Ben Affleck has reportedly become the latest celebrity to suffer from tattoo regret. The recently-divorced actor unveiled a massive, colorful phoenix on his back in 2015. He first claimed the tattoo was temporary, before later admitting that it had special meaning. His monstrosity ink has been making headlines since it was first spotted—ruffling the feathers of both his ex-wives.
Jennifer Garner addressed the phoenix ink during an interview with Vanity Fair. "You know what we would say in my hometown about that? 'Bless his heart," quipped Garner, before adding, "A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes."
Just last week, Ben's big bird tattoo was in the news yet again. This time, after reports that Affleck finally planned to have it removed. Multiple outlets claim that his decision has angered his second ex-wife. “Jennifer Lopez furious because Ben Affleck has decided to do something she had been begging him to do for years,” reads one headline. “J Lo 'Seething' Ben Affleck is Planning to Finally Have Giant Back Tattoo Erased as Part of 'Divorce Makeover' – After Years of Her Begging Him to Get Inking Lazered Off,” states another.
Affleck is not the first celebrity to roll around in the muddy waters of tattoo remorse. Megan Fox spoke of a "really bad one" she got when she was 13. It was apparently a dragon on her right butt cheek, which Fox referred to as an "a*s stamp." "I was in New York City and I thought it was a great idea,” said the actress. “It had a lot of meaning at the time but now it's hideous."
Mark Wahlberg removed all of his body art in the early 2000s, citing his kids as the reason. The actor said he didn’t want his children getting inked and had gotten rid of his own to lead by example. But there was another reason. Wahlberg was also apparently tired of sitting in a make-up chair for hours while on movie sets. “Putting makeup on and covering them up has always been a pain in the butt," he told the Today Show.
A 2023 survey found that 1 in 4 people regret at least one of their tattoos. More than half of the respondents reported their regret did not fully sink in until at least two years after getting the tattoo, while 18% had immediate remorse. Nearly half of those surveyed said the tattoo they regret the most was one they got spontaneously. Not too surprising...
Some of the main reasons for tattoo regret are because the ink bearer is not happy with how the art looks, they simply no longer like it, they’re disappointed in the tattoo artist’s work, they’ve lost connection to the original meaning, or their tattoo has had a negative impact on professional opportunities.
"The professional impact of visible tattoos remains a concern for many with 3 in 4 people believing visible tattoos can negatively affect a person’s professional opportunities," noted the Advanced Dermatology study. And it seems not even the rich and famous are immune to job loss due to body art.
