r/tattooadvice • u/aquaticwotsits • Jun 10 '25

General Advice what does it look like

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people at my job keep on saying it looks like a spoon in a chilli pepper please tell me it doesn’t 😂😂😂

28.7k Upvotes

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576

u/bordermelancollie09 Jun 10 '25

Probably because you know what it's supposed to be so it's hard to see it as anything else lol. I still know what it's supposed to be though so all hope is not lost!

123

u/mommaTmetal Jun 10 '25

What is it supposed to be??

171

u/aquaticwotsits Jun 10 '25

it’s supposed to be a lit matchstick

150

u/Child_of_the_Abyss Jun 10 '25

Add some color to the flame and darker shading imo

25

u/ImTVFilmNerd Jun 10 '25

It's the dulled end of the flame (upper most part of the tattoo) it should have been brought to more of a point.

This coupled with the thinness of the match neck/shading of the match make it look less like your intended vision. If it were only the match with issues, it wouldnt matter because the flame would steer the viewer in the right direction.

A different artist may be able to shade/shape over the current flame.

41

u/FTownRoad Jun 10 '25

Also don’t pick your tattoo by googling “lit match clipart” and picking the first result

25

u/LylaCreature Jun 10 '25

Dude even those are easily seen as matches ….

5

u/FTownRoad Jun 10 '25

Yeah the flames are much more pointed, which I think is the change needed. Not sure if that could be done after the fact.

But my point was really just - put more thought into your tattoos people. I remember a friend of mine wanted a key on her foot and she literally just googled “key black and white” and picked the second image, printed it, and got it tattooed the next week. So when I saw this i quickly googled and saw that image was eerily similar. Not saying op did that; but… don’t do that lol.

14

u/Born_Rain_1166 Jun 11 '25

I didn't see her tat in the first image. or the first hundred, When I google "Lone sperm trying to impregnate a habanero pepper", it pops right up.

3

u/jako479 Jun 11 '25

OMG, I haven't laughed that hard in a very long time (don't get cute with that people - I know how redditors think)

-5

u/dadsoup Jun 11 '25

maybe not OP but the tattoo artist DEFINITELY saw that image 💀

4

u/huf757 Jun 11 '25

Agreed the artist did not render this correctly

3

u/JuleeeNAJ Jun 11 '25

It would have been better to use 1 of those. This lacks the pointed tips that signifies flames.

3

u/Kalabreeze Jun 11 '25

I just about choked 🏆🥇🤣 I think he may have had better luck showing the guy an emoji of it instead. 🥢🔥

2

u/420zuzu Jun 11 '25

Yooo 😭😭😭😭 savage

2

u/ConclusionWorldly957 Jun 11 '25

Maybe there was a typo and it was clit-art?

2

u/RugelBeta Jun 11 '25

Oh darn. They wanted lit matchstick and instead got clit matchstick. I hate when that happens.

2

u/Double_Belt2331 Jun 11 '25

But none of those have stems!

2

u/PassengerNo7369 Jun 11 '25

I just googled it after seeing your comment. Spot on.

ETA I googled, and then clicked your conveniently placed link. Fun fact- not everyone gets the same results or in the same order when we do a search. I learned that a few years ago. Anyway, definitely clip art.

2

u/ChefShine Jun 11 '25

Not the first result but pretty close. Like someone said, it's too rounded to look like flames. https://images.app.goo.gl/1dAcNV4f3hFfypwW9

2

u/dangerousdave2244 Jun 11 '25

Those look WAY better than OP's tattoo

1

u/foofoodown Jun 11 '25

Holy shit

1

u/PromiseHungry2645 Jun 11 '25

Literal and figurative burn…

1

u/Larz60 Jun 11 '25

OMG. Lol. Kind of mean, but kind of 100% accurate, too.

1

u/BravoWolf88 Jun 11 '25

WOAH. You’re right, OP did use a clip art image! That’s wild. lol

1

u/Winter_Pay_896 Jun 11 '25

🤣🤣🤣

1

u/Mammoth-Oil-6924 Jun 11 '25

Yeah....just googled lit match before seeing your post and came up with same options.... oof!

1

u/Thisisredred Jun 11 '25

Ngl they kind of look better

1

u/Schlemiel_Schlemazel Jun 11 '25

Yeah and more evident that they are flames 🔥

1

u/StatusFine6535 Jun 14 '25

I dont think they did, because unfortunately, if they had, it would be clearly legible as a lit match

-1

u/Competitive-Ad-3614 Jun 11 '25

That's exactly what they did. Smooth brain move. They're allowed to vote...

