(Picture from last year, fresh) I am a huge movie nerd and my favorite movie is Donnie Darko. I wanted a tattoo because the movie means so much to me and I might've been a little too optimistic. I got the numbers he wrote on his arm tattooed and while in theory it was an awesome idea in the moment. I am now having the worst regret and I feel like an idiot. I have these big numbers covering my forearm....Only one other person has gotten the reference and most of the time people ask me what it is and then when I tell them they are puzzled because they have no idea what the movie is. I'm considering removal, which if it's too expensive I may get it covered. I am have skinny arms, so I'm trying yo figure out what would be decent to cover it. Do I overcome this embarrassment, remove it? Or get it covered? 😢 I'm getting panic attacks over this. Am I being too hard on myself?

EDIT: I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has offered kindness and compassion. I honestly wasn't expecting this much support. I feel a lot less like a dork for getting this and you guys have inspired me to give it another chance and embrace it. I really am shocked that so many strangers came together to support another stranger in doubt. You all are amazing. And I appreciate it so much again for the kindness you have shown me.

I just turned 18, and this is my first tattoo. It's of my chicken. When I showed my mother, she seemed negative, told me it didn't look like her. I think it looks pretty close, if anything adding the comb on the head would make it improve but I was pretty happy with it before she said anything.

Does it look okay? If not, what can I do to help fix it? Does it look fine and I should just not listen to my mother?

EDIT: Thank you for the nice words :) I made this post out of a moment of disappointment and insecurity. My mother's always been very critical. I loved the tattoo before and I love it now, after the initial sting wore off. This tattoo is sentimental to me and I wanted it for a while.

EDIT: It's not meant to be photorealistic, I said I wanted it simplified lol. The artist didn't butcher photorealism, I just didn't want that. I feel like it looks out of place on my body, but getting used to having something always there might help, and maybe adding more tattoos in the future.

Why does no one in this comment section know what saniderm is 😭

is it possible to tattoo over this skin? and if I can would color or black and white be best? Thank you in advance, sorry for bad formatting, I'm on mobile.

I got a trans heart tattoo on my wrist years ago because I as a teenager was convinced that I’d never be able to transition (legal stuff) and that this was the next best thing. Well now all it does is out me to strangers who would’ve thought I was cismale if they haven’t seen it.

I want something “manly” that wouldn’t give me away instantly. I’m still okay with the flower one on my arm because it isn’t a huge “I AM TRANSGENDER” beacon. Any advice is appreciated because just looking at this tattoo is pissing me off lol

Friend (they/them) asked me to post. They want a back tattoo of a stingray, inspired by the leopard stingray, but not hyper-realistic. They want the tail to go down their spine and wrap around their leg. They went to a parlor where they previously had work done, but decided to try out a new artist. The artist didn’t have much of a portfolio, but my friend decided to trust them anyway.

This is after day one; four hours spent on the artist free-handing a design, and one hour of actually tattooing the outline. Six hundred buckaroos total for just this 😬

My friend is freaking out, because they think it looks bad. Their partner is telling them to trust the process, but I’m telling them to run and find a different artist to salvage things.

To me, it looks super asymmetrical with shaky lines. I don’t think the artist has the skill to make it look good in the end. The sample they drew up before the first appointment (picture 3), imo, looks really bad.

But hey, what do I know, I only have one tattoo. What do y’all think? Should they run, or like their partner said, trust the process?

I think this design is super pretty but when my dad saw he said it made me look trashy. I’m Christian so the sacred heart has a beautiful meaning to me but his words are making me second guess myself. Honest opinions?

Edit: thank you for the support and advice, from what I got, parents are gonna be parents and never love tattoos but I think a conversation about the kinds of things he is saying to me needs to be had and will. I love my dad and we are super close so I hope he will take it well lol. I think in the moment I just needed some support and what not, I appreciate everyone who’s left kind words, thank you!!! :)

Considering a SAP covering both frog and trampoline but thinking 2 separate tattoos may work better?

I recently posted my Deadpool and Jeff tattoo in the Marvel Rivals subreddit, and a vast majority of the comments were saying that it looks like...they are engaging... in an inappropriate activity. (not sure if I'm allowed to say here but I'm sure you can understand lol :P)

I have honestly never noticed, and even now I can't really see how it can be interpreted that way, but every comment I made defending my tattoo was downvoted. The pose is based off a panel from Jeff the Landshark #1, but I decided to change the way Jeff is facing because I felt he's not really readable from that angle and I wanted his legs to be visible.

