25 Genuinely Bizarre Things People Have Been Told IRL About Their Tattoos

We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community to share TRUE weird/creepy/just plain rude things that people have said to them about their tattoos, and they did not disappoint. Here are a few of the absolute wildest:

2. This Pinterest photographer.

A random stranger at Walmart wanted to take a photo of my collarbone tattoo to put on his Pinterest.

—aprilm4ecddbafd

3. This rude remark.

After my dad passed, my mom and I got a matching tattoo in memory of him. One time, after explaining to a stranger that the tattoo was my version of a memorial, they responded: "You know he's dead, he can't see it." Yes, thank you for that.

—bamms596

4. This creepy proposition.

We were at Wendy's and a man behind us in line was was admiring my husband's full sleeves. He poked my husband and said, "Excuse me, but I'd love to see what you look like under your clothes." He then panicked and added, "I mean what your TATTOOS look like under your clothes!" Still weird, buddy.

—themeggersuit

5. This sexist fan.

I have a tattoo on my back that encapsulates my six favorite pieces of pop culture into one big piece (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Avengers, Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Lord of the Rings). Shortly after getting it, I was told that this tattoo was "wasted on a woman," by a man wearing a t-shirt for one of the six fandoms.

—keelhaulrose2

7. This not-so-fatherly advice.

I was minding my own business on the street and some man came up to me and said, “If you were my daughter I would NEVER let you have tattoos.” I told him I’m glad that I’m not his daughter.

—aylab420

8. This wedding vow.

When I started getting my tattoos at 22, people would always ask me, “What about when you get married? You won’t want to show those tattoos with your dress!” Jokes on them, cause I’m getting married this September (at age 36, so that just goes to show you how long I’ve been dealing with this stupid question) and I purposely bought a sleeveless dress that shows off all of my ink.

—aronc45845a10e

9. This savage Grandma.

My grandma once said to my dad, who is a tattoo artist, "The only good tattoo you have is the one of your daughter's name." My dad's got sleeves on both arms. I just sat there like goddamn, sis, calm down.

—rfriri123

10. This temporary(?) tattoo.

My sister's mother-in-law saw her tattoo for the first time and said, “Is this really what you want?” My sister sarcastically responded, “You know what? No. Let me just go WASH IT OFF.”

—d4bc79428e

12. This awful fellow actor.

I’m a theater major, and I hope to be a professional actor someday. I have a small star tattooed on my finger. After I got it, a friend of mine (who is also a theater major) told me that I was "very brave" for getting a tattoo because, according to them, “Directors won’t want to work with someone with tattoos.” Apparently no one has told them about the magical qualities of makeup.

—missjoeydiva

13. This meaning maniac.

A guy I used to work with aggressively demanded I tell him what ALL of my tattoos mean because “You put it on your body so you have to tell people what they mean!"

—mkfg19

14. This flexible(?) artist.

I'm a tattoo artist and have a small hummingbird on the right side of my upper back. Someone once asked if I'd done that tattoo myself. I'm not quite that limber.

—desireev4cf2f1413

16. This perfect crime.

My mother informed me that, since I have a tattoo, I now have a "distinguishing mark," and if someone that looks like me with a similar tattoo commits a crime, I could be blamed because "Only hooligans get tattoos."

—a4659365c6

17. This "witch."

I have a tattoo of a crow skull on my wrist. A few years back when I was waitressing, a well-dressed older couple kept violently flinching EVERY TIME I walked near there table. Finally, after several rounds of this, the woman grabbed my wrist while I was passing and whispered, "Are...are you a witch?"

—lyndsayr42c1074c7

18. This super-duper creep.

I was shopping for boots in a department store, and a male associate came up to me, looked me up and down, and said, "Look at all those tattoos. You must really like pain, huh?" Not creepy at all.

—shayface

19. This worried mother.

I was having dinner at a nice restaurant with my boyfriend when a woman came to our table and asked me to "please cover my tattoos" because they were "scaring" her baby. My tattoos are all of flowers???

—abear3312

21. This music rule.

I have music notes on my wrist because I, you know, love music. I've had more than one person tell me I can't have music notes unless I'm a musician. One of the people who've told me this had feather tattoo, so I guess he could fly???

—nataliep4437f99fa

22. This serial killer-y comment.

Someone once told me “Your skin is probably worth thousands.” This is, easily, the most serial killer-y thing I've ever been told, but sure, okay.

—autumnh4b41c8120

23. This confused relative.

I have a large tattoo my my right calf and I had a relative ask me how I shave my legs with a tattoo. I was like...with a razor like normal? The tattoo is underneath the skin, not sitting on top of it. It amazes me that people don't understand how tattoos work.

—ingajorgensenm

24. This Batman bandaid.

I have two full sleeves, a couple of back tattoos, and a scattering of tattoos on my legs. A guy once walked by me and said, “Oh, I really like that tattoo!” I said thanks and asked which one...he was referring to my Batman bandaid. He thought a bandaid was one of my tattoos. TBH, I’ve strongly considered getting a tattoo of a Batman bandaid since then.

—akolar

Did these stories surprise you? Have you ever been told something ~weird~ about your tattoos? Sound off in the comments below! And, for the chance to be featured on BuzzFeed in the future, follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook and Twitter!

Some entries have been edited for length or clarity.