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Sep 17, 2023

I’m a tattoo artist — I refuse to needle this first

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission. Tattoo Red Flags!

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♬ original sound – MarquezInk

He draws the line at this ask.

In a viral TikTok video, "Ink Master" Season 7 winner Anthony Michaels says a red flag is anyone asking for a face, neck or hand tattoo as their first ink.

The artist explained he is leery of people who come to him seeking a tattoo in such a visible spot when they don't have "a single tattoo anywhere else."

"I can't even have a conversation with you," Michaels told Inked magazine in the interview.

He reasoned that these potential clients can't "comprehend being tattooed."

Because they are not yet part of "tattoo culture," Michaels believes that un-inked people shouldn't gravitate toward such extreme tattoos.

"You don't have enough right experience," he argued.

Michaels worries that face, neck and hand tattoos could be "job-stoppers" and believes that people should start with something easier to hide.

The video, initially posted in 2021, drew more than 794,000 views when it resurfaced last week. It also sparked backlash.

"Red flags are [a] tattoo artist like this," one user commented.

Another echoed the sentiment, responding, "My red flag would be hippie gatekeepers, thinking they know everything about tattooing and it's their culture."

A third questioned, "So how many tattoos does one have to have before [we’re] ‘allowed’ to tattoo our hands?"

"Yo bro if I’m paying, you just give me the tattoo, do your job and make it look good," another person emphasized.

The Post reached out to Michaels, an Arizona-based artist, for comment. He won the Paramount+ series "Ink Master" in 2016.

Some TikTokers seconded his stance in the comments.

"Agree. It screams their being reckless and pretentious," one user chimed in about new tattoo seekers.

"Say it louder for the people who don't know what respect means in this comment section," a second stated.

Another defended Michaels: "This is a longstanding opinion from most artists I’ve met. They don't want to be responsible when the people regret it."

Tattoos have become more widely accepted in recent years as they’ve risen in popularity — and they’re being removed just as often.

The global tattoo removal market was valued at $478 million in 2019, and it's projected to reach $795 million by 2027, according to Allied Market Research.

Perhaps that's because people are becoming more adventurous with their tattoos.

A 65-year-old man recently claimed he spent about $10,000 tattooing his whole body, while another coughed up an undisclosed amount of cash to get a massive ugly tattoo as a prank.