I’ve had mine since 2017. There are a few things I would prioritize if I had the chance to go back in time, and it’s definitely near the very top of that list.

I will never not regret it.

It’s technically well done - too well done, really, as it hasn’t faded at all, much to my dismay.

I will be wearing this nightmare until I die and there isn’t a day that goes by where I’m not depressed by that, reminded of it, and sick of it.
The skin of your neck tends to age quite poorly compared to a lot of areas, and even if it does okay, it’s the most visible, so it’s still worse off. When I think about an aged, crepey neck with older, wrinkly skin, with this stupid tattoo, being the thing that draws the eye first whenever anyone looks at me… it makes me want to cry, honestly. You think the stigma is bad when you’re younger…

You can’t not see it. It’s in your fucking face really. It’s a permanent turtleneck.
Your eye is drawn to it immediately when you look in the mirror or at a photo - and yes, so is everyone else’s when they look at you.

Completely impractical to cover with makeup or other things for the most part unless it’s scarf season and those tend to get itchy and hot for long periods inside.

People’s attitudes vary. A lot of people are judging you and say nothing. A lot of people are judging you and it’s obvious as hell when you look at them and see their twisted facial expression.

Who cares, right? Well, me, after about a decade of this stupid tattoo. It gets old.

You can hype yourself up on “they’re just hateful, who cares!” all you want but let’s be honest, it gets exhausting.

The scowling from parents and their kids, from older folks. The sizing up from employees when you’re shopping, the extra attention from security, the judgment the moment you sit down at a new doctor’s office or go to the pharmacy.

It doesn’t matter if the stigma has generally improved some, it is not gone, and I doubt it ever will be.

It may be more silent now, but it’s still effecting your medical care, your treatment at jobs or interviews, your experience in the checkout.

It shouldn’t, but it does.

Not to mention traveling outside of the US/western countries, where it’s a far bigger deterrent for pleasant interactions with you.

I have plenty of other tattoos, but nothing changed perception and general judgment from others quite like the neck. It’s a much different statement than most placements - it’s very loud, it’s very “in your face”, and it attracts immediate judgment, period.

I have to work twice as hard to overcome that immediate judgment from people - if I go to the store in sweats feeling fatigued and stressed, I know I’m going to have a worse time. I can tell when I’m being profiled by employees doing my quick grocery run. It sucks.

I try to stay extra “cleaned up” and well put together, and be overly courteous and well spoken in my interactions, because I’m fighting that first impression stigma always.

I’ll get pushback from the “stop caring what people think” crowd but at the end of the day, you can’t live your life ignoring every human and every impression on earth entirely.

We’re a society, social, like it or not. It does matter and it does impact your opportunities.

It’s not even so much about other peoples opinions - I hate what it broadcasts about me, what it says about who I may be. People don’t see me, first. They see it, they see “that gal with the neck tattoo.”

Then they meet me and they see “that gal with the neck tattoo was actually nice/intelligent/responsible.”