Thanks to Gen Z and their unique sense of style, tattoo artists are reporting a growing interest in Cybersigilism art which some have compared to “teen doodles.”
Like any other area of beauty and fashion, tattoo trends wax and wane with the seasons. Though no one can agree on what style is the best, only that they all hurt equally, a rising interest amongst Gen Z suggests style preferences are largely age-dependent.
What is Cybersigilism?
The rising trend was brought to light by Mark (@markdtattoo) from Sydney Tattoos in Australia, who took to TikTok earlier this week with a video featuring several colleagues.
The clip started with Matt asking a number of his fellow artists about a “typical Gen Z tattoo” style, with all of them saying Cybersigilism. There was also another suggestion as another artist said “Tramp Stamps” were making a return on the bodies of Gen Z. Though everyone agreed with Cybersigilism being the designated tattoo of Gen Z, what actually is it?
Penning an explanation on his website, tattoo artist Mr Inkwells wrote: “Cybersigilism is a tattoo style characterized by its use of thin lines, sharp angles, and usually black ink, to create intricate patterns that resemble a mix of circuitry and organic forms. As mentioned above, they resemble the classic tribal tattoos that we all know and love from the 90s, although the style can vary.”
The tattoos themselves look like a combination of circuitry and organic matter, reminiscent of futuristic films like Bladerunner and even the video game Cyberpunk.
People are divided by the unique style
Despite tribal tattoos being all the rage just two decades ago, a lot of social media users could not wrap their heads around Cybersigilism.
One person said: “Cybersigilism reminds me of drawing on the front of our binders in high school so we didn’t fall asleep in class.”
“My issue with Cybersigilism is that I associate it with the Monster Energy logo,” another said, while a third quipped, “Cybersigilism= 90s metal head teen doodles on his book covers.”
Naturally, there are those who love the futuristic vibes of the Cybersigilism style, as one person explained: “I love Cybersigilism I believe that it is a timeless art style.”
“One of the best tattoo styles,” another person argued.
