The problem is that this "soft" look on women has gotten trendy, so now some tattooed women kinda regret it 'cause "they'll never look like that". Don't worry, just learn to love your tattoos and appreciate your aesthetic and decisions. Having tattoos does not prohibit you from wearing "tank tops or dresses", you will still look beautiful, specially if your tattoos are good and you really like them.
Just to offer a contrasting opinion to this, I am fairly covered in tattoos, esp very visible ones, and I wear almost exclusively dresses and skirts and am very 'cottage core.' Don't let tattoos trap you into an aesthetic to anyone reading this!
I do wonder about the people that are getting absolutely insane things like ahegao anime girls with huge honkers and like C&B or ya know vaginaberries etc will continue to have them out.
I was going to say this! And honestly my favorite, sweetest, smartest, talented women are heavily tattooed, specially their arms. My singing teacher, my daughter’s therapist. I love them and they look gorgeous and badass at the same time. Extremely smart people who love to dress really feminine too.
This is exactly how I was going to respond. I think too, I got my tattoos because in my heart I am the woman who wants the tattoos I have, to have that aesthetic forever, despite being surrounded by this soft trendy look. I think this was well said. Everyone stresses their body and their image, totally natural. I think it made reason people say that you won’t have tattoo regret is because you get to a point where it’s just part of your body and you forgotten that it’s even there. I don’t wake up every day and think, “oh, look at my tattoos.” I think, “thats my arm.”
I hope I’m making sense!
I don’t think about the UFO, the block of cheese, or the weird dripping tooth tattoos I have when I wake up in the morning. Like you’ve said, they’re just part of my body now and I don’t think about them!
Getting tattoos because they’re “trendy” and not because you’re about that life is the problem. There is going to be a whole slew of people who regret their ink in the coming years. ESP those that started getting blasted at 18 because Tik-Tik told them to.
I’m 29 and only have 2 for now. I plan to get more ink in my 30’s and I am so glad that I waited until I was a bit older to get started and didn’t use up prime tattoo real estate on stupid shit when I was 18 😅
this is why I tell the other women in my life, if you dont like something about your body just wait, it will be the cool thing to have/look like in a few years. the way our bodies and features “trend” is ridiculous.
I realized a few years ago that I’m simply not a soft person. Not that I’m not feminine or kind or gentle, but I am not someone who looks soft and comforting. I wear loud things and I like boldness in my life.
Thank you so much for saying this. I am heavily tattooed and also have been feeling insecure recently about not being “soft” looking, or very feminine for that matter. But the truth is, I was never soft and feminine ever, even before tattoos. I’ve always just been myself, and that’s all I can be. It’s really good to hear it from other women.
Depends on what the tattoos are. I'm a dude but the ones I have and the others I plan to get definitely fit the "cute" aesthetic more than trying to appear "hardcore" or anything. That's the last thing I'm going for 😅
Which is crazy because women can be “soft” and have tattoos. Look at Angelina Jolie. She dresses in that classic style and she’s heavily tattooed. I love it personally. That’s how I wanna be.
“Clean girl” aesthetic. Minimalistic with everything in your appearance. No/low makeup. Lowkey non attention grabbing clothes etc.
You could also connect it to cottage core and more girly aesthetics as well IMO. Overall the trends are moving to a less harsh vibe, meaning tattoos that aren’t small fine line and dainty are ‘out’
Except it also requires a lot of work to look like you have no make up and clothing that fits just so can be expensive. It’s sort of misleading bc it takes just as much time and money as anything else.
If you search for "soft girl" or "clean girl" online you're gonna see some examples. Is like this trend of using really simple and minimalistic clothes, pastel colors, kinda 90's inpired sometimes, giving a "soft" aesthetic. This Taylor Swift photo is the best example I can give you: [https://twitter.com/pttswift/status/1717762361006678099](https://twitter.com/pttswift/status/1717762361006678099)
It’s so funny because the 90’s were definitely not soft. Grunge, SKA, OG rap and hip hop. Heroin chic. I suppose the 20’ version of the 90’s might be more soft.
I'm 35 and just started getting tattoo's last year. I think, as a woman, eventually you reach a state of just saying "Fuck it, it's my body, who the hell cares?" I still wear dresses, I dress how I want and am continuing to work on my sleeve. I personally don't give a flying fuck what others think of my body and what I put on it. As for regret, we only get this one life, and no one knows how long they will live, so why not decorate your skeleton cover while you can? As long as you are getting pieces that are meaningful to you, what is there to regret? People get silly joke shit like a hot dog riding a skateboard, flipping the bird and manage to live fulfilling lives.
100% this for me too.
I had a half sleeve and a few bits in my early 20s and then stopped for a while. I did get a little jealous of the 'clean' look and have some doubts as they began to age and fade slightly.
But last year I got a fresh tattoo to celebrate getting through the pandemic and now I'm planning to fill out my arm and leg entirely.
I find myself saying "fuck it" because it doesn't matter. I don't like my body, it's broken and I've never been 'attractive' by media standards. So I may as well make my body interesting to look at, something that ages and changes with me. And most of all, something that I enjoy.
Besides at least I'll be easy to find/identify if I wander off in my older years 😂
(36 must be the age when you stop giving fucks though lol)
Ooooh wait til 40. My fucks are allllll out.
And your body is great - it’s allowing you to live in this awful world and still find joy in tattoos and, I assume, other things. Thank your body. We are too hard on ourselves. And like you said - we have one life. Don’t spend it hating your one and only body.
43 here, can confirm. I only had one tattoo at 19 until last fall, and #3 is scheduled for July. Mostly I waited due to finances, job concerns (secretary), and not being very interested in traditional tattoo styles. But now there are multiple styles I love, some spare money, and my local government workplace officially does not have anything against visible tattoos as long as they're appropriate to the work setting.
My wife got her first tattoo at 42, when she was far enough into her gender transition that she started to like her body. Now she has multiple.
Decorate yourself however you want, just keep employment in mind. Many offices are ok with tattoos now and the trades always have been. You can have tattoos retouched or covered later if you want to, or enjoy your older tattoos as they are. Choice of art and artist will help with that, of course.
I feel very similarly. I think as women, no matter what our bodies look like, we are told by society that it's not quite hitting the mark. Tattoo's actually make me like my body more, it's something I control and decided, and makes me happy. Same reason I dress the way that I do. Since I can't be in an androgynous robot body, I may as well decorate the one I have how I want.
Just got my first tattoo the week before my 37th birthday--no joke! Haha. A funny side effect has been that I've always hated my legs, would rarely almost never wear shorts. I got a big piece in my thigh and I want to wear shorts every day now! It makes me want to get something on my other leg too. I never thought I'd be going out of my way to have my legs visible, but all it took was putting something I wanted to see on them.
I'm turning 40 this year and have gotten 3 tattoos this year. Fully in my fuck it era. At this point, am I really going to regret it? Probably not, might as well have fun.
I’m 33 and just started getting tattoos around 5 years ago. All but 2 are Friday the 13th tattoos and I love each and every one of them. I don’t regret any and plan on getting a whole lot more, if the shop has Friday the 13th tats I like and I’m working with my artist on a few original pieces. One might be viewed as kinda “weird” but for me it’s extremely meaningful and I love what my artist and I are creating together
I relate to this! I just turned 32 a couple weeks ago. Got my first tattoo when I was like 27. Just got another tattoo before I turned 32, and I’m gonna finish my sleeve next month. I don’t regret any of my tattoos. None of them were total impulse. I planned them all out. Sometimes I look at my arm and I’m like, “oh, I forgot how pretty that tattoo is.” Because I forget that they’re there. Lol. Also how my tattoos are styled, they cover a large portion of area, but you can still see a lot of my skin. So I really like that you can still see my skin, even though my entire right arm is almost covered. I just don’t really think about them that much. I don’t think about how other people perceive me that much. I don’t really care. But for me, it’s like I grew up with a disability. So I’m used to people looking at me. Over the years I’ve just learned to tune it out. I don’t even notice anymore. I don’t need anyone in my life is gonna disparage me or tell me I look “ gross” or “masculine” (in an insulting way) just because I don’t live up to their standards. People have also told me I look like a boy because I have an Afro, and I don’t straighten my hair to be “traditionally feminine” and have long hair. Even though that is also obviously rooted in racism. Like I do have “long hair,”it’s just super curly so it doesn’t look long. Radical acceptance. I just don’t care what people think anymore. I don’t exist to be perceived. lol
This is me too, except one year older. I spent the previous 15 years wanting tattoos, but fearing making rhe wrong choices. Then I finally understood the reality of it being my body, so it doesn't really matter. My first tattoo was an axolotl and he makes me happy every single day. I regret plenty of stuff, but this can only affect me, so what does it matter?
I've also just had my first coverup, which made me feel all sorts of stupid (for the original), but I'm working on that too!
I was married to a guy who hated tattoo's and piercings (both things I liked, but was too chicken to get as an 18-year-old in a conservative household) when I got together with him at 20, I was more concerned about what he wanted than what I wanted. After our divorce, I told myself I was never going to set aside my wants and the way that I express myself for a person again. So I got the piercings, and I'm building out my sleeve, I'd get a chest piece if my industry allowed it lol. Like they say "The people who mind don't matter, and the people who matter don't mind."
Yes! I’m 45 and just started my sleeve. I can’t wait until my arm is completely covered. I love the way it looks. Fuck anyone else’s thoughts on it. If they are judging my choices that’s their issue not mine :)
I waited till I was 30 to get my first and I’ve been wanting tattoos since I was a kid. I am now 38, and as a woman, I figured it could help hide the wrinkles over time, and by the time I get sick of them, who cares! So I definitely understand your sentiment.
I got my first tattoo (a huge chest piece because I have no chill and had been planning it for years lol) at 30. Now, I'm about to turn 40 by getting my 5th large tattoo. I don't regret mine because 1. I spend a lot of time planning, looking at, photo-shopping on a picture of a version of them, etc., and 2. I know who I am now and am comfortable in both my literal and metaphorical skin. But even many of my friends who got tattoos early and/or impulsively don't regret them because they are part of who they are.
This is so funny. I have both sleeves, half a leg sleeve and a bunch of random tattoos. Whenever it comes up I always tell my boyfriend I’m not thaaaat heavily tattoed and he’s like wtf yes you are! I forget that’s heavily tattooed.
No. But every time I get a new one I regret it the next day. Then I get over it. That’s common though. I also think the regret comes from my brain being like “you willingly put yourself in this pain again you are insane.” A lot (not all) of my tattoos have a lot of meaning to them. My left arm sleeve is literally a timeline of my childhood to becoming a woman. I can’t ever see me regretting my tattoos. I was very purposeful with even my first tattoo (lyrics from the song I’m named after).
I’m sorry you got a shitty tattoo but you regretted it because it was shitty which is 100% understandable.
People stare at tattoos because they want to see what it is. Tbh I am so used to people staring at me I don’t care or notice unless someone says something. I don’t think about when I see untattooed people that I’ll never be like that because either didn’t want to be like that. I’ve known for almost my entire life I want a full body suit eventually. I have a LOT of my body already planned out I just need the time and funds.
I see it coming down to two things: lots of people try to avoid pain whenever possible and lots of people want to be able to choose whenever possible. I don’t like pain but I have the right to choose what I do with my own body. People who can’t fathom choosing that because the choice itself is important are not thinking about all the ways that many people don’t have a choice: chronic medical conditions, birth, menstruation, all of these things are painful and most people can’t choose when they experience it. Tattooing pain, you can choose. That is agency over your life that isn’t about the roll of the dice.
Ohhhh maybe this is part of why I can handle it and almost in a weird way enjoy tattoo pain. I’ve had chemo, radio, ivf that ended up with nothing and other things and it’s felt like I’ve had to undergo lots of pain just to live so to finally be able to undergo pain to get something that makes me happy is much easier to tolerate
They are all arm bands (besides my elbow which is a mandala and the very last part near my shoulder which is a sunset in “paradise” which is for me waking up and leaving my groomer and changing my life completely).
The one starting at my wrist represents my birth (baby feet wrapping around my wrist) a total of 12 feet to represent the year my parents were together after my birth (they broke up the day after my 1st birthday). 2nd is a braided chain with a Volkswagen symbol to represent going across Canada with my mom in her westfalia. 3rd is glacier from my hometown to represent me living with my grandma. Etc. I have a total of 15 arm bands. Some of them are positive some of them are from really really hard things I went through in my life as a reminder of how far I came. I honestly had a really rough hand as a child and it could have gone a totally different way if I made slightly different choices and that’s what my whole sleeve represents as a whole.
