A Cuban resident in Italy identified on TikTok as @iday2023 posted a video this week in which she confesses to deeply regret the 22 tattoos on her body, and sends a direct message to young people: do not harm your skin.
Idailis, as the woman is called, recounts that she got all those tattoos during a very difficult time in her life, characterized by emotional, economic, and mental instability that accompanied her emigration from Cuba. "I got them at a point in my life when I was in a terrible place, crossing the sea from underneath, on a bicycle, however you want to put it," she explains, using expressions from Cuban migration slang to refer to dangerous journeys.
Since achieving stability seven years ago, he hasn't gotten a tattoo. "I haven't pierced my skin in seven years, since I gained emotional, financial, and mental stability," he says.
Today, those tattoos make her uncomfortable in her daily life. "For me, it's a headache to have to wear a dress and have my tattoos visible because I feel they don’t match, they don’t combine," she says. She adds candidly, "One thing I really envy today are those people who don’t have a tattoo. I would give anything I don’t have to have my skin tattoo-free."
Getting rid of the 22 tattoos is, for now, an aspiration beyond his financial reach. In Europe, laser removal can cost between 40 and 300 euros per session, and each tattoo requires between four and 12 sessions, making complete elimination a several thousand euro expense. “I don’t feel good about the tattoos, I don’t like them, I’d like to get rid of them, but I don’t have the money. So, I guess I'll have to live with them until I can. Maybe one day I'll win the lottery and I can remove them all,” he jokes.
The most emotional message in the video is directed toward his 18-year-old son, whom he constantly advises against getting tattooed. The irony is not lost on him: "He tells me, but look how many you have. That's exactly why I'm telling you." Idailis acknowledges that he didn't have anyone to warn him in time and now takes on that role. "As your mother, I'm telling you not to do it, and to all the young people I can advise on this topic: don't damage your skin."
Idailis's testimony is not an isolated case. Cuban women in Italy have openly shared the realities and contradictions of emigration, ranging from work-related challenges to personal relationships. Regret over tattoos is also a growing global phenomenon: recent studies indicate that 16% of tattooed women regret at least one tattoo, and consultations for laser removal have increased by 30% in recent years, with women aged between 35 and 50 being the predominant profile.
Other Cuban women on TikTok have shared life advice drawn from their experiences abroad, becoming informal references for compatriots going through similar stages. There are also those, like this Cuban woman who responded emphatically on TikTok, who use the platform to speak candidly about their reality.
Idailis concludes her video with a blunt warning: "If you have smooth skin, that's the only envy I could have for you. Don't get tattoos, I told you, because tomorrow you'll regret it."
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