Garter tattoos are designs made to represent femininity and sexiness, but with the added subtlety incorporating women’s strength and individuality also wrapped into the idea.
While many collectors sport the lingerie version to create a current of sensuality into their thigh tattoo, others combine design choices to enhance factors such as strength and resourcefulness.
Garters are traditionally incorporated into a bride’s attire to throw to the crowd on their wedding day but are used for holding up stockings (lingerie rather than utilitarian).
Garter tattoos, of course, are upper thigh tattoos, but they can be etched in a range of application styles ranging from complex black ink lace designs to traditional bows, and even garters with guns tucked into them.
The following gallery of the top 43 best garter tattoos offers excellent examples of skilled design, color, and symbolic ink that you can use to help craft for your own expression.
1. Garter Tattoos with a Bow
2. Elegant Garter and Jewel Tattoos
3. Flower Style Garter Tattoos
4. Gun in the Garter Tattoo Art
5. Lace Garter Tattoo Designs
6. Mandala Style Tattoos
7. Rose Garter Tattoos
8. Innovative and Creative Tattoo Art
What do garter tattoos symbolize?
Garter tattoos are designs made to represent femininity and sexiness, but with the added subtlety incorporating women’s strength and individuality also wrapped into the idea.
The garter tattoo is a sultry body art choice, but very much a strong symbol despite the sexy angle they most often take when getting.
Garters are traditionally incorporated into a bride’s attire to throw to the crowd on their wedding day, but are used for holding up stockings (lingerie rather than utilitarian).
While many collectors sport the lingerie version to create a current of sensuality into their thigh tattoo, others combine design choices to enhance factors such as strength and resourcefulness.
What are the most popular garter tattoo styles?
Garter tattoos, of course, are upper thigh tattoos, but they can be etched in a range of application styles. The most popular include:
- The classical garter with bow
- Garter and jewelry
- Sultry lace garter designs
- Garter tattoos with a gun tucked into it
- Mandala garter tattoos
- Floral themed garter tattoos
What do floral garter tattoos mean?
Floral garter tattoos are more subtle tattoos representing femininity and sexuality. Some female collectors prefer to celebrate their femininity with less overtly sensuous imagery
Floral garter ink also allows the subject to explore a different application style of varying bright colors, or secondary themes linked to their choice of flower.
For example, jasmine flowers are associated with sensuality, the lotus represents enlightenment, and the rose means love in general tattoo culture.
Do garter tattoos hurt?
From a pain perspective, garter tattoos for the most part are on the lower end of the pain threshold. Generally speaking, the upper thigh offers good terrain for tattoo work.
The area where there’s most discomfort is the inner part of the thigh, due to it being an extremely sensitive area, but there are no bony bits which helps.
For experienced tattoo lovers it’s rarely a hassle, while for newcomers, a skilled tattoo artist can keep the pain levels to a bearable level quite easily.
How much do garter tattoos cost?
Despite being thinner, smaller tattoos than most, garter tattoos can be quite expensive compared to other styles of ink.
As almost exclusively female ink, collectors opt for more detailed, complex pieces over the masculine large sleeve scenario.
A detailed garter piece by an experienced pro in black or black and gray, can take 2 – 3 hours minimum and cost upwards $450- $500 (more for those pieces using different colors).
Complex single needle garter tattoos often require specialists, whose per hour rate can start at $250-$300 per hour, and take longer to complete.