Dangerous Tattoos That Can Get You Into Serious Trouble
July 30, 2023
•10 min read
There are lots of tattoos you should avoid. Let's examine the meanings of tattoos that can get you in trouble.
Tattoos are a great way of showing off your personality, but sometimes a design can have a deeper meaning than you first thought. Famous examples include Arianna Grande's ‘7 Rings’ tattoo, which actually meant "Japanese barbeque finger", and Jennifer Lawrence’s botched H20 tattoo.
But unlike these fails, some tattoos have a closely guarded history that can get you into a world of hurt if you don’t do the proper research. Let's investigate the meanings behind tattoos that can get you into serious trouble.History of Tattoos
Before we delve into why tattoos can get you into trouble, it's important to know how and why tattoos have become so popular, so let’s start from the beginning. The practice of tattooing is so old that no one is really sure when it first began. The oldest example known to science is from Ötiz, a 5300-year-old mummy thought to have been alive around 3300 BC.
The corpse had 61 tattoos of vertical and horizontal stripes as you can see in the following image. Scientists believe these were made by rubbing fire ash into thin incisions and letting the skin heal over them.As we advanced, tribal designs and ancient piercing techniques evolved the world over to engrave the skin with ink by hand, some of which are still used today. But fast forward several thousand years to 1890, and the "perforating pen" was invented by none other than Thomas Edison! This inspired New Yorker Samuel O’Reilly to make the first-ever tattoo gun.
Meaning Of Tear Drop Tattoo
Tattooed tears under the eyes have a variety of meanings, but what you need to know is that all of them stem from the US prison system. It can signify that the wearer has spent time in prison, acknowledge the loss of a loved one, or indicate that that person has killed someone.
Cobwebs
Cobwebs used to be specifically linked to sailors on long voyages. On the elbow, it metaphorically meant they had been leaning on the side of a boat for so long that a cobweb had formed, as you can see here on tattoo icon Lyle Tuttle.
Three Leaf Shamrock
If you have a three-leaf shamrock tattoo, you should consider adding a fourth leaf on ASAP. This tattoo is closely associated with the Family Affiliated Irish Mafia. They’re an American-Irish peckerwood gang with ties to the Aryan brotherhood.
Indian Warrior Dream Catcher
Woke culture alone shouldn’t be the only reason you decide against that dream catcher tattoo. According to the Canada Border Service Agency, which has detailed most tattoos in this article and their meaning for training purposes, a dream catcher tattoo can represent an "Indian Warrior".
Not the conventional warrior, however, but a Native American who has served prison time, often worn on the neck or skull with the number of feathers at the bottom indicating how many crimes they have committed against white society. So maybe think twice about getting that rip-off, Etsy dream catcher image as a full-back tattoo.Barbed Wire
Historically in Russian prisons, a string of barbed wire was tattooed on inmates who had been given a life sentence without parole. With nothing left to lose, many of them inked this definitive symbol on their forehead. Do you want to tell Post-Malone, or shall I?
Cats & Scarab Beetles
There’s nothing fine about these felines. A cat tattoo in Russia represents a prisoner’s life as a thief and different variations can tell different stories. For example, the head of a tom cat on the chest signifies a dangerous criminal who hates the law; A single cat anywhere can mean the criminal worked alone, but multiple cats indicate they’re part of a gang.
Star Tattoos
In prison, star tattoos aren’t a symbol of hope, they’re a symbol of incarceration. Russian inmates in particular use the number of pointson tattooed stars to represent how many years they’ve been behind bars. So, the bigger the star, the more seasoned the inmate.
Manacles
For the real edge lords among us who feel shackled by society maybe think twice before getting any manacle tattoos. Each tattooed manacle can indicate you’ve served five or more years behind bars.
Epaulette
Never try to pull rank on someone who has epaulettes tattooed on their shoulders. It isn’t a military fashion fad! Among gangs and prisons, these markings denote a high-ranking criminal, akin to the rank of a senior official in the army. Epaulettes can also feature smaller markings such as skulls, which tell you if the wearer has murdered someone or not.
Five-Point Crown
We’ve all seen cringe couples with matching crown tattoos that read "king & queen" under them. Aside from being a crime in and of themselves, what they may not know is that the number of points on those crowns could land them in some seriously hot water with one of the biggest criminal networks in America.
Three Dots Tattoo Meaning
There seems to have been a spate of millennials getting simple, small, basic tattoos. Three small dots in the shape of a triangle may seem harmless enough, but it has a different and universal meaning to those in gang life. This symbol stands for ‘Mi Vida Loca’, or the crazy lifestyle that crime syndicates are born from.
Clown Tattoo
If you like many other nerds have gotten yourself a joker tattoo in the last few years, do not show it off in Brazil by any means. It may look cool as you flex off in the bedroom mirror, but in Brazil clown masks or clown tattoos symbolise that you have proudly killed a policeman.
Hells Angels Death's Head Skull
Skull tattoos are pretty common in alternative social scenes, but certain skull designs should be steered clear of at all costs! In particular, the Hells Angels Death's Head Skull. With long colorful wings, you can see why it might be a tempting choice for some. But unless you’re a member of this dangerous outlaw biker gang, be sure to stay away.