The 36-year-old hopes people will carefully consider getting inked (Picture: TikTok/@saraovershares)
At 36, this woman is urging young people to carefully consider tattoos, after coming to regret the extensive body art she got in her twenties.
Sara, from Virginia, US, posted a series of TikToks about her full-body ink recently, warning others from taking the decision lightly.
In the clip, the lifestyle blogger shows off her two sleeve designs, along with a large neck and chest-piece and delicate hand tattoos. Pictures also show portraits, floral patterns and text on her upper thighs.
But far from flaunting the intricate artwork, Sara said she wished she’d waited before indelibly changing her body.
‘Imagine if you will, you put a shirt on once when you were in your twenties, and now you have to wear that for the rest of your life,’ she said.
‘And that is what it feels like to get heavily tattooed before you turn into a fully developed adult human.’
The lifestyle blogger said she doesn’t regret her tattoos due to concerns about age (which is what many assume) but because they no longer match her aesthetic.
Sara explained: ‘I think if you asked almost anybody that’s over 30 if they have a better idea of who they are in their thirties than than they did in their twenties, they are going to be like “Oh my god, yes”.
‘I have all of these tattoos that don’t necessarily reflect who I am at 36.
‘They may have reflected a moment in time in my twenties, maybe a moment in time that I was like not doing so well mentally, and they are here forever.’
Sara has extensive body art, which she had done in her twenties (Picture: TikTok/@saraovershares)
When she had the work done, Sara said her fashion sense was ‘more dark and spooky’, whereas now she leans towards a ‘femme, girly’ look.
‘My aesthetic just does not match. No shade to the artist, I still get a ton of compliments on them – I just wish they weren’t on my body,’ she continued.
‘But I wanted to come on here and put myself out there and say that I was told that I would regret my tattoos when I got older.
‘I am older and I do regret my tattoos and you might too.’
Having racked up over 1.8 million views, Sara’s video has sparked a range of opinions among more than 8,000 comments.
A fellow tattoo regretter said: ‘I’m 29 and got heavily tattooed from 19-23, I def regret most of them for aesthetic reasons too. I wish I had gotten black and grey instead of bright colours.’
‘This!’ said another. ‘Mine are so aggressive and now I’m like a soft sweet adult. Doesn’t match my aesthetic.’
Others felt differently, with one commenter writing: ‘It’s because you are about aesthetic. If you were genuinely collecting quality art you liked rather than for a look/trend, you wouldn’t feel that way.’
‘I like to think of mine as time capsules of a past self who wanted nothing more than that exact tattoo,’ added another.
More: Trending
Despite her regret, though, Sara isn’t looking to change or remove the ink.
‘Before anyone says anything, no I’m not getting all of my tattoos removed,’ she said. ‘Like that’s not even feasible, don’t even suggest it.’
Laser removal or a cover-up of that magnitude would be pricey, painful and time-consuming – which is precisely why it’s so important to be sure before the needle touches your skin.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
MORE : ‘I’m impressed’: Mum lets her nine-year-old daughter tattoo her for ‘practice’
MORE : Young couple have spent the last two years hiking 18 miles a day along the UK coast
Sara has a large chest piece, two full sleeves, and intricate designs on her thighs and hands.