Gen Z tattoos that will be deeply uncool by the time Gen Alpha starts getting inked, according to experts

Fine line tattoos are big on TikTok right now, as videos linked to the style have been viewed over 3 billion times.

The trend "usually consists of super thin line work" with tattoos that are "usually but not always small" and include "very minimal shading," tattoo expert Amanda Graves told Insider. 

Graves, who owns Dark Arts Tattoo Studio in Bel Air, Maryland, has been tattooing for nine years and shares her work with over 313,000 followers on Instagram. She said this style is currently big with younger clients.

"The fine line style is totally a Gen Z thing to me," she said. "Of course, I have seen other generations get into it, but I think the simplicity and delicacy of the fine line style is more popular with Gen Z."

Sydney Smith, the owner of tattooing businesses Blxck Rose Ink and SYZYGY which have a client roster that includes Megan Fox, has been tattooing for eight years and has 1 million followers on TikTok. She has also noticed the fine line style rise in demand recently.

"There's been a few artists who've been doing it for a while," Smith told Insider, but said the trend really blew up in the past couple of years.

Many celebrities have embraced this style, including Hailey Bieber and Rihanna, but that's no guarantee it won't become outdated — many of the once-popular tattoo looks among celebrities such as arm bands and tribal designs were outdated by the 2010s, although on the plus side, it looks like they may be making a comeback.

Stick and poke is a tattooing practice that eschews the conventional tattoo gun and any machinery, and instead involves the artist manually poking an inky needle into the skin, meaning it's an easier DIY option. It's become increasingly popular in recent years, as some people report the experience to be less painful, or they find it more personalized. 

Ryan Ashley is a tattoo artist with over 1.7 million followers on Instagram who became the first female winner of the TV competition series "Ink Master" in 2016 and later returned as a judge on the show. She told Insider the stick and poke movement may be spurred on by the younger generation.

"These tattoos are interesting, I have a stick and poke myself," Ashley said. "I believe this is how the trend is starting, young kids tattooing each other in their basement. It's primal, but a lot of the time when they are done correctly, stick and poke are actually some of the best tattoos."

Multiple TikTokers have racked up millions of views after they've uploaded videos that appear to show their attempts to tattoo themselves using the method, potentially adding to its popularity among younger people.

"I think the tail end of millennials started to get into it, but I feel it is more of the Gen Z alt crowd that gets these," Graves said.

Good news for anyone who's embraced the style though: while it may become less popular as a technique, if done well it's not visibly different, meaning it's unlikely a stick-and-poke tattoo will go out of style as a result. 

Smith, who specializes in micro-style tattoos, told Insider this trend is "definitely popular" at the moment, and basically anything "two inches or smaller" qualifies, although they can be much tinier than that. Due to their size, they can be placed on areas of the body like the insides of fingers or beneath the nail bed.

"Gen Z definitely have loved this trend based on what I see lately," Graves told Insider, adding the style of them can totally vary. "Sometimes they are hyper-realistic, sometimes just a word, or sometimes just a little symbol."

The search term "tiny tattoos" currently has over 1.3 billion views on TikTok, and links to videos from creators either recording themselves getting examples of the mini ink, or sharing tattoo inspo to help others make up their minds on what micro tattoo to get themselves.

But this one may not be as short-lived as it seems.

"I expect the micro tattoo trend to become commonplace in the tattoo industry. It's only just getting started. I don't' think it'll go away anytime soon," Smith said. "It goes beyond the trend of the moment, it's timeless and it can adapt."

Butterfly designs are a staple in the tattoo community, but Gen Z have embraced the style in their own way.

When millennials get this type of tattoo they would usually opt for thicker lines with an emphasis on more realism and more use of shading, Smith told Insider.

Gen Z, in keeping with their appreciation of thinner lines and a micro style, tend to go for a design that is "super simple" and looks flatter, and more 2D as a result.

"I did a lot of butterflies for like a year straight at least and everybody was getting them," Smith said. She predicts the butterfly will stick around for some time, but may continue to adapt to the tastes of each generation that follows.

"I don't think it'll necessarily fade out or anything, I just think they're going to change the way that they're done," she said.

A poll conducted by Insider in 2019 found that, more than any other demographic, younger people trusted and believed in astrology. 

The #Astrology hashtag on TikTok has over 66.2 billion views, and the trend is extending to tattoos.

"Knowing your astral chart is totally a staple in specific sections of the Gen Z crowd, and getting it tattooed has been just as popular," Graves told Insider, adding they're often done in the fine line or micro style. "I see tons of little horoscope signs or constellations," she said.

Smith agrees and said she's noticed "people are super into it right now" but predicts interest may wane at some point.

"I definitely think that right now they're popular and it's going to slowly fade, and then they might come back eventually but just again, in a different way," she said.

Ashley added she could see something like this happening too. 

"I think the new generation is definitely going to be science-based," she told Insider, adding they may still incorporate elements of astrology.

According to Graves, anime tattoos are huge among the Gen Z crowd at the moment. 

Graves recalls being in high school when "kids were side-eyed for liking anime" although she was a fan herself, and noticed as the topic appears to have become more popular in recent years, fans are getting tattoos that represent their favorite series, moments, and characters.

"When I first started tattooing, anime tattoos were far and few between, and now I don't go a day without seeing them," Graves told Insider.

Graves predicts anime tattoos will "last for a good while" among Gen Z, but may have less of an impact on the next generation.

"They most likely will start to fade in popularity with the younger crowd in the next few years," she said.

"A lot of people are getting handwriting tattoos," Smith told Insider, reflecting on another style that is thriving at the moment.

These often feature the writing of family members or close friends as clients request for their words to be permanently etched on their body.

"People get 'XOXO' or 'love mom,' stuff like that," Smith said.

This seems less likely to become obviously outdated, as a casual observer wouldn't necessarily know that was the case.

Ashley has noticed a lot of trends at the moment which incorporate different material styles, such as the use of chrome and metallic designs which she said "looks crazy on skin when it's done correctly."

There are also embroidery style tattoos made to look like sewn on patches, and "tattoos that look like fabric," she said.

Ashley said the next generation of tattooers will continue to push the boundaries and experiment with what can be achieved on human skin, which will inevitably set the themes of the next, big tattooing trends.

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