Hello everyone.
When it comes to tattoos, our greatest fear is getting something you might regret in the
future.
In most cases that means choosing a (now ex) partner's name or a mistranslated Chinese
symbol.
The wrong tattoo however, can land you a serious hot water and even sometimes in prison.
Here are 5 types of tattoos that are considered highly inappropriate or illegal across the
world.
Number 5, Any tattoos.
Permanent tattoos are actually forbidden among Sunni Muslims, as many believe that tattooing
changes God's creation and is therefore a sin.
In May 2015, Iran's religious authorities banned tattoos along with spiky haircuts,
plucking eyebrows and using sunbeds.
Despite its illegal status, tattoos are becoming increasingly popular among young Iranian people.
The German-Iranian footballer Ashkan Dejagah has caused considerable controversy for his
tattoos, which were labelled as vulgar by the Iranian media.
Number 4, Visible Tattoos.
In Japan, tattoos were first made illegal in the Meiji period in 1872 and, while it
is technically has not been against the law to get tattooed since 1948,
there is still a huge social stigma against body art in the country.
Because of the common association of tattoos with criminal gangs in Japan, they are often
banned in public swimming pools, bath houses, gyms and even some hotels.
Also, it is not uncommon for restaurants and shops to turn away customers with visible
tattoos.
Number 3, Specific Areas On The Skin.
Like most places, Denmark will allow you to get inked up at the age of 18.
However, a 1966 ban made it illegal to tattoo the hands, neck, or head.
In the US on the other hand, Oklahoma was the last US state to hold onto its tattoo
ban but since 2006, getting inked has been legal across America.
That said, certain tattoos are still banned in some states.
For example, it is illegal to get a tattoo within an inch of your eye socket in Georgia.
It is also illegal in some states to get tattoos if you're drunk which to be fair, makes a
lot of sense.
Number 2, Swastika.
Swastika is originally a Hindu symbol, and a Sanskrit word.
It was picked up by Adolf Hitler, signifying his and other Nazis' belief in the superiority
of the Aryan race.
And because anything from the darker periods of Germany's history, this can irritate or
anger a modern German.
Because of that, there are specific laws in European countries such as Germany, France
and Slovakia prohibiting the display or public use of Nazi symbols, in particular tattoos,
flags, uniforms and forms of greeting.
These laws however do not apply in Britain, which is why Prince Harry wasn't breaking
the law with his Nazi fancy dress outfit in 2005.
Number 1, Religious Tattoos.
Several countries in South and Southeast Asia are very sensitive about religious tattoos,
and consider them to be highly disrespectful to the religions.
In 2014, a British tourist was arrested and deported from Sri Lanka because authorities
considered the Buddha tattoo on her arm to be hurting others' religious feelings.
In 2012, Malaysian authorities banned Erykah Badu from performing in Malaysia because of
the Arabic word for 'Allah' on her shoulders, which is an insult to Islam and a very serious
offence.
Thailand authorities on the other hand are threatening to crack down on tourists getting
tattoos of religious symbols, calling it an alarming trend that is culturally inappropriate
and offensive.