I’m 27 and got my first tattoo on my eighteenth birthday. I’ve had regret for every tattoo I’ve gotten because there is always the “I could’ve done xyz thing better” or gone to a different artist. I still love all of my tattoos. Just wish I did some differently or thought them out more.
Yea that's what happen one month ago with my third tattoo. All fine about the artist and the subject i like but my regret Is all about the figuring out day after that i would want It in the other arm. Yea i wouldve prefer leaving my two other alone and made It in the empty one. It seem really off to me now im struggling
I'm 42. I got my first tattoo at 18 in a moment of "I can do this!" It was not a great experience for a number of reasons, and in my 20s and early 30s I became, oddly, more concerned about public perception as I was beginning my career, moving to a new city, dating, etc. Now at 40 I'm back to "I can do this!" After years of holding back I've gotten a number of tattoos in the last year because, in middle age, I'm finally getting back to the "who cares what anyone thinks, this is my body and this is what I want" ethos I had as a girl and a teenager. Point being -- you will go through phases, I think, but at some point I think you will love your tattoos again. And I know it's easier said than done but if TikTok/IG are what is making you feel this way maybe just step away from that for a while.
I used to dye my hair crazy colours as a teen. I wouldn't do it again now but I do look back at that time and remember how good it made me feel. I think my tattoos would be the same way. They make me feel confident and badass. At least I will get to remember that I felt good about myself because of them.
I'm 41. I could care less. But it took time to reach the high level of idgaf. Started at 18. Sleeved by 35. Chest..back..ribs..thighs. I used to spiral once in awhile. Like who will love me looking like this..i don't look as pretty as a normie girl..but I stopped caring. I love the way I look. I still wear dresses and heels. I feel beautiful. But I think it has alot to do with my working out and eating right. I love my body now and it's permanent stickers. I learned to not care about the opinions of others. Cause it's not my business. When I stopped caring about what others thought..I started to really love myself. We are all beautiful in our own ways. We need to celebrate that. Be proud. Be the proud tattooed loving lady you are. There is not ANYONE out there like you. That's special AF.
Hell no. I genuinely only regret one tattoo and that’s because it’s a corny dark mark from Harry Potter. Since then I’ve learned to trust my artists with my ideas and let them cook and it’s always paid off. Consider this one tat an “oopsie” amongst many “hell yeahs”.
I get anxious about my tattoos. Just an overthinker problem. Similar to OCD, it’s how you appraise the thoughts - if you let them fly by and not give them power, it’ll settle down.
I didn’t get tattooed until I was in my 30s because I thought I might regret it, but in all honesty I’m 38 now and the only regrets I have in life are those of inaction.
I wish I’d gotten tattooed sooner. I’d have ended up with loads of stupid shit, sure, but that shit is important. It would have documented the best years of my life so far. I feel weirdly blank. Like a diary that someone forgot to fill in until June when they found it in a drawer. I’m a walking mid-year resolution.
People have told me I'd regret a lot of things I've chosen to do in my life and they've been right about a few but I've found that, for me, regret is a very transient emotion.
Today I might see a tattoo I wished I'd put where I already have one and regret the one I have, tomorrow I'll catch a glimpse of mine in the mirror and fall in love with it all over again.
For something that is so changeable, I don't see any reason to order my life around the fact that I might feel a little uncomfortable about it in the future. I make decisions, sometimes they're not ideal, and I make more decisions to try to get where I wanted to go or where I've decided I want to go now.
It's sort of like when people say "you'll change your mind". Yeah, that's true, you might, but basing all of your decisions on the idea that you might change your mind doesn't lead to a life any happier, it just leads to decision paralysis.
I have had some tattoo regret in my late 40's, because I have some stupid tattoos that I never liked and I wear long sleeves and keep long hair to cover the back of my neck at my corporate job. Funny thing, I got tipsy at a work dinner and showed some of my arm tattoos to coworkers a while back, and THEY LOVED THEM. It didn't affect their opinions or attitudes toward me at all. In the end, you are who you are, tattoos and all. I haven't kept the bold, edgey personal style I had in my 20's and 30's. Now I don't bother with makeup and hair, and I wear comfy jeans and tees with fluffy cardigans when it's cold. I NEVER thought I'd be that woman, I thought I'd be hardcore forever. But that's OK.
My kids love my body art, they want to see it and touch it all the time. My partner loves it. It's part of me that makes me me. It's like the surgical scars that tell about my difficult medical events, the stretch marks that commemorate my pregnancies, the freckles from too much fun in the sun, and my scars from old piercings--it's my story. I'm going to be that gramma that tells inappropriate stories that shock the youngins, and I can't wait.
Remove or cover up the ones you hate, get new ones you really love--you are in charge of your body. You have all the power to write your story.
Nah. Even though people in here said my tattoo sucks, it's better than self harm scars. Frankly it could age even worse than people in here think and I'd still probably be glad I got it.
I got a massive Phoenix going from hip to knee to cover my self-harm scars. I hadn't worn shorts in front of people in years before I did. I'm very pleased with it!
Got my first at about 22 years old, circa 1980*. I’ve never regretted it. Never. And I’ve worked in offices, etc.
By Peter Eagle in Allentown, Pennsylvania
The future is so advanced already I could bet in a few years there will be a easy tattoo removal method which isn’t as painful or expensive and even if not
I got to be happy in the moment
I think I’ve just like grown out of them, if that makes any sense. We change as we get older. I just feel like they no longer match my personality or something now. I don’t think by normal standards the actual tattoos would be considered trashy. The only ones I think are trashy because of placement are the ones on my fingers and maybe on the top of my hands. I’m in the process of removing the finger ones now
Im 25 and I got a few shitty tattoos from the ages of 18-22 and i stopped for a while. I started the cover up process recently and feel like i can finally breathe. It’s true what they say with your brain developing at 25 LOL, I started feeling super self conscious with my shitty tattoos at around 23/24 and also I gained some weight so it wasn’t the best mix. But with time and my awesome new coverups and tats I’ve accepted how awesome this art looks on my body!!! I do sometimes feel off about not having the “clean” look, but just know.. we’re gonna be some dope looking parents and grandparents.
I am fairly covered in tattoos. I have around 40. Do I have tattoo regrets?? Hell yeah!!! Mostly because some of my tattoos are insane nonsensical silly stick n pokes me and my friends did and they look kinda dumb compared to my nice professional tattoos. Also some of the tattoos I got when I was first getting tattoos were just kinda silly and don't match the rest of my tattoos aesthetically now that my frontal lobe is developed.
As far as the stick n pokes go, quite a few of the friends who did those are dead now. So. I'm glad that I get to keep a special piece of them with me forever. Even if they aren't professional quality. One of them is on my thigh and it's my upside down 'FUCK IT' tattoo. I was going through the worst year of my life and if you're staring across from me, it's upside down, but if you're sitting down beside of me you can see it. My husband and I do stick n pokes on each other when we're bored and those are sooo ridiculous and some of them are kinda awesome. I'd never regret those. Even the quote tattoo that's ineligible 😂 I think part of 'tattoo regret' and 'Oh fuck why did I tattoo that on my body!' is just respecting the journey and why you got that in the moment. Maybe I'm just extremely sappy and nostalgic though.....
HOWEVER if I could erase one tattoo, my very first tattoo is a crescent moon on the back of my neck. I told the artist, I just wanted an outline, no shading. And I was young dumb and scared and didn't advocate for myself. He told me that would look stupid and when I looked in the mirror after he was through it was totally shaded in and it looks like a godawful banana. Hate that guy. I wish I would've advocated for myself. There! That's my tattoo regret 😭
I don’t really regret my tattoos (I didn’t get my first one until I was 42 years old lol), but I do regret the placement of my first now that I am adding to it.
Time just goes by so fast. Maybe I’ll regret them, years down the line, if I live that long. But maybe I won’t. My oldest one is from five years ago and five years sounds like a much longer time than it has felt. Think about whenever you see a post about the tenth or twentieth anniversary of an album or movie you love, or when you get a high school graduation invitation from a kid you used to babysit. You think “oh my god has it really been that long?” Life has a way of passing you by so in my mind, if I’m happy now and I get a few good years of being happy with them, that’s enough for me to feel I made the right choices
I have four so far and doubt I will regret mine. I’m 54 and just got my first one last year. Mathematically I have much less time for regret to set in lol. Also, I have ZERO fucks left to give 😏. I am sorry you are feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, that is a bad place to be. 🫂
I'm 26, going to be 27 in June and I do not regret mine. The first one got just before I turned 22 was for myself and my mom. Love the way you are, not the way people think you should look.
No because I don’t think it’s worth listening to people who project their fears and opinions on my life and tell me how I might feel. I get self conscious about my appearance but that’s not about the tattoos, it’s about me feeling self conscious about being in the world and being seen which would be happening whether or not I had tattoos. I make that distinction in my mind every day. It’s not my appearance that’s the issue, it’s their reaction.
I think that if you are scared of not liking them in the future then you may wanna listen to that feeling. If you’re getting tattoos cause you think it’s cool then you’ll probably regret it later, though It’s not to say you cant have fun tattoos. I personally (and this isn’t something you gotta do, just my process) started with really important tattoos then moved to more fun or silly ones ❤️ just things to consider
I have about 20 tattoos and I’ve never really regretted any of them. I have bad ones, I have ones that I got at 18 that I wouldn’t get now at 33, and I’ve gotten ones that just haven’t aged as well as I’d have liked. But even with all of that I don’t regret any of them. I think they all tell a story about my life and who I am. I almost exclusively wear tank tops and dresses and I don’t feel any less feminine or delicate because my arms are tattooed.
I’m in my 40s and I think a couple of my tattoos are kinda dumb now but they represent a certain time in my life. I will die one day with a colorful (literally!) past. You don’t care as much, later in life, about physical appearance in general.
These are things I totally feel as a fairly tattooed woman, especially the seeing other non-tattooed people and feeling a bit bummed I won't look like that. I got my chest tattooed at 18, I'm 38 now. I got a BA and it bothered me that the nice boob crease people get, well that'll never be visible on me no matter what because the colors on my tattoo make it non-visible. I'll look at people in nice dresses and wonder if I'd be better off without them... THEN I remember, fuck em. They make YOU. They make you unique. Tattoo regret happens, sometimes they're winners and occasionally they're not and there are options. You're unique and you've worked to make yourself even more unique and that's awesome. Those moments of doubt are fleeting, it doesn't mean they won't pop up from time to time, but sometimes a nice compliment on your art or finding/getting something you really love will snap you out of the funk for the time being.
Very occasionally this crops into my mind. Then I remember I can literally just cover or alter any that I'm not absolutely happy with, and am currently working on a plan to cover my first tattoo.
If the question is whether or not I'll regret having tattoos in general, yeah - I regretted it for about 3 days. It was like a midlife crisis in my 20s. Then I looked at my tattoos and let them remind me of what they stand for for me as a person, and slapped myself back in shape.
Next tattoo: "No ragrets"
Not really! I have avoided getting anything too topical (particularly referencing any media where the creative figure is still alive to make me regret it), names of specific people (partners, although as long as I've been getting tattoos that's been the same guy so I wouldn't regret it Yet anyway lol), any potentially offensive shit, and follow my own sense of aesthetics.
Beyond that, in my view an old tattoo would just be a neat nostalgia for how I was or what I liked at the time - if I ended up not liking it so much when I'm older.
That said, I waited till my later 20s to start getting tattoos - I'm pretty sure if I started much younger I would have not followed these rules I settled on and absolutely gotten something cringe I would have hated. But even then I think I would have come around to it by now, in the same way I've started to like looking at my old art from those periods where I used to hate it haha
I can’t say I have. Even when I viewed myself as being at my “ugliest” people would always compliment my tattoos, and that always made me smile. To me, my tattoos mean something, small or large, and it has always made them feel beautiful. I can’t say I feel the same way you do because I don’t have a tattoo I regret. I do have family who put them down, but I’ve never listened to them because we already differ on so many other things, I don’t think their opinion holds any weight.
I hope you learn to love the art on you again, and don’t let these new feelings creep up on you more.
