Getting inked is quite a commitment. It’s not like you can just take an eraser and remove the ‘art’ if or when you don’t like it. Tattoo regret has been trending this year, as more and more people admit to making a bad decision, or two…
It turns out even the experts themselves aren’t immune. Like one tattoo artist who says she got tattoos at a young age and is now wishing she’d thought it through properly.
Sydney Mulvaney went viral after sharing a TikTok video revealing the tattoos she regrets the most. To say they are a bit weird is somewhat of an understatement. Among them, Miley Cyrus depicted as a zombie…
Tattoos are a lot less taboo than they once were, yet tattoo regret is on the rise
Tattoo artist wearing black gloves carefully working on a client’s upper arm tattoo design in a studio setting.
“I’m crying”: netizens found the Miley Cyrus tattoo particularly amusing
Comment on social media by Jessica Lee saying the Miley gave her a jump scare with laughing emojis and over 128,000 likes.
Screenshot of a social media comment expressing emotional reaction related to Miley shared by tattoo artist tattoo regrets going viral.
Alt text: Social media comment reacting emotionally to Miley, related to tattoo artist sharing tattoo regrets going viral.
Screenshot of a comment saying Oh babe I didn’t expect that Miley on a social media post about tattoo regrets.
Comment on social media from user hauxmoe about tattoo regrets related to Miley, going viral with many likes.
Comment on social media from a user named abbi expressing disbelief and sadness about tattoo regrets shared by a tattoo artist.
Comment on social media post reacting to Miley Cyrus tattoo regrets, highlighting viral tattoo artist discussion.
Social media comment from user court expressing regret with crying emoji, related to tattoo artist sharing her tattoo regrets.
Comment about zombie Miley on social media, linked to tattoo artist going viral after sharing tattoo regrets.
If you feel you should have slept on it before getting inked, you’re not alone
Many of us have experienced buyer’s remorse at one point or another. Maybe it was a pair of shoes you thought you needed but actually didn’t. Or a shopping spree that went a little overboard when you needed some retail therapy. Fortunately, many items have a return policy. Tattoos, not so much.
Tattoo regret is nothing new. It’s been around for ages. The difference is that social media has given people a platform to air their bad life choices, and allowed others to feel less ashamed about their own.
The skincare experts at Advanced Dermatology advise anyone planning to get a tattoo to sleep on it. And not just for a night, they say… At least a few months.
The team should know because when they surveyed 600 people, they found that 78% of them regretted at least one of their tattoos. And 19% of participants with two tattoos regretted both. 3-out-of-4 people who suffer from “tattoo regret” admit that they didn’t plan for the tattoo beyond a few weeks.
As we’ve come to painfully learn, regret doesn’t always hit us immediately. Sometimes, it takes a while to rear its ugly head. Like “when you start to hit certain milestones in your life,” says Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Gabs Miceli.
“I’ve seen some people who have loved their tattoos consistently the whole time they’ve had them,” Miceli told USA Today. “And then I’ve seen other people falter in their attraction to them soon after getting them.”
The Advanced Dermatology survey found that the smaller your tattoo, the more likely you are to regret it.
“63% of people with a tattoo smaller than the palm of their hand regret it. However, only 2% of people with full-sleeves or longer, regret their tattoo,” revealed the site. The team believes this is because people with full-sleeves or longer spent more time thinking about it.
“Plus, it’s easier, and faster, to get a star on your shoulder, than it is to go full-on Travis Barker,” they add.
When it comes to the reasons people regret their tattoos, 35% of those surveyed said they made an impulsive decision, 29% stated ‘significant meaning’, and 18% admitted they’d once thought the tattoo would make them look cool. Ooops.
Meanwhile, a separate Pew Research survey found that the most common reasons for people getting tattooed in the first place were to honor or remember someone or something (69%), to make a statement about what they believe (47%), and to improve their personal appearance (32%).
Mulvaney went into detail about the disastrous zombie tattoo
Tattoo artist’s viral regret shows a zombie-style tattoo design inspired by Miley with dark makeup and sketch outlines on paper.
Text excerpt about tattoo regrets featuring Miley tattoo, highlighting viral tattoo artist sharing her experience.
Tattoo artist shares personal regrets and tribute tattoos, going viral with Miley tattoo story and heartfelt emotions.
Netizens could not stop laughing, and the jokes kept coming
Screenshot of a social media comment praising a tattoo artist’s humor and respect for tattoo memories amid regrets.
Comment praising a tattoo artist for a well-healed color portrait tattoo despite the subject matter being deplorable.
Comment mentioning the “I like turtles” kid with crying emojis in response to a viral tattoo regrets post.
Comment from user genn with bow and crying face emojis, expressing that something is very scary, under a social media post.
Comment by user Rex expressing confusion about someone else’s tattoo in a viral post about tattoo regrets.
Screenshot of a social media comment referencing Miley and tattoo regrets made by a viral tattoo artist.
Screenshot of a social media comment by Mia laughing with a crying emoji, related to tattoo artist sharing tattoo regrets.
Alt text: Social media comment by Jessica expressing surprise, related to tattoo artist viral story and tattoo regrets.
Comment from Melissa asking when someone started regretting their tattoo, featuring a skull emoji, on a social media post.
Tattoo artist kaitlin commenting on tattoo appreciation and sharing her tattoo regrets, going viral online.
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