Good point. What does it say about men that get big tatoos?
Serious question. I do agree that women who get these are advertising something... what are men advertising?
I go to the gym three times a week, and in about 50-50 cases men that are serious about lifting have big tats.
I believe a lot of this is just because others are doing this. I've been around for a long time, and I've seen trends come and go, some of these trends are silly as fvck. I remember a time when very very few men had beards... well I was in an Investor meeting a couple of days ago and I was the ONLY man in the meeting without a beard. In the 80's men tried to look like Romans, in the 90's men tried to look as sloppy has possible with IMO the silly trend of wearing suit jackets with jeans with razor stubble. Today... men want to look like Vikings (tats and beards).
I have an old friend, he was into motor biking and had been in a biker club since leaving high school... he's one of my favorite human beings. He hasn't changed in 40 years. A month ago we got together for lunch he has sleeve tats, and beard and long hair and was laughing that now he is considered stylish, when 20 years ago people were afraid of him. He also laughed at me... saying I hadn't changed either (I never wear jewelry, just a watch my grandfather gave me), short hair, no beard, and a suit I bought in London in the early 90s (which LOL the style is coming back).
Humans are social creatures and heard animals... we tend to reflect society. This is a trend... trends change.... Right now having obnoxious tats are popular, so people are doing it, and tatoo artists are making bank... in a few years dermatologists will be making bank removing them.