Assignment 7A Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Assignment 7A Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

Tattoo Regret

• Opportunity:  In the United States, there is an increasing number of people who have tattoos and of that population, there is a percentage who have regret about one or more of their tattoos because of why and when they got the tattoo, the meaning behind the tattoo, or may not have really carefully considered it before having it done.
• The who:  individuals with tattoos
• The what:  Tattoo regret of some individuals who have them
• The why:  significance of the, possibly age when the tattoo was done, the amount of time spent considering the tattoo, professional reasons, etc.
• Testing the who:  There are increasing numbers of people who have tattoos, now estimated at 48% of Americans according to Dalia Research in 2018.  This exists not only in the U.S. but across the globe with Italy and Sweden ranking above the U.S. according to the study.  The "who" in my opportunity will be examining the group of men and women in the U.S. with tattoos from ages 18-70.
• Testing the what:  Among the individuals who have tattoos, there are some who have tattoo regret, wishing they had chosen a different tattoo or body part to have a tattoo placed, and some even wish they had never gotten it at all. 
• Testing the why:  There are a number of reasons why people get tattoos ranging from self expression, desire to fit in or acceptance, artistic beauty, for someone else significant in their lives, event inspired, social bonding, deeply meaningful, intoxication, peer pressure, etc.  Why, though, do some of these individuals regret their permanent tattoos?  The reasons vary from person to person.  I believe an opportunity exists within this group of people who have regret about their tattoo.
• Interview #1:  (27 year old female)  This interview was done over the telephone since she lives in Memphis.  She has four tattoos.  I asked her what made her want to get a tattoo and she explained that the poem she had tattooed on her rib cage was deeply personal as she had suffered a painful  event and this tattoo was part of her recovery.  She said she wanted to put the tattoo in a place where it would not have an impact on her job opportunities when she graduated college.  She is a teacher now.  She further went on to say that she had no regret about this tattoo or the two other small ones she has.  There was one tattoo that she told me she wished she had never gotten which was the name of a boyfriend.  She told me, "every time I look at it, I just want to kick myself."  I asked her if she ever considered having it removed and she said she had thought about it but it was on her foot so she said maybe one day when she has a permanent relationship she would further research it. 
• Interview #2:  (26 year old male-Joey) This interview was quite interesting as I visited a tattoo shop in a mall nearby.  I had never met this young man, but he spent 35 minutes with me giving me "tattoo Ed" as a part of the interview.  He is a tattoo artist so he started out by telling me he had no regrets about his tattoos which were sprawling from his chest to his ankles and down each arm.  I asked him what made him want to have tattoos and he said that his body told his life story, showing the struggle within of good and evil, the pain and joy and hope for the future.  He told me he had been working in tattoo artistry since he was 15 years old and he did all of his own tattoos. Before the end of our discussion, he finally admitted a few personal details which he gave me permission to share.  While he said still wishes to keep his artwork, he has experienced feelings of isolation because of his decision to have tattoos.  He told me of a time when he saw a woman look at him and clutch her purse as if she thought he was a criminal about to rob her.  He went on to say there are a few of his tattoos he would consider removing and/or replacing.  
• Interview #3: (44 year old woman-Amber)  In my interview with Amber, I found that she had only one small tattoo.  She had breast cancer about four years ago and after she was told she was in remission, she decided to have a small breast cancer survivor ribbon tattooed under her arm.  She told me she had never even considered having a tattoo but after having survived a full mastectomy and was once again healthy, her daughter convinced her to go together to get the ribbon as a mother/daughter bonding experience.  She said she has no regrets because she feels so blessed to be alive and she was happy that her daughter wanted to do it together.
• Interview #4: (55 year old woman-Rachel)  Rachel is an educator and swim instructor.  She was an elite swimmer in college and her entire swim team got tattoos just under the edge of their swimsuit lines and she told me it has bothered her for years.  She told me she had no idea why the team chose a "tweety-bird" for their team tat and why they all went along with it.  She said it wasn't until recently she started considering removing the tattoo.  I ask her if it was visible now and she said with the bathing suit style changes over the years, she has now gone to a skirt so it does not show when she is giving swimming lessons.  She told me she thought that it was not professional since she teaches swim lessons to small children.  Rachel is seriously thinking about removing the tattoo so she does not have to cover it up anymore.
• Interview #5:  (35 year old male-Jason)  This interview was with an previous U.S. Marine.  He served 6 years and during his service he got three tattoos.  Each of them, he told me was representative of a different tour.  I asked him if he regretted the decision to get his tattoos and he responded he really did not have any regret.  He said he would not have put the one on his arm (which is an American Eagle). He thought he should not have it showing beneath the sleeves of his shirt. Now, his employer does not permit visible tattoos.  He told me he has to buy a polo shirt one size up to ensure the wing does not show below his sleeves.  I asked him if he would ever consider having it removed and he told me he probably would not. 

I learned some important information through these interviews.  First, I need to interview a larger group of people to get a better understanding about the boundaries of the opportunity.  I thought I would not include younger (18-25 yrs) individuals for these interviews because I did not think that age group would be the demographic who had the problem of tattoo regret.  Second, in my interview with Joey, he told me he saw the greatest number of people who were disappointed or who "regretted" their tattoos were mostly women in their mid to late 30's, so perhaps I should narrow the "Who" in my opportunity.  Lastly, I confirmed there is an opportunity involving tattoo regret.