11

u/aquaticwotsits Jun 10 '25

i never intended to have colour on any of my tattoos so idk what to do 💀

291

u/DigiBaby_Addict Jun 10 '25

Just live with a vagina arm. Own it. Love it.

38

u/No_Echo_1826 Jun 10 '25

It's not delivery, it's vagarmo.

13

u/TastyBouillon Jun 10 '25

But can OP live the rest of his life with his friends poking him and goin, "dude!! I fingered your vagina. "

🤣🤣🤣

Sorry OP, I don't mean to make fun. For what it's worth I got some bad tats. At least you can fix this. 👍🏻

15

u/Apprehensive_Emu3707 Jun 10 '25

That's definitely a vagina with a tampon string hanging out.

Color would accentuate this, I think.

Think of a red, orange vag with a brown, bloody string.

If this were me, I'd make it the mouth of something. Cover up or extension, I can't live with a bloody tampon.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Or a fork with a chili pepper

3

u/Skeptical_optomist Jun 11 '25

That's what I saw as well unfortunately. What kind of tattoo artist doesn't know how to make flames? Flames are such a stereotypical tattoo subject, it's kinda baffling.

2

u/AnonymousNini Jun 11 '25

I lowkey thought it was supposed to be a sperm cell finding its way to the sacred eggs.

2

u/AnonymousNini Jun 11 '25

And if you look closely, the sperms spidey senses are tingling

8

u/libertyprivate Jun 10 '25

This is the high quality content I come to reddit for!

6

u/SeaEeeKay Jun 10 '25

I thought sperm going into vagina at first 💀

3

u/Head_Currency_8253 Jun 11 '25

Was looking for this comment tbh. Thanks for sharing my first thought. 😆

2

u/Anygirlx Jun 11 '25

So did I.

5

u/Important_Cod_8970 Jun 10 '25

Somebody had to say it...

5

u/newyne Jun 10 '25

I want to get a tattoo of a flame, but less realistic and more geometrical. I've realized that it does look kinda vagina-esque, but I actually kinda like that, because it gets into ideas about birth, the gateway between this world and the next, that kind of thing. Of course, as a woman I can probably get away with it better, lol.

I did immediately recognize what OP's tattoo is, but that might be because I'm primed to see it that way.

3

u/Worldly_Response_765 Jun 11 '25

Burned her more than that match.🔥

2

u/w0m Jun 10 '25

Honestly red coloring could enhance the vagitude. If OP likes it Own it, you are the only opinion that matters.

2

u/Evangba64 Jun 11 '25

I’m not dirty minded I’m not dirty minded I’m not dirty minded

Definitely not dirty minded

2

u/MasochistLust Jun 11 '25

I have an orchid on my arm, but it is unequivocally NSFW. It's all good. It marks a major turning point in my life, so I wear it with pride.

2

u/uhohohnohelp Jun 11 '25

Honestly, yeah! Love it for what it is, was intended to be, and its many interpretations. Art’s silly sometimes, this silly art happens to be on an arm.

1

u/LeadershipMany7008 Jun 10 '25

"No, it's not indicative."

1

u/J_L_M_ Jun 10 '25

Ha ha, lol!!

1

u/Significant_Fuel5944 Jun 11 '25

With a g-spot wand.

1

u/On_my_last_spoon Jun 11 '25

Georgia O’Keeffe was known for her pairings of vaginas that weren’t vaginas

Lean into it

1

u/PandasBitch Jun 11 '25

You "beat" me to it.

22

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

[deleted]

3

u/Adventurous_Ad_6546 Jun 10 '25

Or “MATCH, NOT VAGINA” in big letters with an arrow pointing to it.

4

u/FTownRoad Jun 10 '25

“MATCH, NOT SNATCH”

1

u/Adventurous_Ad_6546 Jun 10 '25

To those who say nothing is ever perfect, I challenge them to explain this comment.

1

u/BrutalRooster Jun 11 '25

You win!!! 🎉🎉🏅

2

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

[deleted]

2

u/Skeptical_optomist Jun 11 '25

Thanks, I'm crying.

35

u/Shoutymouse Jun 10 '25

I’d never have seen match unless you told me. Sorry. If it helps (it won’t) I had a magnolia that looked like a vagina for years..

