If you’re my grandma, this article might give you heart palpitations. Yes, you read that right, I have 18 tattoos! I got my first two tattoos when I was 16, and the addiction has followed me to 19 years old, too. Do I regret some of them? Here and there. Do I love all of them? For the most part!
Growing up, tattoos were not something my family was super fond of. My dad had three, but they were all covered up unless he had his shirt off. My sister and I used to sit and color them in with washable markers. My mom had one tattoo that you also couldn’t see and it was super small. I honestly never thought I would be one to get tons of tattoos, but here we are. My sister got her first tattoo when she was 17 and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. The younger sister in me came out and I told my dad I wanted one when I turned 16 because in Virginia, you can get one at that age if a legal guardian signs for you.
My 16th birthday rolls around and I make an appointment. I was so scared about the pain, but I knew that I wanted these two tattoos. My first tattoo was a heart my mom drew me on a note she packed in my lunch box years ago. I have that one on my left side on my ribs. Considering how small I got it, the pain was hardly anything. For my second tattoo that day, I got a fully colored in 17 above my left ankle. My sister got a matching one with me because we were both born on the 17th of different months and years. I made her go first because she had multiple tattoos at this point, and she wanted to make me feel better about the pain. Per usual, she had the best poker face during her tattoo. She hopped off the chair and it was my turn. I laid down, expecting some pain, but not nearly as much as what I felt. I literally thought my ankle was being ripped off my body. After leaving the shop, my sister informed me that the tattoo artist went too deep for both our tattoos and that was the worst tattoo pain she has felt. Mind you, she has a thigh sleeve. We laughed about it and we were both obsessed with our new tattoos!
I didn’t get another tattoo for exactly a year after that. On my 17th birthday, I begged my dad to let me get another one. He said that would be okay, and I decided to get my zodiac sign behind my ear. I got the cutest Virgo tattoo and I honestly don’t appreciate this one enough! It is so cute, and I love how subtle it is. The pain of that one wasn’t bad at all. Other than the heart I got, the Virgo symbol was the easiest one I had gotten so far.
December rolls around and you know what that means: Christmas presents! I asked my dad if he would let me get another tattoo to which he was on board with as long as it was meaningful. I had been wondering how I could add more to the heart my mom drew me. I chose to get her birth flowers, Lily of the Valley, and have them sort of engulfing the heart. I got that a few days before Christmas. It is SO beautiful and one of my favorites. The pain for that one honestly was not bad. It was about the same as the tattoo behind my ear.
A few months later, I got an itch for a new tattoo. This was around April of 2023, and I wanted something that I thought was pretty, rather than something that had tons of meaning to me. My dad and I actually came up with a really beautiful meaning for it, though. I showed him a picture of The Creation of Adam, and he LOVED it. We came up with the meaning that it represents my mom and I. We are so close, yet so far, and our hands are almost touching. I got this under my right boob and on the front of my stomach. It kind of goes on my ribs, but I wanted it to be more focused on the center of my right side. The pain of this one was not as bad as the 17, but it was in second place.
For graduation, my ex best friend and I had been talking about getting a small matching tattoo. We had been best friends for 12 years, so what could go wrong, right? We decided on getting a small little star, almost like an asterisk but not quite. I got mine on the side of my left wrist and she got hers behind her ear. We haven’t talked since December of 2023 (yikes) so maybe don’t get matching tattoos with anyone! This one was my least painful.
My 18th birthday rolls around. Here is where the ball REALLY starts rolling. I called my dad while I’m away at college and ask him to pay for some tattoos for my birthday. He agreed, and I make my appointment for my birthday. I decided on getting 777 on my right wrist, the word angel on my left thigh/hip, and cherries on my left arm inside of a stamp with my lucky number. I got to the shop and we got started. I remember looking at the arm tattoo and thinking “holy sh*t.” I couldn’t believe I had an arm tattoo! I loved it, but wow that was a weird feeling seeing my once bare arms with a decently large tattoo. The pain of the 777 was nothing. The cherries hurt, but they were doable. The word angel almost took me out. It hurt SO f*cking bad. I was looking up at my girlfriend (we weren’t dating yet, but we are now) and she was cheering me on. It took maybe two minutes for my tattoo artist to finish it, but those two minutes were so painful. That one and the 777 are also two of my absolute favorites.
