Tattoos have experienced a resurgence in popularity in many parts of the world, especially in the Western World. The growth in tattoo culture has also led to a rising number of tattoo artists, many of whom have technical and fine arts training. This development in conjunction with the use of better pigments as well as technical development of tattoo machines, this has advanced the whole tattooing industry in terms of both quality and security. Modern tattoo options include lower back tattoo designs. Many females choose “softer” tattoo motives such as angel wing tattoos. More elaborate, maybe more masculine, designs include Chinese dragon tattoos.

In June 2006 the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published the results of a telephone survey which took place in 2004. It found that 36% of Americans ages 18-29, 24% of those 30-40 and 15% of those 41-51 had a tattoo. In September 2006, the Pew Research Center conducted a telephone survey which found that 36% of Americans ages 18-25, 40% of those 26-40 and 10% of those 41-64 had a tattoo. Another survey from January 2008 (Harris Interactive) stated that 14% of all US adults had a tattoo, compared to 16% when they conducted a similar survey in 2003.

In the United States many prisoners and criminal gangs display tattoos as a way to show for example criminal experiences, prison sentences, and gang memberships. Tear tattoo, for example, can be symbolic of murder, where one tear symbolizes the loss of a friend. Also, the United States military have been using tattoos for a long time as a way to indicate military units, battles, kills, etc., an association which remains widespread among older Americans. Tattooing is also common in the British Armed Forces.

Insofar as this cultural or subcultural use of tattoos predates the widespread popularity of tattoos in the general population, the use of certain tattoos is still to some extent linked to criminality. Even though the wider popularity in the general population brings with it a more of acceptance, tattoos can still be seen as carrying a stigma among some social groups.

The prevalence of women in the tattoo industry, along with larger numbers of women bearing tattoos, is transforming the previously negative connotations of tattoos. Keep in mind though that a study of “at-risk” (as defined by school absenteeism and truancy) adolescent girls showed a positive correlation between body-modification and negative feelings towards the body and self-esteem; however, also illustrating a strong motive for body-modification as the search for “self and attempts to attain mastery and control over the body in an age of increasing alienation.”