Thanks to empowered women creators, tattoo tours are on the rise
Mar 05, 2021 – [[read-time]] minute read
Tattoos are visually stunning. And for many people, they’re also a great conversation starter. Whether you have them or not, everyone finds body ink stories a bit fascinating. On YouTube, tattoo tours have seen an incredible uptick in uploads, led by a surge of empowered female creators around the world. In fact, in 2020, uploads of videos with “tattoo tour” in the title increase by more than 65% year over year.1
According to YouTube’s Culture and Trends team, some of the earliest uploads to see significant viewership were in 2016 and driven by people like Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly and other high profile actors, musicians and sports stars. GQ helped popularize the format with its tattoo tour playlist, and channels like Inked popped up.
But what is it about a tattoo tour that sparks so much interest?
For starters, people want to know if getting a tattoo will hurt depending on what part of the body they’re exploring. There’s also the tattoo artist, their popularity (who they’ve inked) and their style, among other things (like cost!). Generally, people are curious about what inspired a tattoo, its symbolism, or if it merely came down to a late-night regrettable decision.
This curiosity opened the doors for female creators to stage tattoo tours of their own, cementing their influence and artistic contributions in tattoo lore.
Canadian creator BELLE JORDEN was among the first in 2017, followed some months later by a tattoo tour from Australian creator, The Adventures of Jade. There’s also the popular French creator, coline, and the trendy Netherlands-based Lisa Onuoha.
Some of the more recent uploads include tattoo tours from artist Michela Bottin, as well as creators Jaiden Ashlea and Nava Rose. So, whether it’s an arm sleeve you’re looking for, or a simple explanation from Post Malone on some of his face tattoos, there’s plenty of entertainment to go around.
1Source: YouTube data, global, 1 Jan - 31 Dec 2020 vs 1 Jan - 31 Dec 2019. Videos with “tattoo tour” in the title.