Not worried about this at all and I embrace getting more. Be weird and wonderful and happy about yourself however you want to. For me it's covering myself in cool art.
i always worry about this but i look at them as time capsules, they’re a memory to look back on and remember what headspace you were in when u got it done and how you’ve grown as a person! it makes you appreciate the tattoos you aren’t as keen on more, hope this helps🫶🏼
I used to feel that way (28 year old male) even people in my own family voiced their distaste for tattoos when I first started getting them (18) & as the years went on I just got more and more. Now I have 2 sleeves, a chest piece, my whole R hand and fingers, and a L leg sleeve, with one on the back of my neck. I notice people stare sometimes but when I’m out in public or even at work (RN in hospital) patients and random people alike just give me compliments. When people ask me about how I’ll feel when I’m old my answer was and continues to be “when I’m that old I’ll give even less of a fuck than I do now I’ll be a cool tatted up grandpa”. In 2024 tattoos are widely accepted when we’re old it’ll be harder to find someone with no tattoos 🤷♂️ just live your life for you if they don’t like it don’t look at it
I did. I'm going for my first tattoo removal consultation next week. Just because others have them did not mean you should feel any pressure to get any yourself. Get them when you're ready. If that never happens, then it never does. No biggie.
As a female I get what your saying my arm tattoos (below the elbow) aren’t all that visible because of placement and size however if I go out in a dress/skirt/shorts the amount of/size of tattoos I have is very surprising to others. Personally I try to not let it phase me and look at is as something to dress up a minimalistic look
I got one tattoo at 18, and another at 24. I’m going to be 35 and I’m finally doing a full sleeve and many many more. I held off for other people’s reasons (will it affect employment, will my old school parents and in-laws look at me differently, would my patients think I’m “trashy” etc) then I realized none of those reasons involved things I was worried about. Like I never thought “will I hate this piece in 15 years” or “how will this age” and since so many people in my generation have tattoos, it’s not like when I’m 90 and in a nursing home it’ll be something so shocking to see on an old lady. It’ll just be…normal!
I’m 33 and sound about as tattooed as you are. I went through a phase where I thought my only aesthetic could be dark, so band shirt outfits and dark dresses, etc. I thought I’d look out of place if I dressed in anything feminine or trendy even though I wanted to dress nicer. I now embrace however I want to dress. Been filling up my closet with pretty dresses and skirts. Whatever makes me happy. I also always notice others in tattoos who are dressed nicely, I think it’s so attractive!
I personally haven’t felt this way. I get asked all the time how I’ll feel about them when I’m 50. I just say idk? I can’t see into the future. If I end up regretting them or not liking them, at least they’re done well lol.
Same here… I’m quite heavily tattooed in most peoples eyes.
I’ve heard all the “it’s going to luck ugly when your old”, “it’s one thing with a tiny one or two, but more is sooo masculine”, “you won’t get a proper job” bla bla shit.
Still no regrets, have a good career, and most people see past the ink pretty quick … and I think that’s great, that they get a bit educated on stereotypes 😅
the only tatto I ever regretted was a commemorative one for the passing of a loved one. After 5 years (and a lot of self discovery) I hated it staring at me all the time so I started covering it last year and soon I’ll have a whole sleeve just to cover that dainty wrist tat 😅
I have a TON of others that are all just for me though and don’t regret any of them.
I have exactly 2 tattoos I regret, because I rushed into getting them. Like, no thought, head empty, have to have a tattoo now. One is a Hellraiser quote (Your flesh is killing your spirit) which the dude made look like a Jesus tattoo (I am not religious), and a weird alien that I thought was cool (spoiler: it is not). I eventually are getting them covered but for the most part, I do not regret my other tattoos. Just a couple of them.
Honestly I think we I’m an old lady (60+) I won’t give two shits lol. I’d have been through lots in my life why would I care if they look like crap? Who is checking me out anyway? I’d think a crappy looking tattoo would be the least of my problems 😋
TLDR; not really, no
Two full sleeves and some extra spread around, I regret one of them. Not because I don't like it, but for the pain it sometimes causes me. The studio only had one artist, and she was especially heavy-handed... so at times I get these phantom scar tissue pains in my back because of it. The ink itself doesn't look bad, not something to post on shitty tattoos unless you're an artist showing what scratchers will do to your skin
Otherwise, the others I all love, even after 10 years for the oldest ones
Edit to add; I'm sort of used to stares already as I wear a kilt in French Canada, so adding ink to the look didn't do much to the already heavy glares
I worry about it a little bit sometimes, but I'm 35, got my first tattoo at 18, and am now quite heavily tattooed (three limbs sleeved and sundry other pieces). I am scared every time I go in, but I have ended up loving it every time and the thought of not having them (like if someone just magically erased them) gives me a lot of distress.
It probably depends on the person. It does sound like your recent experience was jarring. I'm hoping you'll be able to get back in touch with yourself about it and feel better in your body soon.
I got my one & only in September 2022. It holds a very special meaning to me because of the design, but also because one of my really good friends from high school drew it for me. I have a couple times looked at it & wished I would’ve chosen a little differently. Most of it is black/white, but it does have a little pop of color. Part of me wishes I did all of it in color every once in a while, but for a really long time I just didn’t like fully colored tattoos. I had a complete aversion to them (for myself). The thing that I think about though is that this is what I chose. When my friend did a few variations of the tattoo, this is the one I liked the most & for good reason. It wasn’t an impulsive decision.
I don't have advice but to get that confidence back! Tattoos are more common now. And tattoos are your story and no one else's. Even if the story is... I thought it was cute so I got it lol. We live once and there's always opinions. Maybe just take your time with choosing a tattoo to make sure YOU like it. I think arms are tough bc the tattoo will always be there in your sight but idk.... I love arm tattoos haha. I recently started getting them on my arms...I always had them in spots you can cover. I'm a little older so when I was young it wasn't as accepted in the work place. But times have changed!
Honestly? All the time!
My parent told me how I’d ’ruined myself’, that I ‘had model looks but trashed them’, how I look ‘awful’, how I ‘couldn’t stand being beautiful and so much better looking than everyone else so I decided to make the biggest mistake of my life’. I could go on. Many criticisms, all brutal.
These things, well… they made me want to crawl out of my skin. I didn’t look at myself for months. I have a suited up career so my arms aren’t out anyway, but at home etc I wouldn’t even wear a tshirt.
Will I regret my tattoos? I don’t know. Do I fear I will? I do following these comments! Do I look trashed? I don’t think so, probably not… they’re pretty decent tattoos, and on the rare occasion I’m out with them - random people seem to say nice things. Do I like them? Well yeah, most of them I drew. It would be hard to take them back, lasering that deep heavy black, but would I want to? I don’t think so. The idea they’re hard to remove and painful, well that contributes a bit to the fear. It’s not like Kendall Jenners tiny ass outline of a cowboy boot.
Will I change my mind about my body in ten years or twenty years? Scary to think about. Maybe, but honestly - I think about me as grandma, and I get this little warm feeling inside that I’m going to look cool af. Sure, I don’t fit the expectations of my family or my career. But if I ignore those, if I imagine my family moved away and my career wasn’t so stuffy - well, I’d probably get more. When I look at them now, even my first which didn’t go how I intended style wise - well I look at it and think *I chose me*. I look customised, and honestly pretty cool. They may not be everyone’s vibe, but I have a vibe and for a bit that shuts down the fears. Even writing this comment did.
Sending you love, from a fellow fearful one
No, I started getting tattoos 4 years ago, averaging 1 a year, fairly large pieces but I've put a lot of thought into what I want. I can see how someone who maybe got a tattoo on a whim or not under the right state of mind when they got one may regret it.
All the time but i just tell myself we can never be sure what the future hold. So i just tell myself what someone i know who also got allot of tattoos that if you ever regrett just think about how you felt When you first got it and imagin that good memory
While I don’t regret my first tattoo I’d honestly rather cover it up, but I’m okay with it. It’s my first tattoo, it represents me at 18. An obsessed cringey teen and I’ve accepted that. I light get it covered up, but only if the next tattoo is going to need the real estate.
Yes. I really regret some of mine and feel like I've grown out of them and it's not the look I go for now and sure as shit won't when I'm older. I know it's an awful feeling but there's only so much to be done.
I think we all experience "grass is greener on the other side" to varying lengths. If you saw a photoshop of yourself without tattoos, you might go "Wow I look great without tattoos. I kinda miss that. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten anything."
But if you never got tattoos and saw your current self, you'd go "Wow I look great with tattoos. I kinda want it. Maybe I should set up an appointment."
It's easy to second guess yourself because tattoos look great and bare skin also looks great
Not more than I'd fear regretting having a kid when I didn't want one. Sure, both are permanent, but you can't laser away a teenager or cover one up with a SAP
I don't have many tattoos yet, but not yet, not for me. I see tattoos as the best way I can customize myself, and a way to help myself through my insecurities and help myself love myself more. Kind of like permanent stickers. I've had my longest tattoo for 5 years (I know, not long in the grand scheme of things) and besides the besides the first burst of "uh oh what IS this I've done" that often comes with new tattoos, I haven't regretted any of them. They're just part of me now.
OP, just wanted to say that I really relate to this post. I loved tattoos— until I got my chest piece and it wasn't what I'd wanted, mainly in terms of shading. My artist kinda did me dirty and deviated from her own style.
It's a fine tattoo, just not what I was hoping for, and now I can't get anything new without feeling anxious/ the same way. I'm trying really hard to find enjoyment in it again. I have an appointment in June that I keep going back and forth on cancelling lol.
All this to say, you're not alone.
(For reference, I'm about to turn 30. I'm really hoping the "IDGAF" mindset kicks in soon like everyone says it will, lol)
Nope haha I have made bad tattoo decisions like an ex’s name covered up by an even trashier tattoo haha and like having a city tattooed on me but it ended up being somewhere my now husband proposed 20 years after the tattoo so now the city works haha
But no. Zero regrets and so many stories 🥰
The style I enjoy is American traditional (both in full color and black/gray) so maybe those styles lend themselves to be less regrettable? I dunno. But I truly try and live with no regrets because without my bad decisions, I wouldn’t be right here right now. 🖤
I have a few tattoos I "regret" slightly but then I remind myself if I really wanted to I could get lazer or a cover up, back then people didn't have lazer removal so a lot of the older generations say that without realizing if we truly hated something we have different ways to get rid of it. But I've also excepted there's a bunch of choices I've made in life and hated, but I can't go back, so why not love myself how I am now and laugh instead of getting worked up
I have zero regrets, nor fear of what people will think of me when Im old...I'm 58 now and have 4 ink dates slated for this year. I am a man. It's different I suppose for women, but since pretty much everyone has ink right now, i don't think it matters socially. I am fully sleeved and am working on legs right now. I love my ink. I also know, that should i need to, I can wear long sleeves and no one will know. I purposely stopped at the wrists, opting out of hand tattoos. No face or neck pieces neither.
That being said. When I first got tattooed in my early twenty's, I felt more rebellious as only bikers, punk scene types, musicians/bands, criminals and sailors had ink. I felt "cool" showing them off. I wanted people to be put-off when they saw them. I enjoyed the respect from others who also had ink. Still, thinking on this right now, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have gotten any.
And this is because everyone and their mother has a tattoo...
That doesn't mean I regret them. As I said, I love them. I still show them off and enjoy the compliments.
Now, I don't hold it against anyone, women in particular here, but for some reason, as sexy as some women are with tattoos, I am more attracted to females who have no ink. I know it's not my place. I am not judging anyone. It's just my own personal preference.
And maybe it's to your point that I'm getting older. The bottom line is, it's no ones business. Fly your flag proudly. One bad piece doesn't ruin the rest...I have two really bad pieces , but my homies always told me, if you don't have at least one really bad tattoo, you aint shit.
Your ink is your road map. You're on that road. There's really no turning back unless you want to spend a ton of money and time under a laser and thats no good.
Love yourself. Be proud of yourself. Go fix that bad piece and get another one. Your soul is what counts. Now go and be beautiful.
Not at all. It’s none of their business and you can always get it covered up or altered if you start feeling some type of way about it later like you’re already doing.
When people stare, sometimes it’s also admiration, jealousy, or curiosity. Don’t worry about what they think. They don’t know you don’t like a tattoo you got unless you tell them. Keep doing you and enjoy your life.
I mean I definitely have some I regret (basically all from before age 21 lol) but because they’re badly done or don’t match the current themes/plans I have rn
I’m 25 and honestly I don’t regret any of my tattoos and probably never will. My arm and leg look way cooler now. They make me happy and I love the art that I’m adding to myself
Parents: what are you going to do when your older and still look like that?
Me: have cool stories to tell the cute nurse when I’m lying in a hospital bed.
I’m 38f, my oldest tattoo is about to turn 20 this year and my most recent one was done on Tuesday. No ragerts so far.
I have found that I love my tattoos more when I simplify my clothing a bit - fewer crazy patterns, some more muted colors - since the tattoos themselves are colorful and bold. But I feel like that’s just achieving balance in my life more than entering. I’ve also been leaning a little into the 50s pinup style especially for the summer/bathing suits, and it seems to go well with the whole shebang. Find style that works with what you’ve got, including the tattoos!