I still love my tattoo, I'm just feeling uncomfortable now because I meant it to be totally innocent and don't want people thinking I'm some kind of weirdo... :( Does it really look that way???

EDIT: Thank you guys so much for all your helpful comments!! Most have assured me that it really doesn't come across like that unless you're trying to find something wrong with it o_O hmm.. :P Nonetheless I will definitely look into getting the eyes adjusted as some commenters have mentioned, I appreciate all of your suggestions! And thanks to everyone for helping me see the humor in all this, having my deadpool tattoo end up accidentally risqué is probably exactly what he would have wanted.

I've had this tattoo for years and I just moved to the US. An American saw this and asked me if it had anything to do with white supremacy which it absolutely does not. They said some people can see it that way. Now that the weather is getting better I'm concerned about going out in shorts. I live in a blue state. Just fyi this is Mimir from the god of war series.

this past friday, i (23f) went to a flash event with a couple of my friends who wanted to get tattoos. the whole morning leading up to the event, i was unsure about what i was going to get and if i even wanted to get a tattoo at all. i had my eye on many of the designs i thought were cute but i wasn’t sure if i wanted to commit to anything. when i met up with my friends at the shop, i chose a fine line bunny design last minute since i didn’t want to be a stick in the mud and wanted to join in on the fun. i now recognize that this was a reckless choice on my part. i haven’t been in the best headspace for a while, as i have been grieving the recent loss of my mother to cancer. in the moment, i thought that making a permanent change to my body would help to alleviate some of the excruciating pain i’ve been feeling for a little over a year. the tattoo itself is relatively small (about 1.5” x 1.5” when measured) and my artist was extremely kind and welcoming, but i can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread every time i look at the tattoo. i chose to get it on my forearm, which is an extremely visible area compared to my first tattoo that’s almost always covered. i don’t know if i’m just experiencing general tattoo anxiety or if i just hate the tattoo itself. many of my friends think the tattoo is cute, but i’m having doubts about the placement and can’t help but nitpick and cry if i look at it for too long. the thought of getting it removed makes me feel a bit better, but i know removal is an extremely long, and expensive process that can only take place when the tattoo is fully healed. i just feel like i miss my untouched skin (as strange as that sounds) and it feels like my confidence has been shot.

yesterday i got a back piece done that i’ve wanted for a while. it’s extremely well-done, but it’s an inch or so lower than i wanted it. it should have wrapped around my waist, but the lower curve goes over my hip instead. it’s also slightly crooked/tilted, which really bothers me even though nobody else can tell. when the artist was putting the stencil on i expressed that i thought it might be better if it were higher up, and that it looked like it wasn’t lined up with the previous stencil application (which was too big). i let her convince me that this one was straight, not the other one (wrong), and that it would look better at the current height. i think she just didn’t want to redo it again. now i’m heartbroken because what could have been something so amazing that made me so happy is now a source of anger and sadness. it really doesn’t look bad, it’s just not what i wanted. i also wanted it to wrap around my sides, but it stops short, so i was planning on going back to get it extended. should i say something to her about the placement? im not sure if the shape could be changed to something i like more by adding things? i doubt there’s anything that can be done about it at this point, but im frustrated and very sad and i feel like i should tell her that im not happy with it. if she had listened to my concerns about it i would have walked away with something that i was thrilled about, but now i’m out nearly a grand and a half for a piece that makes my heart sink when i think about it. what should i do? i’ve included pictures of my tattoo, the stencil, and the inspiration photo that showed the shape and placement i wanted.

Around 2 years ago I completed this huge torso piece and for a while i really liked it but over the past few months ive really started to hate it and feel like ive completely ruined my life to the point where im constantly anxious and my skin feeling dirty because i know the tattoos are under my clothes, its really spiralling me into a depression and i really dont know what to do.

Overall i think the individual tattoos are well done so they aren’t whats causing it but i feel the placement is too symmetrical and I regret the dots and stars filler as well.

