Perception is gradually changing... I don't think there'll be so many youngsters regretting their tats in years to come, because it's so mainstream now.
Tattoo parlours always used to be seedy back street joints, hidden away (or at the coast)... now even my little town's got a tattooist... on the High Street... with floor to ceiling glass frontage... the guy sits in the window drawing portraits from photographs (which keeps the pennies ticking over when there's no tattooing to be done) and the flashes are all displayed like a poster display in any other High Street shop.
The more mainstream it gets, the less likely I'll be to ever have any done now though. If I'd have been able to decide what I wanted done 25 years ago when I first really wanted a tat, I'd have stood out from the crowd... nowadays, I find I stand out more by having none
I still might get one... I have a hatchling of a plan... which is dependent on a few other factors... if they fall into place then the tat will happen to mark the occasion accordingly. And it'll be my own design. Not because I have any issues about people getting off the peg designs, but because it'll be symbolic to me and me alone.
It also won't be on general view as I'm an old fashioned kinda gal (not to mention frightened fartless of my Mother!
)
I did have an ex who'd regretted a tat... he'd had the word "slave" emblazoned on his backside!
Muppet!