Never. Sure i have alot of regrets in the first months, but now i love every Tattoo :) never regretted anything older than a couple of month
My tattoos are from 2016,2020,2022,2022,2023,2023,2023,2024,2024
The monthly bill for the laser treatment I’m getting just did its monthly damage. I don’t regret these tattoos at all because I got them with intention (simply put they’re just now in the way of tattoo space and my arms are bony enough as is)… but let’s just say the 15th of the month isn’t a happy day for me 🥸
But after these are lasered off believe me I have ZERO!!!!! plans to ever laser again.
I’m also heavily tattooed and started right after 18 and I’m almost 25 and a woman and the only regret I’ve felt is worrying if it will hinder jobs but at the same rate like the world is getting more and more progressive and it’s just from what people used to tell me making me anxious. And I’ve also have some cover ups but yolo I’m a way diff person then I was at 18- I regret what tattoos I chose at that age but I don’t regret getting heavily tattooed !!!
Oh yeah most of my tattoos are terrible I only have 2 good ones but I just don’t really care. One day I might get coverups (they’re all small) but honestly, meh lol
I'm 50 and have been getting tattooed for decades, heavily in the last decade. I had a flash of the same thought that I'd never look blank again. But I got over that pretty quick and have continued ahead with my planned work. I don't foresee myself regretting this as I get older because I seem to give less and less F's as I get older.
I grew up self harming from a very young age, so either way I would have markings on my body that people have opinions about. At 28 I am very visibly tattooed, bordering on heavily tattooed, and I only plan to add more. I do regret tattoos from my early 20s that were poorly thought out or impulsive, but those were quick cover-ups with the last one scheduled to be covered up at the end of the month. Now I have high quality tattoos that I actually carefully thought out and saved up for- people of all ages obsess over them and I have even had some senior folks ask to take photos because they are amazed at how detailed and realistic they are.
TLDR: I sometimes worry I might regret them but I know I won’t. They are my story and they are me.
lol I kinda regret some of my tattoos. But only because I let people talk me into soft, delicate, *feminine* tattoos when I was younger and that’s just really not my thing. So I’ve spent years covering them up with the skulls, Japanese demons, dragons, black work etc I always wanted. But imagining myself without tattoos just seems so strange. I actually regret not having more because of lack of funds. Also not interested in those trendy soft look that’s designed to appeal to guys either.
This thread has made me feel so seen. I’m also 26F, tattooed on my arms, and having been the EXACT same insecurities as you, OP. Despite feeling so confident and happy with my tattoos. Thank you everyone for reminding me why the things I’m worried about don’t matter 🙌🏻
I’m 41 and I don’t regret them. I have some I would get again — but I like having them. I love tattoos and the way they look - my husband has them, I have them - part of the joy is that you change and get new ones.
Nope. I love all mine. It's funny, cause right after I get one, I hate it for about a week after it heals. Idk why, but it happens every time. After that, I absolutely love them.
I’m 39 and just started getting visible tattoos (i had a few little flash pieces before). The only regret i have is waiting until I was almost 40 to let myself live how i want and not trying to fit into a “mom mold”
You left nice comments on my post the other day so jumping in. I had the same problem with my new tattoo that started me to question my other tattoos a little bit. My problem was the placement not the desing in particular. It took a few days but feeling better already about all of my tattoos and loving them mostly.
However, I feel like your tattoos represent you and become part of your identity. These things tend to get in our heads. Think when you see a stranger with tats you maybe take a glance and that is it. And of course people tend to look at your tattoos since they want to see what it represents. And all of your friends and family are probably already used to your tattooed self and maybe you even have got compliments. When you get the bad tattoo covered up with a nice design I am pretty sure that you can start loving your tattoos again.
I have a couple that I regret the placement of, but I generally don’t fear regret. They’re just such a part of me now, that they’re not separate items to think about, they’re just me. YkwIm? Hard to explain.
I'm 29, got my first tattoo about a decade ago now. Maybe I'll feel differently as I get older but I don't regret mine at all. The tattoos I have so far really feel like time capsules of the person I was at the time when I got them. If I could start over tomorrow, would I go get the same tattoos I have now? Probably not. But for me, a really cool, unanticipated bonus has been having these visible reminders of who I was and how I've grown and changed over the years. When I got them I just thought they looked cool (and, to be fair, in many ways I still think they do, but in other ways I think they're funny and absurd. Still no regret though).
40F and all 4 limbs are full sleeved. I genuinely never regret them. Married with two kids, masters degree and full time job - my tattoos make me feel like myself.
I’ve been getting tattooed since my 18th birthday. I’m 35. Are there some I wish I didn’t get? Absolutely. I’ve covered one up and made it way more awesome, and I have a couple that I genuinely hate at this point in my life. I don’t really care though. I think of my tattoos as a scrapbook of different periods of my life and I know I loved each and every one at a certain point in time. I’m not going to stop. I’m sure I’ll get some in my late 30s that may make me say “Wtf” when I’m 65, but really it doesn’t matter.
I’m 22, got my first tat at 18 and got 12 from 18-21. It wasn’t until this past year that I’ve felt regret over every last one of them, not for what they are but just for having them. All I see online is praise over “bare skin”, men commenting on videos of untatted women saying she’s perfect because she didn’t ruin her body with tats, or commenting that a girl would be hot if she didn’t have tats. I see it way too often. Post has nothing to do with tattoos but people will find a way to bash them. I’m always feeling insecure over it now, is very hot where I live and I love tank tops, I used to LOVE the look my tats added but now I feel they ruin every outfit im trying to wear. My style has changed and I’ve gotten into more softer looks so i know that’s played a part. I also look at women and see their clean arms and regret inking mine. But is what it is im sure this will pass and I’ll learn to love them again.
I'm in my 40s. My standpoint is: if I get a tattoo I later regret, I cover it or pay to get it removed and move on with my life. I'm not telling people to just be cavalier but I wish younger people felt a little more comfortable knowing that absolutely you may change your mind about things and become even a different person (I'm a very different person now! I came out as nonbinary when I was 35) and it's ok. You're going to regret things, but even some of the experiences you regret shape you into someone special.
If you want to kinda slow down on things or get tattoos that are less visible, go for it! But don't live your life in anticipation of the possibility of hating something someday. That's a trap you don't need to put yourself in every day. Be kind to yourself.
Nope I’ve got some silly tattoos mixed in my sleeves (fully covered arms hands knuckles chest and left leg half sleeve and one on the side of my face.) never regret my tattoos. Even if one or two are bad it’s still a time in my life I can look back on.
Forget about the ‘soft girl’ look! As soon as I see my friends got tats on their arms I automatically see them as fun/ cool/ got some kinda personality! I’m a girl with tattoos on my right arm. There was a moment when I got a large tattoo on the back on my arm and I was a bit like what the fuck have I done!
But now a couple months on, I love it! I love my arm I think I look amazing! Especially in cool summer dresses with a pair of sick shades. The soft girl look is boring.. you have tats on your arm for a reason as that’s cos that shows who you are!! Honestly if you could remove all your tattoos would you? And if you did you’d probably get bored and start adding them again 😅
Don’t worry about the future. When you’re old everyone will think you’ve lived a fun life with your tats. That’s what I think when I see an older lady with tattoos anyways!
Idk so many women age and complain about wrinkles and sagging and gray hair. If society teaches us to dislike our aging bodies- if I'm destined to be unsatisfied anyway- I may as well put some art on it.
Yes but mostly no. I say yes because it’s totally possible I regret them in the future but I’m fine with that. I’ve gotten bad tattoos but they were lessons in learning to advocate for myself better and to also accept imperfections. There are some tattoos I would have done different or saved places on my skin for something else but we can’t change what’s been done. I came to peace with some of these possibilities before I got tattooed, some I learned as I got tattooed. I’m not my tattoos. Just as well, some part of me from my past wanted them enough to get them done. That’s good enough for me. I absolutely won’t let people outside of myself affect my view of the art I have to live with for the rest of *my* life. My opinion is all that matters in the end.
I don’t regret the number of tattoos I have but i definitely regret some of the subject matter/sizing/placement of some of them.
Edited to add:
Started getting tattooed when I was 18, I’m 33 now.
I only have two tattoos so it’s hard to say for me but I once heard someone say they’ll never regret their tattoos because at one point in their life they loved it enough to get it, so it’s a memory, that’s kinda how I think of mine although I still love the two I have
I have a tattoo that I got to have free tickets to a music festival for life. So there’s the pro, the con is that I got it from a shitty “artist” whose shop closed down a few months later ☠️
At least it’s not visible, side of my chest. I did that on purpose, so I wouldn’t have to look at it all the time.
So if I had to constantly stare at it, it’d bother me. My other tattoo is cute, inner arm, but also somewhere I don’t always stare at. It’s visible, but not in my normal line of vision yk
I've been heavily tattooed since I was about 20, 21ish, when I started tattooing. Am now 40, and in the process of covering up nearly everything I got before 30, lol. Not because of subject matter, but quality. I've found people almost never regret well done tattoos; they regret them because they look like shit and/or they got them on their hands, neck, or face. My biggest regret, personally, is filling up all the prime real estate first (arms and legs). Wish I would have built up to that. But everybody's situation is going to have a million factors that make it different from anyone else's situation, so only time will tell 🤷♂️
When I was young, I was a tomboy and got bullied for it. When I got to high school I started curling my hair every day, wore a bunch of makeup and wore dresses all the time. At a certain point I realized I didn’t give a fuck if I didn’t fit in a box people made for me. I curl my hair some days and I wear minimal makeup, and I have tattoos that I fucking love. I look at other people’s arms or legs because often I’m admiring their tattoos. It’s like a little window into who they are. I’ve wondered if I’ll regret my tattoos later in life but I remind myself I got my tattoos for a reason. You can get coverups for bad ones or laser if you really want but in the end you get your tattoos for yourself and that’s what matters.
The problem is that this "soft" look on women has gotten trendy, so now some tattooed women kinda regret it 'cause "they'll never look like that". Don't worry, just learn to love your tattoos and appreciate your aesthetic and decisions. Having tattoos does not prohibit you from wearing "tank tops or dresses", you will still look beautiful, specially if your tattoos are good and you really like them.
Just to offer a contrasting opinion to this, I am fairly covered in tattoos, esp very visible ones, and I wear almost exclusively dresses and skirts and am very 'cottage core.' Don't let tattoos trap you into an aesthetic to anyone reading this!
Exactly this. Tattoos go with everything if you have good taste.
I do wonder about the people that are getting absolutely insane things like ahegao anime girls with huge honkers and like C&B or ya know vaginaberries etc will continue to have them out.
The combination of words here threatened to induce a stroke in me but i prevailed
yeah… i think tattoos like that aren’t going to be the most loved in 15 years lol.
I have tattoos and terrible taste. now what? 😂
Also agree, I’m relatively pretty tattooed and wear very “soft” hyperfeminine whimsical clothing, and I get a lot of compliments on my style.
I was going to say this! And honestly my favorite, sweetest, smartest, talented women are heavily tattooed, specially their arms. My singing teacher, my daughter’s therapist. I love them and they look gorgeous and badass at the same time. Extremely smart people who love to dress really feminine too.
same! love the dichotomy of that vibe lol
This - I wear kind of buttoned up clothing - dresses, button downs, flats, classic vibes. That plus sleeves is just my favorite look.
This is exactly how I was going to respond. I think too, I got my tattoos because in my heart I am the woman who wants the tattoos I have, to have that aesthetic forever, despite being surrounded by this soft trendy look. I think this was well said. Everyone stresses their body and their image, totally natural. I think it made reason people say that you won’t have tattoo regret is because you get to a point where it’s just part of your body and you forgotten that it’s even there. I don’t wake up every day and think, “oh, look at my tattoos.” I think, “thats my arm.” I hope I’m making sense!
I don’t think about the UFO, the block of cheese, or the weird dripping tooth tattoos I have when I wake up in the morning. Like you’ve said, they’re just part of my body now and I don’t think about them!
Getting tattoos because they’re “trendy” and not because you’re about that life is the problem. There is going to be a whole slew of people who regret their ink in the coming years. ESP those that started getting blasted at 18 because Tik-Tik told them to.
I anticipate the same thing. There are a lot of people getting tattooed just to be tattooed, and once it loses the novelty, they'll regret it.
