A woman who was “addicted‘I’m addicted to fizzy drink – I drink four litres a day and spend £90 a month,’ says woman, 20” to getting tattoos reveals why she is now getting them removed – with people constantly assuming she’s a “bad girl” because of her extensive ink.
Lauren got her first piece – a set of roses on her stomach – done when she was just 18 years old after getting inspired by Lady Gaga’s floral back tattoo.
In the years following, she added more ink to her collection – getting 18 more to the tune of £10,000.
But despite initially enjoying the art, the now 30-year-old has begun to “hate” her tattoos and is getting them removed one by one – having already lasered off nine, and is in the process of removing a further six.
“I regretted every single [one] almost immediately after getting it,” Lauren, a psychology student from Australia, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“I just couldn’t stop myself – I was addicted.”
Lauren, who spent $20,000 AUD (£10,448) in total on her tattoos, said she initially got them as a “coping mechanism” while struggling with depression.
But after being “essentially covered” by age 25, the appeal quickly wore off, with the heavy ink attracting comments in public and criticism from her family members.
Lauren said: “I feel like they are the first thing anyone sees when I’m wearing shorts or a dress and it makes me feel incredibly insecure.
“People make assumptions about me and my personality based on how I look – especially the older generation.
“I’ve heard whispers of snarly remarks and been looked up and down in public, and it hurts.
“I’ve found that because of my tattoos, men interact with me differently.
“They immediately assume I’m a ‘bad girl’ or a ‘biker girl’, which isn’t the case.
“They also assume I’m promiscuous and often over-sexualise me because of the way I look.
“I also come from a family of ‘clean skins’ – neither of my parents have a single tattoo so you can imagine their shock when I started getting heavily tattooed.
“My mum warned me [and] she knows me better than I know myself.
“She knew I would regret them but at the time I couldn’t be reasoned with.
“I was in my rebellious era.
“In hindsight, I wish I had listened.”
Now, she plans to have “completely clean skin” within the next few years, with the removal process costing her an estimated double what she originally spent.
Lauren added: “I’ve been in the process of removing these tattoos my entire adult life so it’s become really defeating.
“I don’t expect I will have completely clean skin until I’m until I’m in my mid-30s, and that makes me really upset that I wasted my 20s in a body I didn’t feel comfortable in.”
