Will Arnett Believes People With Tattoos Are Usually Hiding One Specific Thing About Themselves
Fred Duval | Shutterstock In a recent podcast appearance, comedian Will Arnett shared his controversial opinion that people with a lot of tattoos are usually hiding something about themselves.
On "The Romesh Ranganathan Show," British comedian and actor Ranganathan invited guest Will Arnett to discuss his new movie, comedy, and tendentious perspectives. Titled "Will Arnett: Why People LOVE Bojack Horseman & Pretending To Be A Comedian," Arnett didn't disappoint, sharing his opinion that he outwardly admitted was "controversial."
Although his belief is a generalization, there is truth in the idea of social normalization and conformity. However, his argument needs further evidence, as people are not just ink on their bodies. But Rangathan seemed to agree with his take, calling a lot of tattoos "manufactured edge."
Will Arnett believes people with tattoos are usually hiding a boring personality.
Arnett is actively building his case while making exceptions to not offend the host and the rapport they've built. He prefaced his opinion, stating that it "doesn't apply to [Rananathan]...because of this time we've spent together." Although respectful and indicative of his audience being Rananathan with "20ish" tattoos, his argument isn't solid from the get-go.
Yet Arnett clears his throat to assert, “There’s a proportionate sort of relationship between how many tattoos you have and how little personality you have. And I find that a lot of people who have a ton of tattoos often are super [expletive] boring. Like truly boring people.”
Will Arnett's hot take is controversial, but he knew it would be.
Arnett's stance has sparked discourse on platforms like Reddit. One critic noted, "Tattoos have been around for centuries and many cultures embrace them, so this generalization is very much corporate boomer coded or you're surrounded by boring people."
Tattoos were once considered taboo and rebellious, but times have certainly changed that perception. As the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction, making tattoos more of a fashion choice than an act of defiance, Arnett's argument, based on conformity, has an iota of merit. But like with any sweeping statement that lumps a huge number of people together, it's a gross generalization that can't hold water, and doesn't by his own admission of Rananathan being an exception.
The tunnel-vision thinking is his grounding. As another Redditor explained, "Like, not everyone with tattoos, but if you consider the kind of people [Will Arnett] probably comes across [celebrity-wise], this tracks. [Like] just think about the [Gen X] guys with [American] traditional and tribal tattoos."
In Los Angeles, where people are trying to gain popularity and fame, the city and actor culture operate by jumping on bandwagon trends, such as tattoos, in an attempt to get the public to turn their heads. His opinion is clouded by the people in his small bubble. The world, however, is a big place.
Arnett is right in that choosing to get ink sends an intentional message, but that doesn't make a person boring.
Rananathan responded to Arnett's position, labeling tattoos as cultural, "manufactured edge." Arnett agreed, and although the notion seems silly, there is some truth to the idea that choosing to have tattoos is choosing to project a certain image or statement.
It's not much different than making a statement through your fashion choices. Emo, Goth, Grunge, high maintenance, these stereotypes come from the persona we choose to convey to the world. Tattoos are no exception.
Microgen | Shutterstock
In an article in Psychology Today, Theodore Dalrymple, M.D., reinforced the idea that tattoos are a marker or statement meant to send the world a message about who you are and what you believe. He called it "a kind of identification with the marginalized." Therefore, it is manufactured by the individual to fit in with a select group, apart from the greater collective.
Another Reddit user contextualized tattoos as "like a uniform for being different without necessarily standing for anything, especially the full sleeve look, it got played out." Bored with the masses yet now too boring to look at (as an eyesore or with attraction, tattoos are losing their "it" factor to Arnett, psychologists, and people.
Finding someone boring is a subjective opinion.
Arnett's "controversial" opinion that people with tattoos are boring is ultimately all in good fun, because the idea of a personality being boring is completely subjective. Say, for example, you absolutely love chess. You love it so much that you have chess tattoos. Maybe Arnett thinks chess is a snooze-worthy hobby. He might think the chess lover's personality is boring because they don't mesh. Do his chess-inspired tattoos make him boring?
The same goes for Arnett's brand of humor. Some might find his comedy dull. Can we suddenly assume that anyone without tattoos is then boring? No. But ultimately that's Arnett's intent. This is a topic that gets people talking because there is no right or wrong answer. It's all based on the individual. It's all meant to spark debate.
If you like tattoos, get them. If you don't like tattoos, don't get them. Personality is so much more nuanced than these broad sweeping stereotypes. Will Arnett may have irked you with his opinion, but he did his job as a podcast guest. He got people talking about a topic that everyone can have an opinion on, and no one can be right or wrong about.
Emi Magaña is a writer from Los Angeles with a bachelor's in English. She covers entertainment, news, and the real human experience.
