When deciding on the placement of a tattoo, you have to consider the overall lines of the body, says Mayorga. "How is it going to look when you're naked or in intimate situations?" For example, an ankle bracelet tattoo chops off the leg, making it look shorter. But vertical designs "elongate the line of the leg."

Similarly, Mayorga warns against "slapping tattoos on like stickers," which she says can cut the body in unflattering places and "destroy the look of your curves."

"Personally, I hate it when girls get gigantic battle ships or American eagles on their chest above the breasts," Mayorga confesses. "It ruins the whole décolletage." With any tattoo, chest pieces included, you want to work with curved lines to complement the lines of the body.

Caution: The tramp stamp has moved. That's right, the classic tramp stamp above the butt crack has shifted to the side boob area.

It all has to do with following tattoo trends, says Rakovic. "You have to be careful. Like fashion, tattooing goes through hot trends, but unlike clothing you can't sell last year's tattoo to Buffalo Exchange and move on with your life."

Rakovic explains that lower back tattoos were cute in the 90s until they were branded "tramp stamps." The trend nowadays is for women to tattoo down their ribs. "In the elite tattoo community, these are labeled 'skank flanks,'" he says. "It will only be a matter of time before that term is universally known."

You've been warned.

A classic rookie mistake, tattoo artists warn against getting quotes or song lyrics that you love in your 20s tattooed permanently on your body. "It will just feel silly in 20 years," says Mayorga.

Tattooed 30-something Mary says she got a quote tattooed on her ribs at the age 24 — a quote from her therapist, no less — and though it felt supermeaningful at the time, she now has ambivalent feelings about it. "I didn't consider that I might not always feel comfortable talking about it and explaining it to people for the rest of my life," she says. "Especially since it's so personal."

"Celebrities have some of the worst tattoos on the planet," says Rakovic. (Find 13 of the worst ones here).

In other words, just because your favorite pop star has a certain dream catcher or four-leaf clover tattoo doesn't mean it's an objectively good one. "Don't go into a tattoo shop with an Us Weekly and point to a design because celebrities are not like us," cautions Rakovic. "They have sycophants lying to them about how cool their tattoos look."

If you want to get a tattoo that references a pop culture event, Rakovic recommends waiting until "at least five years after the fact."

"If tattooing was more prevalent in the '80s there would be a million people with script tattoos of 'Frankie Says Relax,'" he says. "So no 'Pitch Perfect 2' tattoos — yet." But in 2020, if you still want a tattoo of Anna Kendrick doing to the "Cup Song," go for it.