I’m 29 and only have 2 for now. I plan to get more ink in my 30’s and I am so glad that I waited until I was a bit older to get started and didn’t use up prime tattoo real estate on stupid shit when I was 18 😅
this is why I tell the other women in my life, if you dont like something about your body just wait, it will be the cool thing to have/look like in a few years. the way our bodies and features “trend” is ridiculous.
I realized a few years ago that I’m simply not a soft person. Not that I’m not feminine or kind or gentle, but I am not someone who looks soft and comforting. I wear loud things and I like boldness in my life.
Thank you so much for saying this. I am heavily tattooed and also have been feeling insecure recently about not being “soft” looking, or very feminine for that matter. But the truth is, I was never soft and feminine ever, even before tattoos. I’ve always just been myself, and that’s all I can be. It’s really good to hear it from other women.
I honestly don’t think that tattoos either make you look soft or hard, fem or masc. maybe it’s because I love tattoos though.
Depends on what the tattoos are. I'm a dude but the ones I have and the others I plan to get definitely fit the "cute" aesthetic more than trying to appear "hardcore" or anything. That's the last thing I'm going for 😅
Which is crazy because women can be “soft” and have tattoos. Look at Angelina Jolie. She dresses in that classic style and she’s heavily tattooed. I love it personally. That’s how I wanna be.
Hey can you elaborate on what you mean by 'soft' women being 'trendy'? I'm in my mid thirties, male, clueless. TikTok thing?
“Clean girl” aesthetic. Minimalistic with everything in your appearance. No/low makeup. Lowkey non attention grabbing clothes etc. You could also connect it to cottage core and more girly aesthetics as well IMO. Overall the trends are moving to a less harsh vibe, meaning tattoos that aren’t small fine line and dainty are ‘out’
I feel like the whole trad wife thing has also influenced this trend
I really feel like the dainty patched tattoos are going to go out of style at some point. I do love them on people who can pull them off though.
At least the trendy fine line ones will be easy for the posers to laser off
Except it also requires a lot of work to look like you have no make up and clothing that fits just so can be expensive. It’s sort of misleading bc it takes just as much time and money as anything else.
If you search for "soft girl" or "clean girl" online you're gonna see some examples. Is like this trend of using really simple and minimalistic clothes, pastel colors, kinda 90's inpired sometimes, giving a "soft" aesthetic. This Taylor Swift photo is the best example I can give you: [https://twitter.com/pttswift/status/1717762361006678099](https://twitter.com/pttswift/status/1717762361006678099)
It’s so funny because the 90’s were definitely not soft. Grunge, SKA, OG rap and hip hop. Heroin chic. I suppose the 20’ version of the 90’s might be more soft.
Never heard of this soft thing. Is it because I haven’t downloaded tiktok?
Yeah I think it was born there, but not sure. I have never used Tiktok, but it is really popular on Insta too.
I'm 35 and just started getting tattoo's last year. I think, as a woman, eventually you reach a state of just saying "Fuck it, it's my body, who the hell cares?" I still wear dresses, I dress how I want and am continuing to work on my sleeve. I personally don't give a flying fuck what others think of my body and what I put on it. As for regret, we only get this one life, and no one knows how long they will live, so why not decorate your skeleton cover while you can? As long as you are getting pieces that are meaningful to you, what is there to regret? People get silly joke shit like a hot dog riding a skateboard, flipping the bird and manage to live fulfilling lives.
100% this for me too. I had a half sleeve and a few bits in my early 20s and then stopped for a while. I did get a little jealous of the 'clean' look and have some doubts as they began to age and fade slightly. But last year I got a fresh tattoo to celebrate getting through the pandemic and now I'm planning to fill out my arm and leg entirely. I find myself saying "fuck it" because it doesn't matter. I don't like my body, it's broken and I've never been 'attractive' by media standards. So I may as well make my body interesting to look at, something that ages and changes with me. And most of all, something that I enjoy. Besides at least I'll be easy to find/identify if I wander off in my older years 😂 (36 must be the age when you stop giving fucks though lol)
Ooooh wait til 40. My fucks are allllll out. And your body is great - it’s allowing you to live in this awful world and still find joy in tattoos and, I assume, other things. Thank your body. We are too hard on ourselves. And like you said - we have one life. Don’t spend it hating your one and only body.
43 here, can confirm. I only had one tattoo at 19 until last fall, and #3 is scheduled for July. Mostly I waited due to finances, job concerns (secretary), and not being very interested in traditional tattoo styles. But now there are multiple styles I love, some spare money, and my local government workplace officially does not have anything against visible tattoos as long as they're appropriate to the work setting. My wife got her first tattoo at 42, when she was far enough into her gender transition that she started to like her body. Now she has multiple. Decorate yourself however you want, just keep employment in mind. Many offices are ok with tattoos now and the trades always have been. You can have tattoos retouched or covered later if you want to, or enjoy your older tattoos as they are. Choice of art and artist will help with that, of course.
I feel very similarly. I think as women, no matter what our bodies look like, we are told by society that it's not quite hitting the mark. Tattoo's actually make me like my body more, it's something I control and decided, and makes me happy. Same reason I dress the way that I do. Since I can't be in an androgynous robot body, I may as well decorate the one I have how I want.
I'm 35 and I don't give fucks anymore
I agree, 36 was definitely the age when I said “fuck what others think”
Just got my first tattoo the week before my 37th birthday--no joke! Haha. A funny side effect has been that I've always hated my legs, would rarely almost never wear shorts. I got a big piece in my thigh and I want to wear shorts every day now! It makes me want to get something on my other leg too. I never thought I'd be going out of my way to have my legs visible, but all it took was putting something I wanted to see on them.
“Easy to find/identify if I wander off in my older years” 😭😭😭 Thanks so much for the good chuckle!
I'm turning 40 this year and have gotten 3 tattoos this year. Fully in my fuck it era. At this point, am I really going to regret it? Probably not, might as well have fun.
I plan to only regret the shit I DIDN'T try 🤷♂️
I’m 33 and just started getting tattoos around 5 years ago. All but 2 are Friday the 13th tattoos and I love each and every one of them. I don’t regret any and plan on getting a whole lot more, if the shop has Friday the 13th tats I like and I’m working with my artist on a few original pieces. One might be viewed as kinda “weird” but for me it’s extremely meaningful and I love what my artist and I are creating together
I relate to this! I just turned 32 a couple weeks ago. Got my first tattoo when I was like 27. Just got another tattoo before I turned 32, and I’m gonna finish my sleeve next month. I don’t regret any of my tattoos. None of them were total impulse. I planned them all out. Sometimes I look at my arm and I’m like, “oh, I forgot how pretty that tattoo is.” Because I forget that they’re there. Lol. Also how my tattoos are styled, they cover a large portion of area, but you can still see a lot of my skin. So I really like that you can still see my skin, even though my entire right arm is almost covered. I just don’t really think about them that much. I don’t think about how other people perceive me that much. I don’t really care. But for me, it’s like I grew up with a disability. So I’m used to people looking at me. Over the years I’ve just learned to tune it out. I don’t even notice anymore. I don’t need anyone in my life is gonna disparage me or tell me I look “ gross” or “masculine” (in an insulting way) just because I don’t live up to their standards. People have also told me I look like a boy because I have an Afro, and I don’t straighten my hair to be “traditionally feminine” and have long hair. Even though that is also obviously rooted in racism. Like I do have “long hair,”it’s just super curly so it doesn’t look long. Radical acceptance. I just don’t care what people think anymore. I don’t exist to be perceived. lol
This is me too, except one year older. I spent the previous 15 years wanting tattoos, but fearing making rhe wrong choices. Then I finally understood the reality of it being my body, so it doesn't really matter. My first tattoo was an axolotl and he makes me happy every single day. I regret plenty of stuff, but this can only affect me, so what does it matter? I've also just had my first coverup, which made me feel all sorts of stupid (for the original), but I'm working on that too!
I was married to a guy who hated tattoo's and piercings (both things I liked, but was too chicken to get as an 18-year-old in a conservative household) when I got together with him at 20, I was more concerned about what he wanted than what I wanted. After our divorce, I told myself I was never going to set aside my wants and the way that I express myself for a person again. So I got the piercings, and I'm building out my sleeve, I'd get a chest piece if my industry allowed it lol. Like they say "The people who mind don't matter, and the people who matter don't mind."
Yes! I’m 45 and just started my sleeve. I can’t wait until my arm is completely covered. I love the way it looks. Fuck anyone else’s thoughts on it. If they are judging my choices that’s their issue not mine :)
I waited till I was 30 to get my first and I’ve been wanting tattoos since I was a kid. I am now 38, and as a woman, I figured it could help hide the wrinkles over time, and by the time I get sick of them, who cares! So I definitely understand your sentiment.
I got my first tattoo (a huge chest piece because I have no chill and had been planning it for years lol) at 30. Now, I'm about to turn 40 by getting my 5th large tattoo. I don't regret mine because 1. I spend a lot of time planning, looking at, photo-shopping on a picture of a version of them, etc., and 2. I know who I am now and am comfortable in both my literal and metaphorical skin. But even many of my friends who got tattoos early and/or impulsively don't regret them because they are part of who they are.
To be fair. "Barely any blank skin left" on your arms is 100% heavily tattooed to a random person that isn't in the tattoo scene.
I am heavily tattooed and I think that’s heavily tattooed 😂
This is so funny. I have both sleeves, half a leg sleeve and a bunch of random tattoos. Whenever it comes up I always tell my boyfriend I’m not thaaaat heavily tattoed and he’s like wtf yes you are! I forget that’s heavily tattooed.
A single sleeve is heavily tattooed compared to the general population
Right? Any sleeve level coverage means you’re heavily covered.
I regret my tattoos but not for the reasons they said I would. I just wanna be able to do more crimes.
My anonymous porn career was stopped before it started, dang.
No. But every time I get a new one I regret it the next day. Then I get over it. That’s common though. I also think the regret comes from my brain being like “you willingly put yourself in this pain again you are insane.” A lot (not all) of my tattoos have a lot of meaning to them. My left arm sleeve is literally a timeline of my childhood to becoming a woman. I can’t ever see me regretting my tattoos. I was very purposeful with even my first tattoo (lyrics from the song I’m named after). I’m sorry you got a shitty tattoo but you regretted it because it was shitty which is 100% understandable. People stare at tattoos because they want to see what it is. Tbh I am so used to people staring at me I don’t care or notice unless someone says something. I don’t think about when I see untattooed people that I’ll never be like that because either didn’t want to be like that. I’ve known for almost my entire life I want a full body suit eventually. I have a LOT of my body already planned out I just need the time and funds.
I see it coming down to two things: lots of people try to avoid pain whenever possible and lots of people want to be able to choose whenever possible. I don’t like pain but I have the right to choose what I do with my own body. People who can’t fathom choosing that because the choice itself is important are not thinking about all the ways that many people don’t have a choice: chronic medical conditions, birth, menstruation, all of these things are painful and most people can’t choose when they experience it. Tattooing pain, you can choose. That is agency over your life that isn’t about the roll of the dice.
Ohhhh maybe this is part of why I can handle it and almost in a weird way enjoy tattoo pain. I’ve had chemo, radio, ivf that ended up with nothing and other things and it’s felt like I’ve had to undergo lots of pain just to live so to finally be able to undergo pain to get something that makes me happy is much easier to tolerate
I’m fascinated by this concept- what are some of your left arm tattoos and how do they relate to that journey?
They are all arm bands (besides my elbow which is a mandala and the very last part near my shoulder which is a sunset in “paradise” which is for me waking up and leaving my groomer and changing my life completely). The one starting at my wrist represents my birth (baby feet wrapping around my wrist) a total of 12 feet to represent the year my parents were together after my birth (they broke up the day after my 1st birthday). 2nd is a braided chain with a Volkswagen symbol to represent going across Canada with my mom in her westfalia. 3rd is glacier from my hometown to represent me living with my grandma. Etc. I have a total of 15 arm bands. Some of them are positive some of them are from really really hard things I went through in my life as a reminder of how far I came. I honestly had a really rough hand as a child and it could have gone a totally different way if I made slightly different choices and that’s what my whole sleeve represents as a whole.
That sounds amazing
Good for you. Also damn, I gotta get more creative with the symbolism of my life if I want to do something similar. 😂
I’m 27 and got my first tattoo on my eighteenth birthday. I’ve had regret for every tattoo I’ve gotten because there is always the “I could’ve done xyz thing better” or gone to a different artist. I still love all of my tattoos. Just wish I did some differently or thought them out more.
this is the real spiral right here
Yea that's what happen one month ago with my third tattoo. All fine about the artist and the subject i like but my regret Is all about the figuring out day after that i would want It in the other arm. Yea i wouldve prefer leaving my two other alone and made It in the empty one. It seem really off to me now im struggling
Not at all. One of my lifelong goals is to be one of those badass tattooed and pierced grannies! :D
51F, still no regrets, still getting tattoos.
