'I’m embarrassed': Tattoo trend among Gen Z users on TikTok sparks outrage

Getting a tattoo is a decision that should, for most people, take some genuine consideration because getting a permanent mark on your skin is a decision you will live with for the rest of your life.

It can be fun to get a meaningless tattoo, but if you’re going to make it a symbol ... maybe Google it first?

Apparently this common sense approach isn’t so common.

A recent trend has emerged in which members of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) are getting a “Z” tattoo. While innocent enough, some have unwittingly come to find their new ink actually resembles a Nazi symbol.

In a video that has since been made private but continues to be shared across the platform, TikTok user ‘smoothavocado’ suggested that all members of the youngest generation get matching tattoos.

“What if, now hear me out … we all got a matching tattoo, not only a symbol of unity in our generation, but also as a sign of rebellion,” she said in the post.

It didn’t take long before users started pointing out the similarities between the proposed “Z” symbol and the wolfsangel symbol, which is often associated with the Nazi party and other white supremacist groups.

The proposed tattoo puts a line through the middle of the ‘Z’, making it resemble the right-wing symbol. It is unclear why the specific alteration was made but the TikTok user behind it said she had been writing her Zs like that since she was young.

Over the years the symbol has been altered by various hate groups, so it’s not uncommon to see a slightly different version that still bears the same meaning.

It’s unclear how many people actually got the tattoo but a number of images and videos appeared on the video-sharing platform showing the ‘Z’ tattoos, with some users boasting about joining the trend.

Earlier this week, the term ‘Gen Z’ was trending on social media platform Twitter under the Fashion & Beauty category with more than 40,000 tweets.

However plenty of TikTok users were outraged by the idea and implored others not to get the symbol inked on them.

“Please don’t do it it’s a Nazi symbol,” one said.

“I’m embarrassed to be a Gen Z,” another wrote.

“Why do y’all not do any research before doing something permanent,” a third user commented on a viral video.

The young woman purportedly behind the trend has since apologised for the bizarre situation, claiming she innocently writes her Zs with a line through the middle.

“I have been writing my Zs like that since elementary school,” she said in the post circulating online.

“So when I put that on there, I did not think anything of it … My entire point of this was to bring my generation together. It was about love and unity, OK?”

With Yahoo Lifestyle US

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.