Miley Cyrus regrets 80% of her tattoos. She's not alone in facing 'tattoo regret.'

USA Today

2 days ago

Miley Cyrus regrets 80% of her tattoos. She's not alone in facing 'tattoo regret.'
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Vocal Condition Behind Her Raspy Voice
Miley Cyrus has revealed that she has Reinke's edema, a condition affecting her vocal cords that gives her voice its raspy tone.
unbranded - Entertainment
If you've experienced "tattoo regret," you're not alone. Miley Cyrus is right there with you.
Cyrus considers 80% of her tattoos a "mistake" that she "still thinks about" she told The New York Times.
"I love my dog," she said, pointing to a tattoo of a pitbull on her right arm. "But like, I don't know. Just having a pitbull in every picture for the rest of my life is kind of intense."
The Grammy-award winning singer added that she doesn't "regret them enough to laser them," but there are a "few she could have done without."
Cyrus is among many Gen Zers and fellow Millennials experiencing what has been coined as "tattoo regret."
In 2024, tattoo regret reentered popular conversation on TikTok after young women expressed concern over how their tattoos would look in their wedding gowns. These videos often spotlight patchwork tattoos, a style that's become increasingly trendy in the past five years and consists of clusters of uncoordinated flash tattoos rather than a cohesive sleeve. Several creators also shared their experiences with Ephemeral tattoos, which are meant to disappear within three years, but had yet to fade.
Gen Z is experiencing 'tattoo regret.' Here's why social media may be to blame.
What is 'tattoo regret'?
Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Gabs Miceli would categorize tattoo regret into 'immediate regret' and regret that comes later on, like 'when you start to hit certain milestones in your life.'
'I've seen some people who have loved their tattoos consistently the whole time they've had them,' Miceli previously told USA TODAY. 'And then I've seen other people falter in their attraction to them soon after getting them.'
Miceli says tattoo regret has always been around, but the ability to share and document these experiences on TikTok makes it seem more prevalent.
'(We're) able to hear people's experiences and opinions now more than ever,' Brooklyn-based tattoo artist Phia Walla previously told USA TODAY.
Their Ephemeral tattoos should've faded. Years later, some are still stuck with them.
Miceli says it is most important to 'be gentle with yourself,' because tattoo regret is more common than you think.
'As humans, we are constantly changing and what we like is constantly changing,' she says. 'That's who you were at the time and you should honor that person.'