I love tattoos.

Absolutely love them. Check my Facebook groups and you’ll notice I’m a member of several tattoo-themed groups, my favorite of which happens to be titled: “People with tattoos are just that much more fun to see naked.”

Why is that my favorite group, you ask? Well, because it’s true! Beautiful colors and lines of intricate work revealed slowly, sensually, bit by bit as clothing finds its way to the floor? Ooh! I’m getting tingles just thinking about it! Yum yum.

I, uh… Ahem. Sorry about that.

Now I know you’ve heard all of this “Don’t get a tattoo unless you really want one” talk, so that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. You’re responsible adults. I’m not going to berate you and treat you like you don’t know what tattoos are, their dangers, or how long they last. At least not for very long.

So, real quick, just for the record:

You do not want your buddy Chad McSomething-Or-Other who does discounts off the tattoos he performs in his garage. A professional, reputable shop will take care of you and work with you, making sure your tattoo is what you want and that the experience is a pleasant one.

Because tattoos, they’re permanent. Y’know — as in forever.

It’s at this point that I must confess: This column isn’t about tattoos. Not really. Tattoos are simply a means to an end here. What are we really talking about? Self-esteem. This is one of those feel-good columns I used to do so often. So sit back and feel the love.

See, people are afraid to get tattoos because they’re afraid of regret, and it is that fear that I hope to dispel. It’s a fear I had to face when I decided that I wanted a tattoo — that I wanted several tattoos.

Regret is a fear that many college students face, as Brie Nickels, junior in child, adult and family services did when she got her tattoos. And she has advice for people facing their fears:

“It’s not the end of the world if you make a mistake. Suck it up and deal with it. It will be okay, and you’ll hopefully learn a valuable lesson from it. Your experiences in life are what mold you as a person and if you were able to take back everything that you wish you hadn’t done — then, well, you’d be lame,” Nickels said.

I like Brie. She and I have a very similar outlook on life.

In fact, we both had the same plan to get over our fear of regret, much to my surprise: purposefully get a shallow, unoriginal tattoo purely for cuteness’ sake. Even more interesting is that both of our meaningless tattoos are hearts located in similar places. Strange coincidences, huh?

But with tattoos and with regards to fear and regret in general, I believe it’s simply better to just place yourself beyond your comfort zone, get over that fear, and move on with life.

Think of all the places you want to go, all the things you want to do. Do you really want to look back when you’re older and wish what could have been? Do you want to think about that dream you never quite forced yourself to follow through on because fear or regret held you back?

Heck, some of us are even focused on that upcoming test, date, or what-have-you.

Little things. But that doesn’t mean you should hold yourself back any more than you would from your long-term goals and dreams.

Don’t be afraid of the future. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and go for the things you want.

I’ve got four tattoos with plans for at least six more. I’m marking myself for life and it doesn’t bother me one bit.

When I’m an old and wrinkled grandmother with a strange blobs of color that no longer even closely resemble what they once were, I’ll be proud to tell my children and grandchildren: Yes, I have tattoos. I saw what I wanted and I went for it. I didn’t hold back out of some silly fear that I might not like the pictures at some point in my life.

I’m permanently marked by pictures of ink as well as the stories, treasures, memories and feelings that go along with them. But, truth be told, even without literal tattoos, people are marked by their experiences and personalities.

It’s just a matter of whether you embrace or regret your markings — your tattoos.

— Sophie Prell is a junior in pre-journalism and mass communication from Alta.