It used to be something for sailors and sex workers: tattoos. That time is long gone and now the tattoo is fully established, about one and a half million Dutch people have one. Fun fact: Zandvoort has no less than 9 tattoo shops, only Brunssum in Limburg has more. Do you also have a tattoo and what story does that tattoo tell?
Nowadays every city has one, a tattoo parlor. According to the Chamber of Commerce, the Netherlands has a total of 3,656 tattoo shops and North Holland has the most of them. Especially in Zandvoort, Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Uithoorn and Hilversum.
Very normal
In the past, tattoos were seen as something rebellious and as a sign that the wearer did not care about society, but nowadays tattoos are a lot more normal and neutral.
A tattoo is even seen as part of personal expression, just like wearing certain clothes or having a specific hairstyle. Yet opinions remain divided about it: is it really a jewel for the body? Or are they still ordinary decals? Let us know!