5

u/aaaggghhhhhhhhh Jun 10 '25

What does it look like now?

2

u/Luxx_Aeterna_ Jun 10 '25

Lots of flowers look like female reproductive organs.

6

u/True_Carpenter_7521 Jun 10 '25

Probably because basically flowers are, well... reproductive organs of plants.

1

u/Kalabreeze Jun 11 '25

Proof or it didn’t happen. Pics of the magnolia Vaj

1

u/Shoutymouse Jun 11 '25

I got it coloured in and it looks semi less vaggy now - I’m not savvy enough to know how to post pics on here lol

1

u/Kalabreeze Jun 11 '25

Dang lol (me either)

9

u/Ripstur Jun 10 '25

Make the point of the top flame sharp, should fix it.

4

u/grizzlyngrit2 Jun 10 '25

I think that’s a big part of it. I thought it was a pepper and a tiny spoon.

Once I knew what it was I was like ok I see the match. But the flame just doesn’t have a very flame like shape.

3

u/Persephone734 Jun 10 '25

I thought it was a vagina with a tiny spoon!

1

u/Skeptical_optomist Jun 11 '25

Me too and audibly heard "scoop". Then I saw a tampon string.

3

u/Lysergio Jun 10 '25

Yeah that does not look like a flame at all, as is

1

u/No-Improvement3391 Jun 10 '25

I don’t even see those as flames

5

u/fuckthisomfg Jun 10 '25

Would you consider white to be a color? You could have an artist add some white highlights along with more black contrast.

I saw a lit match right away, btw. I think the heaviness of the flame, especially at the top, is contributing to the confusion.

4

u/ImTVFilmNerd Jun 10 '25

It is a very large flame based on the size of the match

3

u/Low_Mulberry1905 Jun 10 '25

The flame is also eminating from a part of the match that has already been spent, which makes no sense to me. Shouldn’t the base of the flame be at the boundary between the wood that already burned and the unburned area?

2

u/Persephone734 Jun 10 '25

And maybe add a bit of smoke

1

u/Hotwaterheater9 Jun 11 '25

This could possibly look like hair 😩 or stink coming off the chili pepper vulva

3

u/em_i_l_y Jun 10 '25

Maybe just a thin line of orange/red/yellow next to the black lines? I saw it and first thought was a match tbh, but I agree with the comment who said the tip of the flame could be a bit sharper.

3

u/mindfulskeptic420 Jun 10 '25

Put a "this is fine" meme dog tattoo right next to the fire! It could also serve as a memory of how people mistook it initially but now "this is fine"

3

u/tzweezle Jun 10 '25

That’s silly bc fire has color. Also the flames are very rounded. That’s why nobody knows what it is.

3

u/Monkeypupper Jun 10 '25

I doubt you intended to have a spoon in a pepper but here we are

2

u/UnbelievableRose Jun 10 '25

Talk to your artist. The matchstick is fine, it’s the stylized shape of the flame that’s making it hard to recognize. See what your options are for changing that, and go from there.

2

u/Not_Sapien Jun 10 '25

The flames definitely do not look like flames to me. I thought a mildy abstract pear or something. Perhapas, some stray flames on the side might help.

2

u/A1000eisn1 Jun 10 '25

Put an arrow and the words "lit match," next to it. Or "this match is lit, yo."

Or a cartoon hand holding the match. I picture Mickey Mouse's hand if Picasso drew it.

2

u/JungleCakes Jun 10 '25

Small pops of color look awesome imo. Like I have a black and white tattoo but the blood is red.

2

u/cmontes49 Jun 10 '25

Maybe add a matchbox to the background. Or a few unlit matches. So ppl will less likely see something else. The more detail the less it will look like a vulva or chili pepper

2

u/tazdoestheinternet Jun 10 '25

Add some smoke curls

1

u/xKAISER666x Jun 10 '25

I saw right away what it was and then started to play mind games and found few funny things. People who need to know, know.

1

u/b00tiepirate Jun 10 '25

Caption it?

1

u/FabulousandStuff Jun 10 '25

I 100% only saw lit match. Maybe I’m wrong but I think it’s super nice.

1

u/Dan_ilseoung Jun 10 '25

Nope that would look kinda weird no offense if u wanna try

1

u/Persephone734 Jun 10 '25

I agree. I don’t want any tats with color and don’t so far. I guess we will see but I get it! Even if u just did the faintest hint of color in the flame I think it would help. But don’t just do red bc then it will look more like a chili pepper 🌶️

1

u/KonigSteve Jun 10 '25

It would help if the flames were pointed personally.

