Although butterfly tattoos may be found with very masculine designs, the greatest number of butterfly tattoos are for women. There are butterfly tattoos that highlight the butterfly as the central design, while others include flowers, mythical creatures such as fairies or nymphs or even angels and butterflies in the design. Most people consider the butterfly in a woman's tattoo to signify the development from a girl to a woman, including the beauty that she achieves through the process. With this in mind, women's butterfly tattoos tend to be beautifully colored and outlined in great detail, playing tribute to the transformation from child to woman.

There are several popular body locations for butterfly tattoos on women. One of the most popular in the last few years has been butterfly lower back tattoos. The natural shape of the butterfly with its wings open highlights and enhances the shape of the lower back, and with the design it is possible to continue to add more tattoos keeping with the theme or stay with just one tattoo. Often the tattoos that work well with butterflies include all the floral tattoos, including daisies, roses, lilies and lotus flowers, as well as the more stylized Celtic and Aztec floral patterns. Native tattoos of flowers are also a good match for most of the butterfly patterns on the lower back.

Complimentary tattoos that go with butterfly tattoos aren't just flowers, however. Birds, mythical creatures, stylized lines and designs and tribal tattoos are also great options. Butterfly tattoos, because of the variety of shapes and sizes they come in, can be perfect for re-tattooing an area or even disguising an old tattoo. Deciding what tattoo matches an existing tattoo can be a bit challenging, so work with someone you trust can help you in making that decision. In addition be sure to care for the tattoo as indicated to ensure the longest color retention and prevent any possible problems after the tattoo has been inked.

Other popular locations for butterfly tattoos include the neck, the upper shoulder, back of the shoulder, arm or the hip. Butterfly bands around the upper arm or even around the ankle are very popular and distinctly feminine compared to many of the more masculine arm band patterns.

Butterfly tattoos can be kept as a black outline only as seen in many of the cultural or tribal tattoos, or they can be highly colored. Typical butterfly tattoo colors include oranges, reds and yellows or the blue and purple combinations. While colorful tattoos are popular, the color will fade somewhat, while the solid outline will typically remain striking in its appearance for much longer. It is possible to literally customize your colors to match your own personal preferences, making personalization of these tattoos very practical and easy.