25 Tattoo Fails That Won't Wash Off With Soap (October 17, 2026)

Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor

Oct 17, 2026 2:30 PM EDT

What better way to make yourself feel better about your dated and faded tattoos than to gawk at other people's tattoos that are so much worse than yours?

I have never gotten a tattoo, and at this point, I wonder if I ever will. I do have one concept for a tattoo that I'm pretty into (an illustration of Gregor from The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka waking up as a giant bug in his bed) but I don't think I will ever be brave enough to actually follow through on it. There are a couple of reasons for this. One of the big ones is that my mom is super against tattoos. I know that everybody's mom is super against tattoos, but my mom is extreme about it. I don't usually live my day-to-day life with my mom's voice in the back of my head, but it's not like I lay in bed at night wishing I had this tattoo. I could really give or take it, and I would rather regret not getting it then regret getting it, forcing myself to go through painful laser treatments.

The other reason I've never gotten a tattoo is because somebody once described it as "a t-shirt you can never take off." As someone who likes to rotate my t-shirts every couple of years, I don't want to be attached to a design that no longer represents my vibe. When I was in college, I would wear a t-shirt of talking corn cob wearing a sailor hat. I loved that shirt when I had it, but now that I'm 27 instead of 19, I'm grateful that I don't have said corn (his name was Captain Kernel) permanently on my body.

In 2018, I went to a waterpark with my friend, and I saw so many tattoos from the 90s and early 2000s on the bodies of the other swimmers. A lot of old tattoos can be covered up with clothes in day-to-day life, but at the theme park, there was nowhere for them to hide. I wonder if in 10 years, kids will look at faded line tattoos on aged Gen Z and millennials and think about how dated they are.

If you have a kind soul and believe that every tattoo is beautiful, then this list is not for you. These tattoo fails are for people who are willing and able to point and laugh at a terrible decision.

01

via tattoos.pride
02

via tattoos.pride
03

via atatofclass
04

via amplifiedclothing
05

via professorcheguevara
06

via tattoo_fails
07

via rafaelriccelli__remocao
08

via attoofail__
09

via new_faces_artliner
10

via badtattoos_
11

via johnny.explains
12

via memetunnels
13

via jazzhandsinenglishlands
14

via jch00lig4n
15

via tattoo_fails

I don't care how much you trust a tattoo artist: you should not get a "realistic" tattoo of your loved one under any circumstance.
16

via rankerhorror
17

via newjerseyattitude
18

via tattoos.pride
19

via satisfydailyy
20

via sock_cratees
21

via poprepub

The white shading around the mold is actually diabolical.
I have to imagine that this isn't actually a trend. It's just something that one person did once. I live in Brooklyn, I would know if this was some big tattoo trend.
22

via inkedmag

As a meme professional, I have to advise against getting a tattoo of a meme until at least 5 years after that meme goes viral. You will thank me for this.
23

via suckytattoos
24

via s***ytattoos

I have to wonder if this is more or less expensive than flying to Turkey and getting a full hair transplant.
25

via s***ytattoos

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

25 Tattoo Fails That Won't Wash Off With Soap (October 17, 2026)

Tags

Handpicked for You

{{title}}

Handpicked for You

{{title}}