And yet tattoos on women still aren’t considered mainstream, according to the Sunshine Coast glamour model behind Inked Beauties, a modelling competition only open to models with ink on show.

Samantha Plant, 22, started her own promotional modelling agency last year after she says she was told her tattoos, which include a half-sleeve on one arm, were holding her back in her glamour modelling career.

‘’I was knocked from competitions after winning the heats only to be told at the grand finals that I couldn’t win because of my tattoos,’’ she said.

‘’It was competitions like Jack Daniels and [Miss] Indy. Basically the judges would pull me aside at the end and say, you were great but because you’ve got tattoos you’ll miss out.

''I guess it’s just that everybody’s set in stone with the no-tattoos thing. I’ve worked for companies [modelling] and they’ve told me to put makeup on them.’’

Her agency, Prestige Productions, promotes models with tattoos and has launched a glamour modelling competition for women with tattoos called Inked Beauties.

Ms Plant said it was tough running her own company at her young age. ‘’People just think they’re dealing with a child but I think I’ve proven it doesn’t matter how old I am I can do the job,’’ she said.

''I’ve had a lot of people being like finally, good on you for doing it, there’s just so many good looking girls walking around who will get turned away because of their tattoos.

''I think things are changing now because a lot of celebrities have them. Angelina Jolie’s pretty much covered in them.’’But Guy Mosel, editor of FHM Australia, says tattoos have now become so popular they're almost uncool.''I would say you'd struggle to find a woman under the age of 30 who doesn't have a tattoo,'' he said.

''Admittedly most women don't have a half-sleeve tattoo, that's probably not very conventional. But I honestly can't think of a girl who I've ever met who doesn't have one.

"We had Ruby Rose on the cover in our January edition and she’s fairly comprehensively tattooed ... that issue sold pretty well for us.''The emergence of a tattooed modelling competition is evidence it's probably now rarer for someone not to have one, Mr Mosel said.''I reckon this is the moment when tattoos jumped the shark. I reckon it’s now cooler to not have a tattoo. Surely now it is. Everyone’s got one. There's now a tattooed modelling competition," he said.''From now on, it’s cool not to have tatts. You’ll be an individual for not having one.''The Inked Beauties competition launches on Friday, with heats being held across southeast Queensland before a grand final on the Gold Coast on June 10.

The competition, while based in southeast Queensland, is open to entrants across the country – but they have to have at least one tattoo. A proper one, Ms Plant said.

‘’Not like a tiny Asian symbol, it’s got to be decent enough to be visible,’’ she said.

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