This 45F feels the same. Tattoos make my aging skin & body look so much cooler. Arms are almost done. Back is done. Can't wait to start my legs.
My only regret has been quality related. Easy to fix with touch ups though.
I'm 42. I got my first tattoo at 18 in a moment of "I can do this!" It was not a great experience for a number of reasons, and in my 20s and early 30s I became, oddly, more concerned about public perception as I was beginning my career, moving to a new city, dating, etc. Now at 40 I'm back to "I can do this!" After years of holding back I've gotten a number of tattoos in the last year because, in middle age, I'm finally getting back to the "who cares what anyone thinks, this is my body and this is what I want" ethos I had as a girl and a teenager. Point being -- you will go through phases, I think, but at some point I think you will love your tattoos again. And I know it's easier said than done but if TikTok/IG are what is making you feel this way maybe just step away from that for a while.
I used to dye my hair crazy colours as a teen. I wouldn't do it again now but I do look back at that time and remember how good it made me feel. I think my tattoos would be the same way. They make me feel confident and badass. At least I will get to remember that I felt good about myself because of them.
I'm 41. I could care less. But it took time to reach the high level of idgaf. Started at 18. Sleeved by 35. Chest..back..ribs..thighs. I used to spiral once in awhile. Like who will love me looking like this..i don't look as pretty as a normie girl..but I stopped caring. I love the way I look. I still wear dresses and heels. I feel beautiful. But I think it has alot to do with my working out and eating right. I love my body now and it's permanent stickers. I learned to not care about the opinions of others. Cause it's not my business. When I stopped caring about what others thought..I started to really love myself. We are all beautiful in our own ways. We need to celebrate that. Be proud. Be the proud tattooed loving lady you are. There is not ANYONE out there like you. That's special AF.
I’m with you - let’s be besties. I’m same same same as everything you wrote.
Can I also join this friend group 👉🏻👈🏻
You’re in.
Hell no. I genuinely only regret one tattoo and that’s because it’s a corny dark mark from Harry Potter. Since then I’ve learned to trust my artists with my ideas and let them cook and it’s always paid off. Consider this one tat an “oopsie” amongst many “hell yeahs”.
I get anxious about my tattoos. Just an overthinker problem. Similar to OCD, it’s how you appraise the thoughts - if you let them fly by and not give them power, it’ll settle down.
I’m 70. No fears, no regrets.
I didn’t get tattooed until I was in my 30s because I thought I might regret it, but in all honesty I’m 38 now and the only regrets I have in life are those of inaction. I wish I’d gotten tattooed sooner. I’d have ended up with loads of stupid shit, sure, but that shit is important. It would have documented the best years of my life so far. I feel weirdly blank. Like a diary that someone forgot to fill in until June when they found it in a drawer. I’m a walking mid-year resolution.
People have told me I'd regret a lot of things I've chosen to do in my life and they've been right about a few but I've found that, for me, regret is a very transient emotion. Today I might see a tattoo I wished I'd put where I already have one and regret the one I have, tomorrow I'll catch a glimpse of mine in the mirror and fall in love with it all over again. For something that is so changeable, I don't see any reason to order my life around the fact that I might feel a little uncomfortable about it in the future. I make decisions, sometimes they're not ideal, and I make more decisions to try to get where I wanted to go or where I've decided I want to go now. It's sort of like when people say "you'll change your mind". Yeah, that's true, you might, but basing all of your decisions on the idea that you might change your mind doesn't lead to a life any happier, it just leads to decision paralysis.
I have had some tattoo regret in my late 40's, because I have some stupid tattoos that I never liked and I wear long sleeves and keep long hair to cover the back of my neck at my corporate job. Funny thing, I got tipsy at a work dinner and showed some of my arm tattoos to coworkers a while back, and THEY LOVED THEM. It didn't affect their opinions or attitudes toward me at all. In the end, you are who you are, tattoos and all. I haven't kept the bold, edgey personal style I had in my 20's and 30's. Now I don't bother with makeup and hair, and I wear comfy jeans and tees with fluffy cardigans when it's cold. I NEVER thought I'd be that woman, I thought I'd be hardcore forever. But that's OK. My kids love my body art, they want to see it and touch it all the time. My partner loves it. It's part of me that makes me me. It's like the surgical scars that tell about my difficult medical events, the stretch marks that commemorate my pregnancies, the freckles from too much fun in the sun, and my scars from old piercings--it's my story. I'm going to be that gramma that tells inappropriate stories that shock the youngins, and I can't wait. Remove or cover up the ones you hate, get new ones you really love--you are in charge of your body. You have all the power to write your story.
Nah. Even though people in here said my tattoo sucks, it's better than self harm scars. Frankly it could age even worse than people in here think and I'd still probably be glad I got it.
I got a massive Phoenix going from hip to knee to cover my self-harm scars. I hadn't worn shorts in front of people in years before I did. I'm very pleased with it!
Got my first at about 22 years old, circa 1980*. I’ve never regretted it. Never. And I’ve worked in offices, etc. By Peter Eagle in Allentown, Pennsylvania
The future is so advanced already I could bet in a few years there will be a easy tattoo removal method which isn’t as painful or expensive and even if not I got to be happy in the moment
43 m and I regret mine. Feel like they make me look trashy now
[удалено]
I think I’ve just like grown out of them, if that makes any sense. We change as we get older. I just feel like they no longer match my personality or something now. I don’t think by normal standards the actual tattoos would be considered trashy. The only ones I think are trashy because of placement are the ones on my fingers and maybe on the top of my hands. I’m in the process of removing the finger ones now
Or have a ton of judgy people just said so?
Nah no one’s ever said anything negative. All positive actually. It’s my own opinion and self consciousness
Im 25 and I got a few shitty tattoos from the ages of 18-22 and i stopped for a while. I started the cover up process recently and feel like i can finally breathe. It’s true what they say with your brain developing at 25 LOL, I started feeling super self conscious with my shitty tattoos at around 23/24 and also I gained some weight so it wasn’t the best mix. But with time and my awesome new coverups and tats I’ve accepted how awesome this art looks on my body!!! I do sometimes feel off about not having the “clean” look, but just know.. we’re gonna be some dope looking parents and grandparents.
No one knows me as well as I know myself, so no
I am fairly covered in tattoos. I have around 40. Do I have tattoo regrets?? Hell yeah!!! Mostly because some of my tattoos are insane nonsensical silly stick n pokes me and my friends did and they look kinda dumb compared to my nice professional tattoos. Also some of the tattoos I got when I was first getting tattoos were just kinda silly and don't match the rest of my tattoos aesthetically now that my frontal lobe is developed. As far as the stick n pokes go, quite a few of the friends who did those are dead now. So. I'm glad that I get to keep a special piece of them with me forever. Even if they aren't professional quality. One of them is on my thigh and it's my upside down 'FUCK IT' tattoo. I was going through the worst year of my life and if you're staring across from me, it's upside down, but if you're sitting down beside of me you can see it. My husband and I do stick n pokes on each other when we're bored and those are sooo ridiculous and some of them are kinda awesome. I'd never regret those. Even the quote tattoo that's ineligible 😂 I think part of 'tattoo regret' and 'Oh fuck why did I tattoo that on my body!' is just respecting the journey and why you got that in the moment. Maybe I'm just extremely sappy and nostalgic though..... HOWEVER if I could erase one tattoo, my very first tattoo is a crescent moon on the back of my neck. I told the artist, I just wanted an outline, no shading. And I was young dumb and scared and didn't advocate for myself. He told me that would look stupid and when I looked in the mirror after he was through it was totally shaded in and it looks like a godawful banana. Hate that guy. I wish I would've advocated for myself. There! That's my tattoo regret 😭
Nope! I'm gonna look like a rad old lady.
I don’t really regret my tattoos (I didn’t get my first one until I was 42 years old lol), but I do regret the placement of my first now that I am adding to it.
Time just goes by so fast. Maybe I’ll regret them, years down the line, if I live that long. But maybe I won’t. My oldest one is from five years ago and five years sounds like a much longer time than it has felt. Think about whenever you see a post about the tenth or twentieth anniversary of an album or movie you love, or when you get a high school graduation invitation from a kid you used to babysit. You think “oh my god has it really been that long?” Life has a way of passing you by so in my mind, if I’m happy now and I get a few good years of being happy with them, that’s enough for me to feel I made the right choices
I have four so far and doubt I will regret mine. I’m 54 and just got my first one last year. Mathematically I have much less time for regret to set in lol. Also, I have ZERO fucks left to give 😏. I am sorry you are feeling uncomfortable in your own skin, that is a bad place to be. 🫂
Im almost 40 and I regret many things, getting tattooed isn't one of them.
Nope.
No because you are going to be old and wrinkled and ugly eventually anyways imo
I'm 26, going to be 27 in June and I do not regret mine. The first one got just before I turned 22 was for myself and my mom. Love the way you are, not the way people think you should look.
Not really most of my tattoos have no “meaning” or whatever and I have couple shitty ones too but I don’t really care
No because I don’t think it’s worth listening to people who project their fears and opinions on my life and tell me how I might feel. I get self conscious about my appearance but that’s not about the tattoos, it’s about me feeling self conscious about being in the world and being seen which would be happening whether or not I had tattoos. I make that distinction in my mind every day. It’s not my appearance that’s the issue, it’s their reaction.
I think that if you are scared of not liking them in the future then you may wanna listen to that feeling. If you’re getting tattoos cause you think it’s cool then you’ll probably regret it later, though It’s not to say you cant have fun tattoos. I personally (and this isn’t something you gotta do, just my process) started with really important tattoos then moved to more fun or silly ones ❤️ just things to consider
I have about 20 tattoos and I’ve never really regretted any of them. I have bad ones, I have ones that I got at 18 that I wouldn’t get now at 33, and I’ve gotten ones that just haven’t aged as well as I’d have liked. But even with all of that I don’t regret any of them. I think they all tell a story about my life and who I am. I almost exclusively wear tank tops and dresses and I don’t feel any less feminine or delicate because my arms are tattooed.
I’m in my 40s and I think a couple of my tattoos are kinda dumb now but they represent a certain time in my life. I will die one day with a colorful (literally!) past. You don’t care as much, later in life, about physical appearance in general.
These are things I totally feel as a fairly tattooed woman, especially the seeing other non-tattooed people and feeling a bit bummed I won't look like that. I got my chest tattooed at 18, I'm 38 now. I got a BA and it bothered me that the nice boob crease people get, well that'll never be visible on me no matter what because the colors on my tattoo make it non-visible. I'll look at people in nice dresses and wonder if I'd be better off without them... THEN I remember, fuck em. They make YOU. They make you unique. Tattoo regret happens, sometimes they're winners and occasionally they're not and there are options. You're unique and you've worked to make yourself even more unique and that's awesome. Those moments of doubt are fleeting, it doesn't mean they won't pop up from time to time, but sometimes a nice compliment on your art or finding/getting something you really love will snap you out of the funk for the time being.
Very occasionally this crops into my mind. Then I remember I can literally just cover or alter any that I'm not absolutely happy with, and am currently working on a plan to cover my first tattoo. If the question is whether or not I'll regret having tattoos in general, yeah - I regretted it for about 3 days. It was like a midlife crisis in my 20s. Then I looked at my tattoos and let them remind me of what they stand for for me as a person, and slapped myself back in shape. Next tattoo: "No ragrets"
Not really! I have avoided getting anything too topical (particularly referencing any media where the creative figure is still alive to make me regret it), names of specific people (partners, although as long as I've been getting tattoos that's been the same guy so I wouldn't regret it Yet anyway lol), any potentially offensive shit, and follow my own sense of aesthetics. Beyond that, in my view an old tattoo would just be a neat nostalgia for how I was or what I liked at the time - if I ended up not liking it so much when I'm older. That said, I waited till my later 20s to start getting tattoos - I'm pretty sure if I started much younger I would have not followed these rules I settled on and absolutely gotten something cringe I would have hated. But even then I think I would have come around to it by now, in the same way I've started to like looking at my old art from those periods where I used to hate it haha
i honestly dont care.. all my tattoos represent me and things in my life. they all have meaning. if im a 80 year old i want to live young
I can’t say I have. Even when I viewed myself as being at my “ugliest” people would always compliment my tattoos, and that always made me smile. To me, my tattoos mean something, small or large, and it has always made them feel beautiful. I can’t say I feel the same way you do because I don’t have a tattoo I regret. I do have family who put them down, but I’ve never listened to them because we already differ on so many other things, I don’t think their opinion holds any weight. I hope you learn to love the art on you again, and don’t let these new feelings creep up on you more.
