Outdated Tattoo Trends That Millennials Are Leaving Behind In 2026

Trends change as often as the weather, as we can all attest to. From the outdated fashion trends we have to ditch in 2026 to the outdated shoe trends you don't want to be caught wearing in summer 2026, there are certainly many things we're leaving behind in 2026. However, it may surprise you to learn that this extends to tattoos as well. And the ones regretting them mightily are the millennial generation, but only for specific tattoo trends. 

Based on an in-depth survey done by B&T, 14.2% of women regret following the tattoo trend of inking another person's name on their bodies. Presumably, it mainly involves tattooing their former significant other's name, which is bolstered by the fact that 57% of women are more likely to regret doing this over 43% of men. This is followed by 12.8% of women regretting ever getting an animal or nature-type image tattooed on their skin. It's clear the feeling of regret over these tattoos are the result of doing things out of emotion rather than logic, which makes a whole lot of sense when you consider at what age they're getting these tattoos done.

We've all made decisions we regret, especially during our teen years. But it seems millennials took it to a whole other level when it came to getting their bodies inked. And according to B&T's survey, a whopping 31.7% of millennials were high school graduates when they chose to walk into that tattoo parlor. What's more, it appears to have been a spur-of-the-moment decision as well, with a large percentage of women barely giving much thought to what they were doing. 

And once it's all said and done, that's when regret sets in. Perhaps you woke up one day, looked at your tattoo and realized that you didn't like it as much as you thought. Or maybe the tattoo doesn't resonate with you any longer. 38% of millennials certainly thought the same when it came to the latter, which also explains why more and more millennials are rushing in droves to get their tattoos removed. So for Gen-Z who are thinking of getting their first tattoo, it's certainly best to have a good, long think before leaping headfirst into it.