‘Are tattoos more common now?’ Overseas Singaporean asks

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean Redditor living in Australia who is planning to move back to Singapore has noticed that more young people now have tattoos. u/CaravelClerihew asked in r/askSingapore: “What caused the shift? The only thing I can think of is that perhaps overseas Singaporeans have come back with tattoos and perhaps normalized it?” 

The user admitted that tattoos are more common in Australia. 

“I have several primary school teacher friends with visible tattoos and they’ve never gotten complaints about them,” the user declared. 

Tattoos in Singapore were traditionally associated with criminal activities or organisations. Although that misconception has been laid to rest and tattoos are no longer stigmatised in Singapore, still there are some Singaporeans who look askance at tattoos.

Other Reddit users gave their opinions on the issue.

One user mentioned that the rise of mass media and social media had led to a change in thinking.

“Mass media consumption is increasingly westernised,” the commenter said. 

Another user debunked the traditional idea of tattoos, saying: “Tattoos are no longer the gangsta style with dragons covering the full back type. A lot of tattoos that I see nowadays are much more aesthetic , cute or minimalist. I suppose this makes them a lot more acceptable and appealing to young people. I have gotten 6 tattoos over the last 10 years, and there has been a big change in the tattoo industry. There are a lot more female artists whose style is more feminine and appeals to the masses. One of my favorite was done by a visiting Korean female artist.” 

A similar comment stated: “Because more people are realizing that it IS normal and doesn’t change anything about the person.” 

In other news, Singaporeans are advised to be alert for scammers, especially in public transportation. A Singaporean commuter shared in another Reddit post an encounter that he had witnessed while exiting the MRT.

 “This is something I witnessed exiting the MRT. A lady dressed in black was walking ahead of me quickly to the escalator. I was going quickly too and overtaking the same people she overtook. As she walked by an elderly Chinese uncle, she suddenly slowed down to his speed and started talking to him. I’m pretty sure he didn’t know her,” the Reddit user said. 

‘Look out for our elders,’ commuter warns about in-person scams