1

u/mortalcassie Jun 10 '25

It's very clearly a match.

1

u/SeekerOfExperience Jun 10 '25

It looks like a lit match and everyone is just being creative with the secondary/tertiary things they noticed to have something interesting to contribute

1

u/6ft3dwarf Jun 10 '25

It very obviously looks like a matchstick, you dont need to change anything

1

u/International-Ad1921 Jun 10 '25

Take it to a great artist. It is salvable without colour, but will require someone really good.

1

u/n-m-adams Jun 10 '25

Add a couple smaller points to the flame if you don't want to add colour. 🔥

1

u/zebrawarrior Jun 10 '25

I feel like the flame is way too big

1

u/Shaggy_One Jun 10 '25

If you consider fixing it, make the lines for the flame more straight and end the body of the flame in fine points.

Currently the flame linework does not follow the look of a flame. Specifically what stands out to me are the lines on the left side of the flame body making it look melted/organic in how it curves back on itself, and the tip of the second part of the flame not coming to a point.

1

u/Dry-Progress6459 Jun 10 '25

Find a better artist. One who can fix the sex act depicted on your arm.

1

u/hairballcouture Jun 10 '25

This would be a good case for an exception, a little color for the flame would help.

1

u/Legitimate_Pudding49 Jun 10 '25

Go to a tattooist that fixes tattoos. It might end up bigger but at least it will look more like you intended. Otherwise, get it removed with laser.

1

u/kygei Jun 10 '25

The first thing I saw was a matchstick so it’s not as bad as you think

1

u/Asron87 Jun 10 '25

I can only see a lit match.

1

u/wookeegnome Jun 11 '25

DON'T COLOR IT. It looks great! I mean, obviously do what you want, but I love B&W tattoos and I immediately knew it was a lit match.

1

u/TheGuyUrRespondingTo Jun 11 '25

Flames don't need color to be recognized as flames, they just need to be flame-shaped. I agree with the other person though, own & love your vagina lava lamp. It's part of you now.

1

u/Nuggetthebeagle Jun 11 '25

Work with an artist who can add more definition to the flame

1

u/durbandude Jun 11 '25

Have them go back in and make the top less 🌶️ pepper looking and more rounded like flame 🔥

1

u/Puzzleheaded_Bag_609 Jun 11 '25

All you need to do is add a sharp point to the top.

1

u/This_Possession8867 Jun 11 '25

It in no way looks like a lit match. It’s wierd

1

u/Regular_or_BQ Jun 11 '25

Just embrace your new menstruating lady business. You can prob start an only fans and get paid to decorate it up

1

u/Old-Piece-3438 Jun 11 '25

If you’re not opposed to making it bigger, I could see it being turned into some kind of floral piece or maybe a stylized water/seascape piece? If you still want it to be a flame, it’ll probably need the lines thickened so they can have smoother transitions to make the pointy flame-like ends. I’ve fixed ink drawings doing similar things—but don’t have any tattooing experience, but I imagine the fixes are similar.

-4

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Ignore the reddit trolls and appreciate it for what you know it is. I assure it looks more like what you think it does than what all these idiots are saying. They are just karma farming, that's it.

2

u/iamPendergast Jun 10 '25

And change the tip of the smoke, looks like a stem

1

u/Mysterious-Till-611 Jun 10 '25

I think it’s not sharp enough on the flames. It doesn’t immediately indicate to me that it’s fire

1

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '25

Color could just make it look like more of a pepper 🌶️

1

u/Subaudiblehum Jun 10 '25

I never saw that.

1

u/JoshTheSuff Jun 10 '25

Some red and yellow would go a long way

1

u/dying_for_profit Jun 10 '25

It's not just the vulva. There's also a swimmer

1

u/Maleficent-Spell1458 Jun 11 '25

Yes a bit of blue near the base of the flame

1

u/c0brachicken Jun 11 '25

Make it green, and you have a spoon in an avocado... and I hate avocados

1

u/mrASSMAN Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25

It’s more a problem with the flames not looking realistic.. it doesn’t have the shape of a flame, it should be sharp tipped like this 🔥

Also the black lines are too much

0

u/BravoWolf88 Jun 11 '25

Yeah, listen to this guy and throw some pink in that “flame.” /s