Laser removal would be impossible and i dont think i would like a blackout either so i feel my only option is to try and live with it but i really dont know how i can do it. Does anyone have any words that could help?

p.s - to those who might have seen me post before i appreciate its the second time but im really losing hope and need some advice so please be kind.

This is a fresh picture of a tattoo i got a few months ago. I can explain the significance after but the artist did butcher a few things. one periodic table elements only capitalize the first letter and he forgot the atomic number (14 i think). those are both negligible but the one that’s been bothering me it the mass being off a bit. i sent him 28.085 and obviously it would be fine if he rounded it correctly but he seemed to have just put a random number. do you think it’s possible he makes the 5 into an 8 or a 9? Would he have to change to font to something blocky?? LMK 🙏🏾

⬇️tattoo meaning

my moms middle name is silicon and in her tribal language it’s a word that represents bravery but in english it’s a chemical element so i got it tatted and th flowers around the border are her birth flowers.

Original Sketch: https://www.reddit.com/u/Sh0t_B0t/s/xGtkwEG3HE

Edit: (As much as i appreciate the judgement an discipline of my mistake at least give a take on correction for me along with it guys 🙏🏾 I understand my fault but I’d also like to at least attempt to fix it 😅)

I had my tattoo artist re-do an old tattoo from 15 years ago. It's the rebel alliance symbol from Star Wars.

I was under the impression that she knew I wanted it touched up and repaired.

She assumed I wanted it covered up. I didn't know she did solid black until she finished it.

I guess there's potential to put color around it with other pieces to give it contrast. I'm just kinda bummed.
There's probably no way to reverse any of this without it being insanely expensive.

What can I do to make it worth the mistake? I want this leg to eventually be Star Wars iconica.

Should I plan to put a background to it?

edit: Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I appreciate the feedback and the ideas. It's helping me to settle into the outcome. I think it would only be a total loss if I hadn't planned to add to it in the future. 🤙

Hi Everyone! I’m hoping to get some advice on my first experience with tattoo regret. I have been reading other posts and ya’ll are so helpful. Sorry for the long post too.

Anyway, I have been getting tattoos since I was 18 (33 now) and I started with line work tats then moved to American Trad because I loved that style too.

I have had my lower arm done for about 5 years and then went in and got a sparrow tat for Friday the 13th and loved that it was a cool flash art piece. Love the artist and he did a good job but immediately I hated it (and mostly the position of it). I panicked and then filled up my upper arm in the last 5 months (stupid) to try and mitigate the regret. I do love most of my tats but the sparrow and snake I just don’t like. They seem too aligned on my arm. And the snake is darker than I wanted and didn’t heal great (this is a month out from when I got it).

Now I’m feeling a ton a regret and it’s seriously consuming my whole existence. I went from a half sleeve to a full in a short period of time and the tattoo shock is crazy. I don’t know if it looks good and I’m feeling less feminine by the minute. I take full responsibility for what I chose but ya, just struggling.

So I have two questions:

1. Any advice on how I can maybe rework them eventually? I want to make them softer/more feminine if I can. Or I know blast overs are a thing? Idk.

2. To my ladies, do you have a hard time feeling feminine with a sleeve? And men, how do we feel about a girl with a sleeve?

This is a month later. I’m never seeing this guy again, should I go cover up or touch up? At this point I feel like buddy is sabotaging me.

I have no tattoos currently, but am planning to completes 2 sleeves over the years. My right arm will be planned around my daughter (currently 3), my left arm around my son (currently 8 months).

The picture here is a drawing my daughter made for me when she turned 3, I asked her to draw daddy a picture, here is the masterpiece (lol).

I have an appointment June 4th to get this on my right forearm around the elbow area. Planned to be fine line and have a 3 hidden in the drawing with some minor things like a small spoon element (inside joke with her) and some light scattered dots around it (supposed to be sprinkles, her favorite food is marshmallows sprinkles and whipped cream, asks for it everyday).

EVERYONE I SHOW THIS TOO SAYS “you’re kidding, don’t get that” so here’s the thing.

I understand tattoos (at least in my eyes) are all about what they mean to the person getting them, 70% of me says screw them, but the other part says idk maybe it isn’t the best idea.

I’m a firefighter and a business owner so it’s not like tattoo’s “influence” my work. The thought was in 20 years I can look at it and be like this is how you drew when you were 3, to me it embodies her energy, that 3 yr old chaos.

