- Mary Minahan is a tattoo artist who has worked in the industry for over a decade.
- She told BI that people often end up regretting tattoos of their significant other's name.
Tattooing the name of your significant other onto your body might seem like a good idea when you're in love, but it could lead to some serious regrets down the road.
That's according to Mary Minahan, a tattoo artist with over a decade experience working in the industry. Minahan, 35, is based in New York City and documents her tattoo work on social media under the handle Miss Vampira.
She told Business Insider that she almost always refuses a client's request for a tattoo with their significant other's name.
Her reason is pretty straightforward: "Usually you break up," Minahan said.
In the past, when Minahan has said yes to these requests, she said she's had clients return to the parlor regretting their decision.
"They get the name and then a month later they come in for a coverup and they're like, 'We should have listened to you,'" she said.
People tend to have mixed reactions when Minahan refuses to tattoo a name, she said, but that hasn't stopped her from sharing her honest opinion.
"Sometimes people get offended, but in the long run I think that they appreciate it because it actually gets them to thinking about it a little bit more," she said. "It's not like an impulse buy where you can return it."
There are plenty of alternatives
Minahan said people looking to pay tribute to a significant other should consider several of her go-to alternatives.
Among her recommendations are tattoos of a partner's nickname or a special date. Both are equally romantic and unique, but are slightly more subtle than a name.
But the best alternative to a name, Minahan said, is a symbol that acts as reminder of the person.
"That way if you do break up, it's kind of just a reminder of a point in time," she said. "You obviously liked that person at one point, and it's an image that you could kind of associate with something else if you wanted to."
Minahan cited her own experience of getting a tattoo in honor of her late grandmother as an example.
"When my grandma passed away, I got a cardinal for her instead of her name. I thought that was something more interesting to look at," she said. "There's emotion involved in it and it's something beautiful versus just a name."