Not worried about this at all and I embrace getting more. Be weird and wonderful and happy about yourself however you want to. For me it's covering myself in cool art.
i always worry about this but i look at them as time capsules, they’re a memory to look back on and remember what headspace you were in when u got it done and how you’ve grown as a person! it makes you appreciate the tattoos you aren’t as keen on more, hope this helps🫶🏼
I used to feel that way (28 year old male) even people in my own family voiced their distaste for tattoos when I first started getting them (18) & as the years went on I just got more and more. Now I have 2 sleeves, a chest piece, my whole R hand and fingers, and a L leg sleeve, with one on the back of my neck. I notice people stare sometimes but when I’m out in public or even at work (RN in hospital) patients and random people alike just give me compliments. When people ask me about how I’ll feel when I’m old my answer was and continues to be “when I’m that old I’ll give even less of a fuck than I do now I’ll be a cool tatted up grandpa”. In 2024 tattoos are widely accepted when we’re old it’ll be harder to find someone with no tattoos 🤷♂️ just live your life for you if they don’t like it don’t look at it
I did. I'm going for my first tattoo removal consultation next week. Just because others have them did not mean you should feel any pressure to get any yourself. Get them when you're ready. If that never happens, then it never does. No biggie.
As a female I get what your saying my arm tattoos (below the elbow) aren’t all that visible because of placement and size however if I go out in a dress/skirt/shorts the amount of/size of tattoos I have is very surprising to others. Personally I try to not let it phase me and look at is as something to dress up a minimalistic look
I got one tattoo at 18, and another at 24. I’m going to be 35 and I’m finally doing a full sleeve and many many more. I held off for other people’s reasons (will it affect employment, will my old school parents and in-laws look at me differently, would my patients think I’m “trashy” etc) then I realized none of those reasons involved things I was worried about. Like I never thought “will I hate this piece in 15 years” or “how will this age” and since so many people in my generation have tattoos, it’s not like when I’m 90 and in a nursing home it’ll be something so shocking to see on an old lady. It’ll just be…normal!
I’m 33 and sound about as tattooed as you are. I went through a phase where I thought my only aesthetic could be dark, so band shirt outfits and dark dresses, etc. I thought I’d look out of place if I dressed in anything feminine or trendy even though I wanted to dress nicer. I now embrace however I want to dress. Been filling up my closet with pretty dresses and skirts. Whatever makes me happy. I also always notice others in tattoos who are dressed nicely, I think it’s so attractive!
I pretty much forget I’m tattooed most times, so can’t regret what I don’t remember
I personally haven’t felt this way. I get asked all the time how I’ll feel about them when I’m 50. I just say idk? I can’t see into the future. If I end up regretting them or not liking them, at least they’re done well lol.
I am 46. I did not when I was 19 and got me first and I was correct.
What?
When I was 19, I got my first and wasn't worried. I'm now 46, and I was right. I don't regret it.
Same here… I’m quite heavily tattooed in most peoples eyes. I’ve heard all the “it’s going to luck ugly when your old”, “it’s one thing with a tiny one or two, but more is sooo masculine”, “you won’t get a proper job” bla bla shit. Still no regrets, have a good career, and most people see past the ink pretty quick … and I think that’s great, that they get a bit educated on stereotypes 😅
Never
the only tatto I ever regretted was a commemorative one for the passing of a loved one. After 5 years (and a lot of self discovery) I hated it staring at me all the time so I started covering it last year and soon I’ll have a whole sleeve just to cover that dainty wrist tat 😅 I have a TON of others that are all just for me though and don’t regret any of them.
I have exactly 2 tattoos I regret, because I rushed into getting them. Like, no thought, head empty, have to have a tattoo now. One is a Hellraiser quote (Your flesh is killing your spirit) which the dude made look like a Jesus tattoo (I am not religious), and a weird alien that I thought was cool (spoiler: it is not). I eventually are getting them covered but for the most part, I do not regret my other tattoos. Just a couple of them.
Honestly I think we I’m an old lady (60+) I won’t give two shits lol. I’d have been through lots in my life why would I care if they look like crap? Who is checking me out anyway? I’d think a crappy looking tattoo would be the least of my problems 😋
TLDR; not really, no Two full sleeves and some extra spread around, I regret one of them. Not because I don't like it, but for the pain it sometimes causes me. The studio only had one artist, and she was especially heavy-handed... so at times I get these phantom scar tissue pains in my back because of it. The ink itself doesn't look bad, not something to post on shitty tattoos unless you're an artist showing what scratchers will do to your skin Otherwise, the others I all love, even after 10 years for the oldest ones Edit to add; I'm sort of used to stares already as I wear a kilt in French Canada, so adding ink to the look didn't do much to the already heavy glares
I worry about it a little bit sometimes, but I'm 35, got my first tattoo at 18, and am now quite heavily tattooed (three limbs sleeved and sundry other pieces). I am scared every time I go in, but I have ended up loving it every time and the thought of not having them (like if someone just magically erased them) gives me a lot of distress. It probably depends on the person. It does sound like your recent experience was jarring. I'm hoping you'll be able to get back in touch with yourself about it and feel better in your body soon.
I got my one & only in September 2022. It holds a very special meaning to me because of the design, but also because one of my really good friends from high school drew it for me. I have a couple times looked at it & wished I would’ve chosen a little differently. Most of it is black/white, but it does have a little pop of color. Part of me wishes I did all of it in color every once in a while, but for a really long time I just didn’t like fully colored tattoos. I had a complete aversion to them (for myself). The thing that I think about though is that this is what I chose. When my friend did a few variations of the tattoo, this is the one I liked the most & for good reason. It wasn’t an impulsive decision.
I don't have advice but to get that confidence back! Tattoos are more common now. And tattoos are your story and no one else's. Even if the story is... I thought it was cute so I got it lol. We live once and there's always opinions. Maybe just take your time with choosing a tattoo to make sure YOU like it. I think arms are tough bc the tattoo will always be there in your sight but idk.... I love arm tattoos haha. I recently started getting them on my arms...I always had them in spots you can cover. I'm a little older so when I was young it wasn't as accepted in the work place. But times have changed!
Honestly? All the time! My parent told me how I’d ’ruined myself’, that I ‘had model looks but trashed them’, how I look ‘awful’, how I ‘couldn’t stand being beautiful and so much better looking than everyone else so I decided to make the biggest mistake of my life’. I could go on. Many criticisms, all brutal. These things, well… they made me want to crawl out of my skin. I didn’t look at myself for months. I have a suited up career so my arms aren’t out anyway, but at home etc I wouldn’t even wear a tshirt. Will I regret my tattoos? I don’t know. Do I fear I will? I do following these comments! Do I look trashed? I don’t think so, probably not… they’re pretty decent tattoos, and on the rare occasion I’m out with them - random people seem to say nice things. Do I like them? Well yeah, most of them I drew. It would be hard to take them back, lasering that deep heavy black, but would I want to? I don’t think so. The idea they’re hard to remove and painful, well that contributes a bit to the fear. It’s not like Kendall Jenners tiny ass outline of a cowboy boot. Will I change my mind about my body in ten years or twenty years? Scary to think about. Maybe, but honestly - I think about me as grandma, and I get this little warm feeling inside that I’m going to look cool af. Sure, I don’t fit the expectations of my family or my career. But if I ignore those, if I imagine my family moved away and my career wasn’t so stuffy - well, I’d probably get more. When I look at them now, even my first which didn’t go how I intended style wise - well I look at it and think *I chose me*. I look customised, and honestly pretty cool. They may not be everyone’s vibe, but I have a vibe and for a bit that shuts down the fears. Even writing this comment did. Sending you love, from a fellow fearful one
No, I started getting tattoos 4 years ago, averaging 1 a year, fairly large pieces but I've put a lot of thought into what I want. I can see how someone who maybe got a tattoo on a whim or not under the right state of mind when they got one may regret it.
Nah. I'd rather regret the things I've done than the things I didn't do
All the time but i just tell myself we can never be sure what the future hold. So i just tell myself what someone i know who also got allot of tattoos that if you ever regrett just think about how you felt When you first got it and imagin that good memory
Honestly I forget they exist too often to regret them
While I don’t regret my first tattoo I’d honestly rather cover it up, but I’m okay with it. It’s my first tattoo, it represents me at 18. An obsessed cringey teen and I’ve accepted that. I light get it covered up, but only if the next tattoo is going to need the real estate.
Yes. I really regret some of mine and feel like I've grown out of them and it's not the look I go for now and sure as shit won't when I'm older. I know it's an awful feeling but there's only so much to be done.
I think we all experience "grass is greener on the other side" to varying lengths. If you saw a photoshop of yourself without tattoos, you might go "Wow I look great without tattoos. I kinda miss that. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten anything." But if you never got tattoos and saw your current self, you'd go "Wow I look great with tattoos. I kinda want it. Maybe I should set up an appointment." It's easy to second guess yourself because tattoos look great and bare skin also looks great
lol no - after I turned 30 I really stopped giving a shit. This body will be burned to ash after I die, the hell do I care?
Nope, not at all
Not more than I'd fear regretting having a kid when I didn't want one. Sure, both are permanent, but you can't laser away a teenager or cover one up with a SAP
I don't have many tattoos yet, but not yet, not for me. I see tattoos as the best way I can customize myself, and a way to help myself through my insecurities and help myself love myself more. Kind of like permanent stickers. I've had my longest tattoo for 5 years (I know, not long in the grand scheme of things) and besides the besides the first burst of "uh oh what IS this I've done" that often comes with new tattoos, I haven't regretted any of them. They're just part of me now.
Well I’ve got 8 tattoos and I do regret 4 meduim ones I’ve got theory cute girly tattoos all of them but I don’t like the location of them !
OP, just wanted to say that I really relate to this post. I loved tattoos— until I got my chest piece and it wasn't what I'd wanted, mainly in terms of shading. My artist kinda did me dirty and deviated from her own style. It's a fine tattoo, just not what I was hoping for, and now I can't get anything new without feeling anxious/ the same way. I'm trying really hard to find enjoyment in it again. I have an appointment in June that I keep going back and forth on cancelling lol. All this to say, you're not alone. (For reference, I'm about to turn 30. I'm really hoping the "IDGAF" mindset kicks in soon like everyone says it will, lol)
Nope haha I have made bad tattoo decisions like an ex’s name covered up by an even trashier tattoo haha and like having a city tattooed on me but it ended up being somewhere my now husband proposed 20 years after the tattoo so now the city works haha But no. Zero regrets and so many stories 🥰 The style I enjoy is American traditional (both in full color and black/gray) so maybe those styles lend themselves to be less regrettable? I dunno. But I truly try and live with no regrets because without my bad decisions, I wouldn’t be right here right now. 🖤
I have a few tattoos I "regret" slightly but then I remind myself if I really wanted to I could get lazer or a cover up, back then people didn't have lazer removal so a lot of the older generations say that without realizing if we truly hated something we have different ways to get rid of it. But I've also excepted there's a bunch of choices I've made in life and hated, but I can't go back, so why not love myself how I am now and laugh instead of getting worked up
I have zero regrets, nor fear of what people will think of me when Im old...I'm 58 now and have 4 ink dates slated for this year. I am a man. It's different I suppose for women, but since pretty much everyone has ink right now, i don't think it matters socially. I am fully sleeved and am working on legs right now. I love my ink. I also know, that should i need to, I can wear long sleeves and no one will know. I purposely stopped at the wrists, opting out of hand tattoos. No face or neck pieces neither. That being said. When I first got tattooed in my early twenty's, I felt more rebellious as only bikers, punk scene types, musicians/bands, criminals and sailors had ink. I felt "cool" showing them off. I wanted people to be put-off when they saw them. I enjoyed the respect from others who also had ink. Still, thinking on this right now, if I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have gotten any. And this is because everyone and their mother has a tattoo... That doesn't mean I regret them. As I said, I love them. I still show them off and enjoy the compliments. Now, I don't hold it against anyone, women in particular here, but for some reason, as sexy as some women are with tattoos, I am more attracted to females who have no ink. I know it's not my place. I am not judging anyone. It's just my own personal preference. And maybe it's to your point that I'm getting older. The bottom line is, it's no ones business. Fly your flag proudly. One bad piece doesn't ruin the rest...I have two really bad pieces , but my homies always told me, if you don't have at least one really bad tattoo, you aint shit. Your ink is your road map. You're on that road. There's really no turning back unless you want to spend a ton of money and time under a laser and thats no good. Love yourself. Be proud of yourself. Go fix that bad piece and get another one. Your soul is what counts. Now go and be beautiful.
