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There are two brand new reality Television series that will be coming out this summer that have already started a rumble within the tattoo industry.

You see for a long time there has been an ongoing struggle and a hotly contested battle between what I call tattoo traditionalists and the newer tattoo artists. This is really a reflection or similar to the age old power struggle that teenagers often go through as they try to form their own identity and separate themselves from their parents.

Well, let me explain a little more. You see the industry of tattoos and tattooing has had a phenomenal rate of growth in the last two or three years. This growth has led to a lot of new innovations in the world of tattoos and even new styles in tattoo designs. It has also led to greater number of celebrities getting tattooed, and therefore tons of people wanting to get tattoos like their favorite stars and so on and so forth the ball rolls on. In fact this growth has been so explosive that tattoo related words are now show up on top of every search engines listing as most frequently used search terms. Tattoos key search terms are even being searched for more than many of the top porn and adult related key terms.

So as with any industry there are some serious growing pains within the field of tattoos as the traditional tattoo artists and those newer to the field struggle with issues of marketing vs. art. Many feel that this new growth is wonderful and it is all leading to new business and more respect for the field. However the traditional tattoo artists feel that their true art and life style is now being exploited and commercialized.

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Tribal Tattoos - Tribal tattoo designs have been around for hundreds of years and are becoming more and more complex and constantly evolving and morphing into what has become known as neo tribal tattoo styles. Tribal tattoos can be traditional 'black work' on the arms and legs or more colorful styles characterized by the 'Modern Primitive' look covering the entire body.

'Old School' Style Tattoos - Anchors and swallows seem to be making a comeback and not just amongst old sailors and bikers. A lot of females are asking for tattoos of swallows and anchors on their neck and chest while many guys are going for the ol' sailor Jerry tattoos on their forearms. This style is further fueled by the 1950's revival characterized by retro vixens such as the Suicide Girls.

Lower Back Tattoos - These are a perennial favorite particularly amongst females. The most popular lower back tattoos are still tribal designs but dragons, lotus flowers and eastern symbolism seems to be popular as well.

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Star tattoos seem to be a pretty old and yet a very popular design. It is one of the most requested custom designs. Why are they so popular and are they over rated? You know there is this ongoing controversy between the "tattoo traditionalists" and the new generation of "tattooers". I put those in quotes because they are terms that I made up for this article.

A "tattoo traditionalists" like the old school tattoos. Things that are done in black ink and nothing that would be considered popular. They feel that each tattoo should be unique and say something about the individual. They are strongly against anyone that gets a tattoo because it is a popular design. For example they are against star tattoos because of their popularity. They would most likely be against the good old tribal arm band tattoo or a barbed wire arm band etc. You know the tattoo designs that are so popular and done over and over again. The "tattoo traditionalists just hate these.

The new generation of “tattooers” is pretty much the opposite. They like what is cool and hip and want to get tattoos done that are popular and in style. They will often look at celebrity tattoos or the tattoos of friends to get their ideas from which they might do some customizing and etc. Their designs typically feature a lot of color and are bright!

I have written more about these groups in other articles so for now I will stick to the topic at hand of star tattoos. You see there is a phenomenal growth in star tattoo designs. Tons of people want to get everything from simple star tattoos, groupings of moon and star tattoos, nautical stars, and even shooting stars. Star tattoo designs are pretty much everywhere.