Shitpost-style tattoos are the latest trend, born out of a chronically digital upbringing that has given Gen Z a meta-ironic internet persona and an absurdist, self-referential style of humor.
“Sex is great, but Fortnite is awesome” may be a funny meme, but would you want that permanently inked on your skin? For some, the answer is a resounding yes. Despite growing up on Kim Kardashian’s warning, “I don’t put bumper stickers on my Bentley,” Gen Z is one of the most tattooed generations. And unlike the earnest, symbolic designs favored by millennials (think infinity signs, flower pots, love hearts), they’re taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach to tattoos that look like they’re memes straight out of your Instagram grid.
The result of brain rot, these ironic tattoos resemble relics of 2009 memes and rambling posts from inactive Reddit threads. Think an upside-down Nike swoosh on your forearm, “Berlinciaga” on your back, and Hello Kitty holding a machine gun. They’re the product of a chronic digital upbringing that’s given Gen Z a meta-ironic internet persona and an absurdist, self-referential style of humor that’s slowly seeping out of our feeds and into the streets, first through fashion and now on our skin.
LA-based tattoo artist Tyler Fertig Smith grew up on the internet. He cites meme culture, movies, Midwestern mom decor, and nostalgia for Y2K big bro as inspiration. “Sarcasm is my best friend right now,” he tells Dazed. With a portfolio of designs that includes a Mr. Worldwide Pit Bull bib, the word “ketamine” over a horse silhouette, and a filet mignon, he says he’s always looking to push the envelope. “I hope to provoke a visceral reaction in the audience, whether that’s good or bad.”
Public reaction to these tongue-in-cheek tattoos has been varied and, in fact, always strong: “When I meet people on the street or at the studio, they’re usually in love and laughing, and they usually show off the funny tattoos they’ve hidden on their thighs or upper arms,” says Fertig-Smith. But online, reactions have been more polarized, with angry cries and expressions of disgust sandwiched between booking requests and praise in the comment sections.
But the negative feedback has only made the designs more extreme. In the community of tattoo artists who participate in the style, an echo chamber of internet cynicism encourages competition, with each tattoo striving to be crazier than the last. “The algorithm puts a lot of emphasis on shock value,” says Nikolai, a Denmark-based tattoo artist whose designs range from delicate kitten neck tattoos to Vetements butt tattoos. For his much-talked-about Berlinale back tattoo, he says, he chose unflattering colors and purposely drew harsh lines to “piss people off.” “Also, I think when you see all this crazy stuff online, you become desensitized to even crazier stuff,” he adds.
But it’s not just that we’ve become desensitized to these designs. Post-ironic tattoos are emblematic of a sense of disillusionment and pessimism among young people. “What’s stopping me from getting a Care Bear tattoo on my foot? Society? Everyone’s in trouble anyway. Have you seen the housing market?” Fertig-Smith says. His thinking reflects a broader, endemic nihilism that plagues a generation that came of age in the midst of a recession, pandemic, and political turmoil. This, combined with a chronic online upbringing, has created a generation with a more relaxed attitude toward body modification. As a result of shaping our perceptions of the body in an online environment where self-expression is celebrated rather than demonized, people may see their body art as a reflection of an evolving identity rather than a fixed expression.
Ironic tattoos often have little to no meaning. “I don’t plan much when I get a tattoo. I like to go in with as little planning as possible and just go with the flow,” says Logan, from Michigan. His tattoos, which include an M&M’s Dr. Phil and a cat in a wizard’s hat on his arm, are largely meaningless, but he’s confident he won’t regret them. Fertig-Smith is also “constantly” asked if he thinks he’ll ever regret getting them, with the Fortnite logo on one side of his head, INCEL on the other, and a 12-inch Rodrick from The Lazy Diary on his forearm. “No, but I think as I get older and my art changes, my tattoos change too, and I’ll just fill them in with something else to keep expressing myself,” he says.
But while some tattoos may look post-ironic and meaningless from the outside, that doesn’t mean they aren’t sentimental. Logan’s horse tattoo on his back reads, “Live like someone left the gate open,” and while it may look like a typical ironic meme tattoo, there’s a hint of sincerity to it. “About 15 years ago I found a picture of my girlfriend’s mother wearing a shirt that said exactly that: ‘Live like someone left the gate open.’ I got this tattoo because I thought of her and thought it was funny.”
