Whether it’s a delicate outline or a full sleeve, up to a quarter of people around the world now have tattoos.
But how much you like – or dislike – body ink could indicate your age, according to a study.
Experts have discovered that those over 50 rate extreme tattoos as less beautiful than the younger generation.
And it could be due to traditional negative stereotypes linked to the body art, they said.
The team, from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg, Germany, recruited 487 adults to rate images of two models with various degrees of temporary tattoo coverage – no coverage, light, moderate, heavy, extreme and extreme with facial.
The tattoos followed natural, geometric and animal-inspired designs, and participants were asked to rate the perceived beauty of each image using a 7-point scale.
The images with no tattoos were the highest rated overall, while the images with facial art were the lowest rated.
Further analysis revealed participants younger than 50 rated the extreme images as more beautiful than the older respondents.
The team, from the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg, Germany, recruited 487 adults to rate images of two models with various degrees of temporary tattoo coverage – no coverage, light, moderate, heavy, extreme and extreme with facial
Whether it’s a delicate outline or a full sleeve, up to a quarter of people around the world now have tattoos. But how much you like – or dislike – body ink could indicate your age, according to a study
Extreme images were those where people had tattoo sleeves, or large tattoos across prominent areas of their bodies such as their chest.
Participants who had tattoos themselves, as well as tattoo artists, also rated inked people more highly.
However, facial tattoos consistently received the least positive reception – even among the experts.
Writing in the journal Plos One the researchers said: ‘This age-related difference could be explained by numerous factors.
‘Younger individuals have a significantly higher average social media use time, and might therefor be exposed to tattoos more frequently.
‘In addition many public figures – who frequently act as role models for younger individuals – feature tattoos in movies or advertising or have tattoos themselves.
‘Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of negative stereotypes and attitudes in older individuals towards tattooed individuals.’
They concluded: ‘These findings confirm that tattoos influence aesthetic appreciation, which is highly dependent on expertise and social norms as indicated by age.’
