Woman’s viral plea: Raise tattoo legal age after decade of regret
A South Australian TikTok creator, known as @clandestine_dncr, is sparking a controversial debate online with her plea to raise the legal age for getting tattoos.
In a candid TikTok video, she shared her journey of tattoo remorse, urging Gen Z to think twice before getting inked.
At 19, she began getting tattoos as a “coping mechanism” for her mood swings, leading to a heavily inked appearance over a short period.
“It was just such a coping mechanism for me whenever I had a depressive thought or feeling I was like, ‘oh, I’ll get a tattoo’,” she revealed in her video.
A decade later, her feelings have drastically changed.
“I absolutely hate the things,” she admits, despite appreciating them on others. Her biggest regret now is the ink on her own skin, which she once loved.
Her message extends beyond mere regret.
She discussed the common misconception that tattoos are easily removable.
Contrary to this belief, she’s spent eight years and a fortune trying to remove hers.
“I’ve now been getting these things removed for the last eight years, 12 to 20 sessions per tattoo,” she explained, describing the painful and costly process.
Working in the tattoo removal industry herself, she highlighted the financial burden of this endeavour.
“Half of the reason I do it for a living is because it’s so damn expensive, that if I have the laser and I do the laser, I can just do it myself. Girl math,” she said, shedding light on the true cost and effort involved in tattoo removal.
“It [laser] feels like you’re being burned by a blowtorch”.
Ending her video, she calls for a change in the legal tattooing age.
Reflecting on her own experience, she advocates for the age limit to be raised to 21, hoping to prevent others from making decisions they might regret.
“I’m such an advocate for the legal age of being tattooed to go up to 21 because I do not know what I was thinking,” she said.
“I got my knuckles tattooed. I got my neck tattooed … I just want clean skin. It’s all that I want, please.”
Her story has resonated with many, sparking debates about the age of consent for tattoos and the need for more awareness around the permanence and potential for regret.
“Honestly I think 25, when the frontal lobe is fully developed is better. I got my all my tattoos between 22 and 24 and I don’t like them anymore,” one commenter wrote, while another said “I’m covered … But 100% I have always said nobody would suffer from raising the age to 21, heck 25 imo”.
