The dilemmas of embodied symbolic representation: Regret in contemporary American tattoo narratives

•We explore meanings and motives for tattoo regret.•People face dilemmas when they lack tattoo narratives and when they subscribe static and absolute meanings to tattoos.•Tattoos become problematic due to their inability to function beyond their capacity as symbolic representations.•When people cannot reconcile or transcend the dynamic and relative nature of tattoo meanings, they feel regretful and sometimes opt for tattoo cover-ups or removals.