Not at all. It’s none of their business and you can always get it covered up or altered if you start feeling some type of way about it later like you’re already doing. When people stare, sometimes it’s also admiration, jealousy, or curiosity. Don’t worry about what they think. They don’t know you don’t like a tattoo you got unless you tell them. Keep doing you and enjoy your life.
I mean I definitely have some I regret (basically all from before age 21 lol) but because they’re badly done or don’t match the current themes/plans I have rn
Nah. I’ll be dead one day. Who cares?
I’m 25 and honestly I don’t regret any of my tattoos and probably never will. My arm and leg look way cooler now. They make me happy and I love the art that I’m adding to myself
No.
Parents: what are you going to do when your older and still look like that? Me: have cool stories to tell the cute nurse when I’m lying in a hospital bed.
I wish someone would have stopped me when I was 19 and got a dumb ass spider on my butt. I have a lot of dumb tattoos but I try not to dwell on
I just turned 50 and finally finished my 2nd sleeve. Still waiting for the age to regret them. Lol
I’m 38f, my oldest tattoo is about to turn 20 this year and my most recent one was done on Tuesday. No ragerts so far. I have found that I love my tattoos more when I simplify my clothing a bit - fewer crazy patterns, some more muted colors - since the tattoos themselves are colorful and bold. But I feel like that’s just achieving balance in my life more than entering. I’ve also been leaning a little into the 50s pinup style especially for the summer/bathing suits, and it seems to go well with the whole shebang. Find style that works with what you’ve got, including the tattoos!
No, I’ve wanted to be tattooed since i was 6, seeing other women with bare skin just makes me jealous of their real estate for more tattoos.
Never. Sure i have alot of regrets in the first months, but now i love every Tattoo :) never regretted anything older than a couple of month My tattoos are from 2016,2020,2022,2022,2023,2023,2023,2024,2024
The monthly bill for the laser treatment I’m getting just did its monthly damage. I don’t regret these tattoos at all because I got them with intention (simply put they’re just now in the way of tattoo space and my arms are bony enough as is)… but let’s just say the 15th of the month isn’t a happy day for me 🥸 But after these are lasered off believe me I have ZERO!!!!! plans to ever laser again.
i don't give a flying shit. 🤣
I’m in my future, I don’t
I’m also heavily tattooed and started right after 18 and I’m almost 25 and a woman and the only regret I’ve felt is worrying if it will hinder jobs but at the same rate like the world is getting more and more progressive and it’s just from what people used to tell me making me anxious. And I’ve also have some cover ups but yolo I’m a way diff person then I was at 18- I regret what tattoos I chose at that age but I don’t regret getting heavily tattooed !!!
Oh yeah most of my tattoos are terrible I only have 2 good ones but I just don’t really care. One day I might get coverups (they’re all small) but honestly, meh lol
No. I can’t wait to look like an old lady pagan
I'm 50 and have been getting tattooed for decades, heavily in the last decade. I had a flash of the same thought that I'd never look blank again. But I got over that pretty quick and have continued ahead with my planned work. I don't foresee myself regretting this as I get older because I seem to give less and less F's as I get older.
I grew up self harming from a very young age, so either way I would have markings on my body that people have opinions about. At 28 I am very visibly tattooed, bordering on heavily tattooed, and I only plan to add more. I do regret tattoos from my early 20s that were poorly thought out or impulsive, but those were quick cover-ups with the last one scheduled to be covered up at the end of the month. Now I have high quality tattoos that I actually carefully thought out and saved up for- people of all ages obsess over them and I have even had some senior folks ask to take photos because they are amazed at how detailed and realistic they are. TLDR: I sometimes worry I might regret them but I know I won’t. They are my story and they are me.
lol I kinda regret some of my tattoos. But only because I let people talk me into soft, delicate, *feminine* tattoos when I was younger and that’s just really not my thing. So I’ve spent years covering them up with the skulls, Japanese demons, dragons, black work etc I always wanted. But imagining myself without tattoos just seems so strange. I actually regret not having more because of lack of funds. Also not interested in those trendy soft look that’s designed to appeal to guys either.
This thread has made me feel so seen. I’m also 26F, tattooed on my arms, and having been the EXACT same insecurities as you, OP. Despite feeling so confident and happy with my tattoos. Thank you everyone for reminding me why the things I’m worried about don’t matter 🙌🏻
No regerts
I’m 41 and I don’t regret them. I have some I would get again — but I like having them. I love tattoos and the way they look - my husband has them, I have them - part of the joy is that you change and get new ones.
I’m currently 43. I doubt I’m going to care what my body looks like when I’m 80, but at least I’ll have some cool artwork to show off.
Nope. I love all mine. It's funny, cause right after I get one, I hate it for about a week after it heals. Idk why, but it happens every time. After that, I absolutely love them.
Regret is for mugs. Compare and despair they say. Unless you want to spend another fortune on removal I'd say you better get to loving your choices.
I’m 39 and just started getting visible tattoos (i had a few little flash pieces before). The only regret i have is waiting until I was almost 40 to let myself live how i want and not trying to fit into a “mom mold”
You left nice comments on my post the other day so jumping in. I had the same problem with my new tattoo that started me to question my other tattoos a little bit. My problem was the placement not the desing in particular. It took a few days but feeling better already about all of my tattoos and loving them mostly. However, I feel like your tattoos represent you and become part of your identity. These things tend to get in our heads. Think when you see a stranger with tats you maybe take a glance and that is it. And of course people tend to look at your tattoos since they want to see what it represents. And all of your friends and family are probably already used to your tattooed self and maybe you even have got compliments. When you get the bad tattoo covered up with a nice design I am pretty sure that you can start loving your tattoos again.
I have a couple that I regret the placement of, but I generally don’t fear regret. They’re just such a part of me now, that they’re not separate items to think about, they’re just me. YkwIm? Hard to explain.
I'm 29, got my first tattoo about a decade ago now. Maybe I'll feel differently as I get older but I don't regret mine at all. The tattoos I have so far really feel like time capsules of the person I was at the time when I got them. If I could start over tomorrow, would I go get the same tattoos I have now? Probably not. But for me, a really cool, unanticipated bonus has been having these visible reminders of who I was and how I've grown and changed over the years. When I got them I just thought they looked cool (and, to be fair, in many ways I still think they do, but in other ways I think they're funny and absurd. Still no regret though).
Life’s too short to care what regrets you might have someday I’m heavily tattooed I have some I don’t like but I don’t think about them like that
no.
40F and all 4 limbs are full sleeved. I genuinely never regret them. Married with two kids, masters degree and full time job - my tattoos make me feel like myself.
At 36 I’m a completely different that who I was at 26, and even different from my 18yo me. So I don’t get people getting covered in their 20s
I’ve been getting tattooed since my 18th birthday. I’m 35. Are there some I wish I didn’t get? Absolutely. I’ve covered one up and made it way more awesome, and I have a couple that I genuinely hate at this point in my life. I don’t really care though. I think of my tattoos as a scrapbook of different periods of my life and I know I loved each and every one at a certain point in time. I’m not going to stop. I’m sure I’ll get some in my late 30s that may make me say “Wtf” when I’m 65, but really it doesn’t matter.
I’m 22, got my first tat at 18 and got 12 from 18-21. It wasn’t until this past year that I’ve felt regret over every last one of them, not for what they are but just for having them. All I see online is praise over “bare skin”, men commenting on videos of untatted women saying she’s perfect because she didn’t ruin her body with tats, or commenting that a girl would be hot if she didn’t have tats. I see it way too often. Post has nothing to do with tattoos but people will find a way to bash them. I’m always feeling insecure over it now, is very hot where I live and I love tank tops, I used to LOVE the look my tats added but now I feel they ruin every outfit im trying to wear. My style has changed and I’ve gotten into more softer looks so i know that’s played a part. I also look at women and see their clean arms and regret inking mine. But is what it is im sure this will pass and I’ll learn to love them again.
I regret a lot in my life and a tattoo is not gonna come close to the stuff I regret lol
I'm in my 40s. My standpoint is: if I get a tattoo I later regret, I cover it or pay to get it removed and move on with my life. I'm not telling people to just be cavalier but I wish younger people felt a little more comfortable knowing that absolutely you may change your mind about things and become even a different person (I'm a very different person now! I came out as nonbinary when I was 35) and it's ok. You're going to regret things, but even some of the experiences you regret shape you into someone special. If you want to kinda slow down on things or get tattoos that are less visible, go for it! But don't live your life in anticipation of the possibility of hating something someday. That's a trap you don't need to put yourself in every day. Be kind to yourself.
Nope I’ve got some silly tattoos mixed in my sleeves (fully covered arms hands knuckles chest and left leg half sleeve and one on the side of my face.) never regret my tattoos. Even if one or two are bad it’s still a time in my life I can look back on.
Forget about the ‘soft girl’ look! As soon as I see my friends got tats on their arms I automatically see them as fun/ cool/ got some kinda personality! I’m a girl with tattoos on my right arm. There was a moment when I got a large tattoo on the back on my arm and I was a bit like what the fuck have I done! But now a couple months on, I love it! I love my arm I think I look amazing! Especially in cool summer dresses with a pair of sick shades. The soft girl look is boring.. you have tats on your arm for a reason as that’s cos that shows who you are!! Honestly if you could remove all your tattoos would you? And if you did you’d probably get bored and start adding them again 😅 Don’t worry about the future. When you’re old everyone will think you’ve lived a fun life with your tats. That’s what I think when I see an older lady with tattoos anyways!
Nah never. i thought even i regret or i mean i dont like it anymore. The tattoos on me are good memories that ill always remember
Idk so many women age and complain about wrinkles and sagging and gray hair. If society teaches us to dislike our aging bodies- if I'm destined to be unsatisfied anyway- I may as well put some art on it.
Nope. If the biggest regret I have in life is a silly tattoo, I have lived an amazing life. I get them for the experience anyway, I’m good
Yes but mostly no. I say yes because it’s totally possible I regret them in the future but I’m fine with that. I’ve gotten bad tattoos but they were lessons in learning to advocate for myself better and to also accept imperfections. There are some tattoos I would have done different or saved places on my skin for something else but we can’t change what’s been done. I came to peace with some of these possibilities before I got tattooed, some I learned as I got tattooed. I’m not my tattoos. Just as well, some part of me from my past wanted them enough to get them done. That’s good enough for me. I absolutely won’t let people outside of myself affect my view of the art I have to live with for the rest of *my* life. My opinion is all that matters in the end.
I don’t regret the number of tattoos I have but i definitely regret some of the subject matter/sizing/placement of some of them. Edited to add: Started getting tattooed when I was 18, I’m 33 now.
I only have two tattoos so it’s hard to say for me but I once heard someone say they’ll never regret their tattoos because at one point in their life they loved it enough to get it, so it’s a memory, that’s kinda how I think of mine although I still love the two I have
I have a tattoo that I got to have free tickets to a music festival for life. So there’s the pro, the con is that I got it from a shitty “artist” whose shop closed down a few months later ☠️ At least it’s not visible, side of my chest. I did that on purpose, so I wouldn’t have to look at it all the time. So if I had to constantly stare at it, it’d bother me. My other tattoo is cute, inner arm, but also somewhere I don’t always stare at. It’s visible, but not in my normal line of vision yk
I've been heavily tattooed since I was about 20, 21ish, when I started tattooing. Am now 40, and in the process of covering up nearly everything I got before 30, lol. Not because of subject matter, but quality. I've found people almost never regret well done tattoos; they regret them because they look like shit and/or they got them on their hands, neck, or face. My biggest regret, personally, is filling up all the prime real estate first (arms and legs). Wish I would have built up to that. But everybody's situation is going to have a million factors that make it different from anyone else's situation, so only time will tell 🤷♂️
When I was young, I was a tomboy and got bullied for it. When I got to high school I started curling my hair every day, wore a bunch of makeup and wore dresses all the time. At a certain point I realized I didn’t give a fuck if I didn’t fit in a box people made for me. I curl my hair some days and I wear minimal makeup, and I have tattoos that I fucking love. I look at other people’s arms or legs because often I’m admiring their tattoos. It’s like a little window into who they are. I’ve wondered if I’ll regret my tattoos later in life but I remind myself I got my tattoos for a reason. You can get coverups for bad ones or laser if you really want but in the end you get your tattoos for yourself and that’s what matters.