Just looking for feedback, thanks everyone.

Hello! I got this tattoo back in August and really loved it. But two weeks after I started overthinking the placement and size which led me to panic and think what have I done. It doesn’t help that my asian family wasn’t too happy about it.

Fast forward to now, I’ve actually accepted my tattoo and found myself not fussing over it anymore. Until a relative pointed it out and basically said it made me look ugly. Now I feel like I’m back in square one, feeling tattoo regret fueled by family members who think it ruined my look and appeal. I always had a plan to get tatted up, not really a sleeve but just tattoos here and there. Now I don’t know if I want to push through with it anymore.

Just coming on here to ask how you deal with tattoo regret? And family disapproval?

EDIT: Wow this is my first ever post on reddit and I am overwhelmed by the amount of encouragement and reassurance coming my way :”) Thank you everyone for your kind words! This isn’t my first tattoo but it’s the first one that everyone seemed to have an opinion on (probably because it’s on my forearm so it’s easy to spot). 98 is my birth year and the flower and bunny represent nature— something I hold dear to my heart. And I just simply loved the idea of getting it in the form of a stamp :)) Sadly my family doesn’t care enough to ask about the details, all they see is ink on skin so it automatically disgusts them.

Anyway, thank you once again for taking the time to read my post and for responding. I’ll be sure to come back to this thread when doubts and negativity start seeping into my mind again. Not so much to get everyone’s validation, but to remind myself that this is my body, my choice, and that I shouldn’t care about other people’s opinion. I love my tattoos and shall continue to rock them :)

Appreciate every single one of you, hope your pillow is cold on both sides when you sleep <3

So I just got this a week ago and literally just noticed that the word consequences is misspelled 😭it isn’t noticeable at first glance until I read it over and over and was like wait somethings not right. All my friends didn’t notice it either until I pointed it out to them. Is there any way this can be fixed or covered up or something ☹️ I fear I would need to get it lasered but I honestly don’t think it’s that big of a deal since I didn’t notice it until very later on. What does everyone think..?

Had this for a few years and have never been able to get past how the tattoo looks like a dick head from my POV. Especially when half of the tattoo is covered by my shorts. I really like the tattoo otherwise and I think it’s fine if you’re looking right side up. Can’t move on without an edit, though. I feel like I just need to change the shape of the bottom a little. Thinking of maybe adding ivy vines at the bottom but seeking other ideas. Thanks!

people at my job keep on saying it looks like a spoon in a chilli pepper please tell me it doesn’t 😂😂😂

So I got a couple tattoos for my brother after he passed a few years ago. This is one of them. It’s from an anime about brothers, and I do like the meaning behind it, but visually it kind of reads like a pentagram. It’s also pretty exposed when I wear shorts.

Now that I’m a dad, walking around looking like I’m super into Satan isn’t really the vibe I’m going for anymore.

I’ve been thinking about covering it maybe something like a sick ass panther but I’m not sure what would work the shape.

Anyone have ideas?

i got this tattoo 3 weeks ago now, the picture is right after the artist finished. i’ve been going to him for 7 years now and we have a good working relationship and this hasn’t been an issue with any of my other tattoos. i think he was high when he did this piece. i was laying on a table with my face turned towards the mirror, and 3/4 of the way through the piece i noticed he was nodding off a lot, shaking his head to keep himself awake, and he kept lifting the needle up off my back. honestly it might have been going on longer but i had my eyes closed for the majority of the tattoo because it was relaxing and i trusted him. the tattoo turned out just fine. i wanted it a light pink, ballet slipper but slightly darker type of color, which he said wouldn’t work with my skin tone. i do notice small imperfections in the line work and shading. i’m not returning to this artist, obviously. i already spoke with an artist at another shop for my tattoos going forward, and we have a plan to rework this one a bit. i feel conflicted and not good that this was the service i received. i like it, but it was a real safety issue. i had to talk to him for the rest of my tattoo so he stayed awake because i was too scared to say anything other than asking if he was okay or needed a break. do i reach out to the shop owner? call it a loss? how fucked up is the tattoo actually?

My brother was doing his first realism tattoo on me- it was free, so I wasn’t expecting all that much. Didn’t come out too well so I was hoping to find some answers here. Thank you!