Writing this article, I wish I would have stopped there with my tattoos for a little bit. If you know anything about me at all, I in fact did not stop there. Christmas break freshman year of college arrives and I was dying for a new tattoo, so I decided to get a lavender flower with the word temporary connected to it. I thought the cherries were big, but this one is HUGE. I got it on the left side of my left arm. I was going through a really difficult time with my mental health and “it’s temporary” was something I had been saying to myself my entire life. The lavender reminds me to breathe, but also has another meaning that I’m not going to share here. While I love this tattoo, I wish I would have gotten it in a different font and maybe a tad bit smaller with the temporary.
I was talking to my tattoo artist during my appointment and told her I wanted the star I had got matching with my ex best friend covered up. I told her the story of why we are no longer friends and she immediately grabs my arm and tells me she is going to cover it up for free. I was SO happy because this situation was so fresh and being constantly reminded of what happened was not helping my mental health. The night before my appointment, my girlfriend drew a beautiful flower over the star. I loved it and she told me it was a reminder of growth. Beauty can come from something that once reminded me of a horrible time. My tattoo artist began to draw the most beautiful flower. She shaded it so well and while it still reminds me of that time in my life, it is such a good reminder to also remember the growth that came from that situation. Those two tattoos are incredibly beautiful and remind me of my growth every time I see them. The pain of both these tattoos was very average and was not anything unbearable.
The next tattoo I got was a fairy on my right arm. I was being very impulsive (don’t ever get tattoos when you are being impulsive) and decided to get a tattoo the same day my girlfriend was going to get one. I scrolled Pinterest and found a really pretty fairy. The next day, we do a walk-in and I walked out with a fairy on my upper right arm. The pain of this tattoo was not bad at all. I can tell you this one almost weekly circles my mind with regret all over it. It’s so cute and I get the most compliments on this one, but I regret it often for some reason.
A few months went by yet again and I was on summer break. My girlfriend and our friends decided to go to a tattoo/piercing shop one day and I can never say no to a tattoo trip! My girlfriend got her zodiac sign on her thigh and convinced me to get a tattoo as well. I decided to get these really beautiful doves on my back. I got three doves with some pretty stars throughout the piece. The doves represent me, my mom, and my sister. This is definitely one of my favorites. I got this one on the back of my left shoulder. The pain was definitely not bad at all, and actually one of my easiest tattoos!
I went another few months without getting a tattoo and in August of 2024, I got a bow on the inside of my right wrist. I REGRET this one bad. I don’t know why the hell I would have gotten that so visible, but here we are. I had just gotten back to college after summer break and full sent it with getting the bow. I get a lot of compliments on this one too, but I’m still not totally sold. The pain of this one was also not bad at all and very doable.
Next, I got my long awaited spine tattoo. I had been wanting a spine tattoo for ages, but couldn’t come up with what I wanted it to say. I had gone back and forth with getting flowers, drawing it myself, stars and different celestial things, lyrics, etc. Finally, I decided on getting Lana Del Rey lyrics from the song “Pretty When You Cry.” I got “all the pretty stars shine for you my love” down my spine. This one hurt like hell. I would say the pain of that one is top three of my most painful tattoos. I absolutely love it though and I would totally pick that one as being my favorite tattoo at the moment. The same day, I got another set of lyrics from a song called “Heaven Up There” by a band called Palace. I got “is it heaven up there” on the inside of my right arm. Again, the pain for this one was very doable.
I took another few months break of getting tattoos and decided to get one over winter break of 2024. I got the word “interlinked” on my left hand, directly under my thumb. The pain on this one wasn’t terrible, but it was definitely one of my more uncomfortable tattoos. I am not going to share the meaning of this one, but it’s one of my favorites.
When I got back to school in January, I decided to get two more tattoos because my girlfriend had just gotten a beautiful phoenix on her arm and I was inspired! I got a single line creating the shape of a woman’s silhouette on the bottom half of my right arm. It is so dainty and beautiful. I absolutely love her and what she means to me. This tattoo is a reminder to love the skin I am in and to love my body. The pain for this one was a 0/10. I then got a pair of swans on my right lower back that day. I love them and I think they provide such a cute look with my other two back tattoos. The pain for the swans is top five of my most painful tattoos. They are so cute though so it was totally worth sitting through the pain!
My best advice to anyone getting tattoos or anyone in a phase of getting them impulsively, give yourself a checklist before you commit to getting the tattoo. Are you going to regret this in five years? What about ten years? Do you even have the money to get the tattoo right now or are you pulling money out of your ass for this tattoo? Is this something you would still want to go get tattooed a month from now? Be honest with yourself even if you are so excited to get the tattoo in the moment. While I sometimes regret the tattoos I have, they do encapsulate moments of my life and I love getting to talk about them with people! Tattoos are permanent, unless you have money to get them lasered, so choose wisely!