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Why Tattoo Popularity Soared During the Pandemic Getting Inked Gets Popular

The pandemic changed many people's attitude on topics including tattoos.

By Maya Pow

Stover: I know it sounds crazy but I wanted to mix up my life by just impulsively getting a tattoo.

Reporter: Lucy Stover got a tattoo behind her left ear a month into the pandemic. It’s a lily-of-the-valley flower that was her grandmother’s favorite flower. Stover had thought about getting the tattoo ever since her grandmother passed away but the effects of quarantine are what really encouraged her to do it.

Stover: I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone, I was so tired of just being in sweatpants every day and I wanted something beautiful that reminded me that life is worth living I guess.

Reporter: Stover is not the only one that got a tattoo during the pandemic. According to Ipsos (IP-SOHS), 19-percent more people between the ages of 18 and 24 got tattoos after the pandemic started. Many people that are thinking about getting tattoos now have never gotten one before. Artists have some important advice for people getting inked for the first time.

Reporter: I talked to Taylor Wirthlin who is a tattoo artist at Working Class Tattoo on James Street. He says while he’s glad more people are joining the tattoo community, he thinks people should really think through their designs more and talk to the artist.

Wirthlin: I think more people that get tattooed should rely on the expertise of who they’re getting tattooed by. Like find somebody that you really like what they do and then ask them what you should get.

Reporter: Wirthlin says tattoo artists generally specialize in specific types of tattoos. So if you also have the itch to get inked, talk to multiple artists and search for the one that matches your style. Maya Pow, N-C-C News.

By Maya Pow SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)- The COVID-19 pandemic brought upon virtual jobs, quarantine orders and tattos. Tattoo popularity started soaring, especially with Generation Z, once the pandemic hit in March of 2020. According to a survey conducted by Ipsos, 19% more people between the ages of 18 and 24 got tattoos after the pandemic started. 

Lucy Stover had always contemplated getting a tattoo of her grandmother’s favorite flower to honor her after she passed away. It was not until COVID-19 case increased and people were put in quarantine that she decided it was time. 

“I know it sounds crazy but I wanted to mix up my life by just impulsively getting a tattoo,” said Stover. “I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone, I was so tired of just being in sweatpants every day and I wanted something beautiful that reminded me that life is worth living.”

While some artists are happy to see an increase in sales, higher pay checks and more people breaking taboos against tattoos, an artist at Working Class Tattoo says he’s he thinks more people need to reconsider their impulsive designs.

“People that get tattooed should rely on the expertise of who they’re getting tattooed by, like find somebody that you really like what they do and then ask them what you should get,” said Taylor Wirthlin.

There are many tattoo shops in the Syracuse area that are welcoming walk-ins and reservations. These include Halo Tattoo, Resurrected Tattoo and Scarab Body Arts.

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