Women open up about tattoo regret and removal after failed relationships: Less painful than my marriage
There’s a moment when a marriage ends and a wedding ring is taken off for the last time that symbolizes a fresh, new start. But Amanda Marxen was denied that rite of passage after separating from her ex in 2023 – because she’d tattooed her ring onto her fingers. Every time the personal trainer looked at her hand she faced a daily reminder of everything that had gone wrong. She had his nickname, a cross, their wedding date, and wedding ring tattooed on her hand—and a Tinder flame commemorating where they matched—when they got married in 2019.She didn’t want to wear a physical ring because she would have to take it off so frequently at work—but the tattoo was a decision she grew to regret.Amanda, 34, from Brisbane, Australia, says: “I loved the tattoos when I got them.
It was like building a love story across my fingers.But we grew apart and wanted to go in different directions.
He wanted to live off-grid and sell the house and go live in the bush [countryside], and that’s not really for me.I like being social and living in the city—we wanted really different things.”They split in 2023 but are co-parenting well, although the tattoo makes it hard for Amanda to move on.“But it feels like I’m still wearing my wedding ring, so that’s why I am getting it removed.
The first session at the tattoo removal studio was really emotional because, for me, it felt like I was taking it off for the first time.It’s hard because it’s like this slow-motion taking the ring off,” she says.The sessions are short but uncomfortable, and the process stings.
“It’s more painful than getting a tattoo but less painful than my marriage,” Amanda jokes.“I am still tearful every time I go.I go through those feelings all over again.
I will feel sad when they are gone—it’s definitely been an emotional process.But I will feel relieved when it’s all gone.
Like it will be the start of a new era; a clean slate and moving on with my life.”Hikima McLe...