‘Have you ever regretted getting it?’: Singaporean women discuss life with full-arm tattoo sleeves

SINGAPORE: For some people, having full-arm tattoos is a form of self-expression through art. However, deciding to have this comes with questions about regret in the future, especially about how society perceives people with tattoos–particularly in women.

A 33-year-old Singaporean woman opened up about wanting to have symmetrical full sleeve tattoos on both of her arms, but first wanted to understand the long-term effects of this decision, given that Singapore still has a stigma regarding body art. 

In her post on Reddit, the woman asked: “Do you still love it, or have you ever regretted getting it? Have you noticed any difference in how people treat you because you are a woman with a full sleeve?” She also emphasised whether having tattoos affected their dating life. 

She added: “I would especially love to hear from ladies who have had their sleeves for 5+ years, since I am more curious about the long-term experience rather than the first few months” 

With this, many netizens shared their thoughts and opinions in the comments section. One commented that people would definitely stare at people with this type of tattoo, and shared: “I stay in an older estate so there are a lot of old people staring at me. But honestly you get used to it and I don’t really take it personally. like what if people stare, they’re not doing anything to me. Just let them look.” 

For some guys, they find women with tattoos very attractive, but it highly depends on the design of the tattoos. 

“Lots of sophisticated, high-flying men are really intrigued by my tattoos and flirt with me. But at the end of the day your dating success largely depends on whether or not these people are genuine + whether or not you vibe with them,” a commenter remarked. 

One admitted that they had tattoo sleeves 10 years ago and regret it now. 

“Have to cover it all the time for work. Less flexibility with clothes. Too much work, time and money to have it removed,” the netizen further explained. 

“It could be inconvenient for work, but if the industry you work in is fine with visible ink, the rest of it is not much of a concern,” another comment stated. 

One more netizen advised that before having the tattoos done, one must think if they will still like it when they grow older—when they reach their 50s and 60s. Furthermore, others reminded that people should not have any skin condition when getting a tattoo, as this can trigger reactions that may cause inconvenience to them. 

“I love my tattoos and love being a tattooed person! I think it's the best accessory. I love feeling like this is my body and I made it this way. Some tattoos I've since had reworked or updated- but that's part of the process IMO. Our bodies and tastes will always change,” a comment concluded. 

At the end of the day, this discussion highlighted that having full-arm tattoos can bring both confidence and challenges. With this truth, people who are thinking about getting full sleeves were advised by many to choose their designs carefully and consider how they might feel about them in the future.