Like - The Cultural Specificity Of The Lion Clock Rose Tattoo

Not to sound like a guy hosting a boring podcast, but this week I found out that lion, rose, and clock tattoos are a thing. Did you know that? I had no idea. I learned about them because they came up in a conversation at work where someone said, “As long as they don’t get a lion, rose, and clock tat.” When I had to ask what that meant, I got looked at like an ignoramus because it turns out that these tattoos are very much a thing. The basic rap is that they’re a popular tattoo for basic bros. They’re a subsect of the more common lion tattoo, with a twist to be more unique that fails spectacularly. They want to say, “I’m a romantic alpha who knows that life is a race against the clock.” What they actually say is, “I don’t have any taste but I do have a lot of money to spend.” But the general antipathy towards these tattoos doesn’t seem to be stopping anyone from getting one, which is both good and bad. There’s something to be said for not caring about what other people think. That can be admirable, but, as these tattoos remind us, it isn’t always a virtue. In fact, it may result in you joining a club that isn’t admired at all.

Then again, as a guy without any tattoos, I don’t know how qualified I am to comment on this matter one way or the other. I once had an idea to get a sentimental tattoo, but I didn’t act on it. After a while, I lost the urge to get it altogether. But I can tell you this: it didn’t have a lion, a rose, or a clock.