One Direction Yank Fan Tattoo Request

While Harry Styles just adorned his chest with a new tattoo of a rather large butterfly, which fans and haters can drool over or hate on, respectively, One Direction came under fire over the weekend for encouraging fans to post footage of their real tattoos in order to possibly secure a spot in promotional materials for the band's upcoming 3-D film.

That request, which was sent out onto the Interwebs via social media, was met with ire from people who accused the boy band of encouraging (indirectly or not) their young fanbase to get illegal tattoos and to mark up their bodies with permanent ink.

The band quickly removed the tattoo ask, chalking it up to a mistake. It was a dumb request but a smart and corrective reaction, since the band's fans will do whatever the boys say and it seemed like a call to action. If 1D asks them to do something, the fans heed the call.

On Satrurday March 9, the band had tweeted: "Have a real #1D tattoo? Show us! Submit a 90 sec YouTube video to 1d3dfan@gmail.com and show us why you should be in the @1D3Dmovie!"

The RTs on that tweet numbered around 4,000, while it was favorited by 6,000 Twitter users. So it did make somewhat of an impact upon making landfall in the social media space.

But by Sunday, March 10, it was pretty much erased. Twitter and Facebook were wiped clean of the request, as 1D and their team realized the error of their ways.

And do we really need a bunch of Directioners trying to get creative with homemade, stick and poke tattoos courtesy of sewing needles and Bic pen ink, scarring their bodies forever or getting infected? No, we don't.

We also don't need wily Directioners obtaining tattoos from legal tattoo parlors in illegal fashion. You must be 18 to get a tattoo legally, ladies! We so don't want underage fans resorting to any creative methods that might not be safe.

A 1D rep addressed the situation, saying, "This tweet was posted in error and has now been removed. One Direction do not want to encourage any of their fans to get 1D tattoos."

While tattoos are no longer suggested, fans can still upload photos to the band's website for possible inclusion in a mosaic for the movie poster. The only restrictions are that participants are at least 14.

While Hazza and Zayn Malik continue to mark up their bodies with questionable ink, we're glad they don't encourage their lovely fans to do the same!

Watch the One Direction 'Kiss You' Video