hit TV, and everybody was getting tattooed. It became so mainstream that everybody’s parents are tattooed.”
The world is not the same as it was a few decades ago, and the whole outlook on tattoos has changed drastically. Austin sophomore Zander Tracy said this change is connected to a country-wide shift.
“I think the U.S. as a whole has sort of taken on a more libertarian movement in a way,” Tracy said. “A lot of people are becoming more independent and doing things, like the my body, my choice movement is a perfect example of people trying to demonstrate more personal freedoms.”
Not only are tattoos common and acceptable in younger adults, but also certain types of tattoos. Lefty said that the tattoo trend changes on average about every three years. This usually includes the style of the tattoo but can also be certain words or phrases.
“Right now the trend is fine,” Lefty said. “That’s the main thing going on. It is a lot of the very small technical patchwork. The trend for college age is fine line and patchwork. It is not as trendy to get the big arc pieces and the very elaborate stuff as it once was, at least for that age group.”
As tattoos become more common, younger adults continue to grow and express themselves in their own unique way through the ink. To some, it is more than a trend. Tattoos can hold meaning, and that does not exclude college students. For Tracy, his tattoos hold family and memories.
“My dad has the same one, and going off to college, I felt like it would be a fun thing for us to do together,” Tracy said. “Then I got another one when I was in Hawaii, just a symbol of the trip.”
