Instagram is, nowadays, the social network par excellence (with Snapchat's permission, of course). Its more than six hundred million users worldwide prove it.
Specifically, for some time now, we could say that trends are born on Instagram and then go viral from there. That's why today we want to share with you a trend we've spotted and absolutely love.
For one thing, it involves tattoos. Who would have told us a few years ago, when tattoos were still somewhat "marginal," that they would later become the graphic representation of cool, of hipsterism, in short, of modernity. Today, tattoos have reached the level of works of art on the skin. And some tattoo artists have achieved the status of masters, true artists of needles and ink.
The other element of this successful trend is cats. What can we say about cats that we haven't already? They are loving, adorable, intelligent... And they are also the kings of the Internet. Those of us who have one know how incredible they are. And how much we love them. That love is so great that, in some cases, people want to immortalize it. And that's where tattoos come in.
Getting a cat tattooed, especially if it's your own, is a gesture of love, a message to the world full of connotations. On Instagram, there are over 143,000 photos with the hashtag #cattattoo and 11,000 with the tag #tattoocat. There are all kinds, and, logically, on all parts of the body (or at least those that can be seen, because surely there are many that don't pass the social network's censorship filters).
There are minimalist ones, but expressive enough, like this one:
And, of course, more elaborate and sophisticated ones, like this one:
And with an impressive level of detail and sophistication, as you can see in this one:
But speaking of sophistication and preciousness, we must pause for a specific case, that of Horitomo, a tattoo artist and cat lover who enjoys incredible prestige in Japan, —and increasingly worldwide. After twenty years of professional experience during which he has had the opportunity to practice "tebori" (the Japanese art of hand tattooing). His specialty? Cats. In fact, he has coined a concept that has become popular among cat and tattoo lovers: "monmon cat." Monmon means tattoo in Japanese.
Part of his uniqueness and what has made him a star in the "scene" (currently @monmoncats has over 58,000 followers) is his talent for speaking to the soul and personality of cats. So much so that their tiny bodies contain a rich universe within them. Thus, we see cats with tigers inside them; cats with gardens; cats with other cats... Because every cat is a world, every tattoo that tries to represent it should be too.
Regardless of individual tastes or preferred tattoo styles, one must admit that they are true works of art.
So if you're looking for ideas to tattoo your cats, you've got plenty of inspiration on Instagram, as you've seen. By the way, if you don't already follow us on Instagram, now's the time: click on @aristopet!