After years of getting tattoos, Simon Khung (better known as Simonboy) regrets most of them.

"Everything I put right, is because I just like that picture (in the moment)," Khung said when I asked him if his tattoos have any meaning.

He admits he envies those who can explain the meaning behind their tattoos. Even if it's a more commonly seen design like dragons or tigers.

"... at least they have a story to tell," Khung said.

This made me think: do tattoos really need meaning?

What are tattoos about now?

The earliest signs of tattoos were on the body of Ötzi, a mummy who lived in a mountainous region between Italy and Switzerland, about 5,200 years ago.

Some archaeologists theorised the tattoos represented some pain treatment or ritual use.

Throughout the years, tattoos also suggested one belonged to a social or belief group.

Like how the infamous Yakuza tattoos might indicate that one belongs to a Japanese mafia group.

But now, tattoos don't always symbolise or represent any.

In recent trends, sticker tattoos are becoming a big thing.

A whole bunch of little tattoos of random cute or minimal designs and icons, some scriptures too, that don't look mismatched when inked in the right places.

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The canvas of 10 to 20 seemingly unrelated tattoos is quite different from tattoos in the past.

One could say a person with a cupid tattooed on his arm believes in Roman mythology. But that's probably not the case.

So why do people nowadays get tattoos and do they have any meaning?

My tattoos need meaning

I've attached meanings to each of my tattoos. If you ask me about it, I might bore you with a pretty lengthy story.

So here's a tamer version.

I have five small tattoos. If you're further than an arm's length away from me, you might not notice them.

I got my newest pair of tattoos on Sep. 3 this year.

One is the word  "love" on my right arm which is how my granny from my dad's side signed off Christmas and birthday angpaos and cards, ever since I was a kid.

On my left arm is "fi", my childhood nickname my maternal grandma calls me.

Both are in their respective handwritings.

I had the idea to get them after my grandmas surprised me in Sydney, Australia when I was in University in 2019.

I went back and forth for three years thinking about where to put them, how big they should be, and which tattoo artist could do a good job at them.

Yeah, I might have overthought this one a little, but now looking at them, they're perfect and I'm glad I waited.

I have a couple of others too.

On my wrist: a cross and my last name in Chinese. And across the left side of my rib is my childhood home unit number, but no one sees this one unless you bump into me at Tanjong Beach Club.

All my tattoos are in theme — simple, just black ink, and representing my family in one way or the other — and I plan to keep it that way.

But I do find it hard to resist getting pretty and dainty tattoos like tiny hearts, flowers, and even a little glass of wine. Stuff that wouldn't look out of place on Pinterest, for no other reason than that they're cute.

Of course, I could say f*ck it and get something tattooed spontaneously while travelling.

As impulsive as I can be, I'm still unable to commit to it being on my body if I can't explain (or have a good reason) why I tatted it.

Of course, I can respond defensively: "It's cute/nice whatttt" when people ask me about it.

But that's not good enough for me.

Wanted to look badass

Khung, after his many tattoos, agrees with me.

The content creator is known for his "ah beng" personality when he hosts his videos, even when delivering the news.

We invited him to the office for a video interview. Kind of an interrogation on my part to understand why he and others chose to get tattooed.

@mothership.firsthand Simonboy tells us about his tattoos #tiktoksg #tattoo #fyp ♬ original sound - Firsthand

He told me that when he was younger and wanted to get a new tattoo, it was usually because he "just likes the design".

Another reason was that it made him look pretty "badass".

When he was 16, Khung got his first tattoo, a star on his back.

After that, he got a couple over the years but the most iconic one is on his left chest — "Will you merry me" with a diamond doodle — right above his nipple.

His arms are also now blacked out. But they used to be filled with "Japanese-style" and "gory faces" tattoos.

"I got quite bored of the pictures," he explained, on why he covered them up.

He admits that in the past, he'd liked the artwork and got them without much thought.

But now, he's grown out of most of the designs.

At 36, he plans to get more, but he hopes to think it through this time.

His rule of thumb now is to wait two years and if he still likes it, he'll consider getting the design tattooed.

"Need meaning," he insists. In a way, a tiger tattoo can translate to how someone admires the animal's power or fierceness.

One tattoo that he knows he'll never regret is his daughter's name tattooed on his inner left arm, near his heart.

A memento of a good time

I also spoke to my colleague, Drew, about his tattoos.

Drew has two fully tattooed sleeves. In total, he has 29 separate tattoos— almost entirely in the American Traditional or neo-traditional style of tattooing.

With so many tattoos on his body, he must surely regret at least one right?

Well, he doesn't.

He has a couple of favourite designs, one of them — a torch and a panther’s head on his forearm — was done by a tattoo artist in Australia whose work he likes.

"I went to the shop, showed him the spot I wanted to get tattooed and we discussed ideas. I do this quite often because I generally get tattooed by artists whose work I really like. So I’m happy to trust their creative vision."

Another he points out was a skull that sits on his elbow, done by a friend who’s a tattoo artist in Singapore.

Drew adds that none of his tattoos have "anything intrinsically meaningful" but they do "represent a period or certain episode in my life that I wanted to remember".

But I think this has meaning in itself. To remember a good time.

Even his badly done tattoo — with messed-up lines and inconsistent fonts, which he got on a whim with his friends on a bachelor's party trip in Bali — is a memento for a fun night he had with his mates.

Super nice artwork on me

When I asked Aik Hui which of her 13 tattoos was her favourite, she mentioned the two most recent ones she got — a big snake and chrysanthemums on her hip, and a bunny rabbit on her arm.

They were done by artists who she thinks are extremely talented and also have a great portfolio of designs.

"The snake tattoo is by this artist named Calvin Tan, and I liked almost every tattoo he had on his Instagram."

She had a "very very vague idea" of what she wanted, and let them do their thing.

The rabbit tattoo was a flash tattoo which means the artist released a bunch of available designs that they created on their own.

Aik saw it, really liked it, and messaged her saying I wanted it.

"I just wanted a piece of their super nice artwork on me," she said about her tattoos.

The only times she regretted her tattoos were when she "didn't do my research properly, or I didn't go to a good artist".

"I have a bee tattoo on my other hip that is very ugly, and also some of the tattoos I have on my fingers are a bit wonky. If they were done more professionally, I wouldn't be regretting them at all."

So her number one rule when getting tattooed is: "Do your research on your tattoo artist, and remember that good tattoos are expensive, so don't cheap out on getting something that will be permanently on your body forever".

Assigning meaning is too much

Putting someone's work on my body is a scary commitment. What if I don't like the artists' art down the road?

It's not like Vincent van Gogh is personally painting it for me.

To me, this is even scarier than attaching it to some meaning.

But my colleague Olivia thinks the opposite.

"I have this "fear" that if I assign meaning to them, they would weigh too much," she said when I asked if her tattoos had any meaning.

Olivia has 11.5 tattoos.

"Why point five?" I asked.

"I tattooed two dots on myself so I’m not sure if I should count them lol," she responded.

Most of the time she gets tattoos from tattoo artists whose style she admires and others were inspired by phases in her life.

One is of sushi on her leg by a tattoo artist while working at an Asian restaurant in Melbourne, Australia.

"None of mine have a deeeeep meaning... I’d rather them just be decorative."

Her biggest worry about "assigning" a meaning to a tattoo is that her "feelings towards them might change over time".

Reflection

The biggest takeaway from the conversations was that everyone had pretty well-thought-out explanations why they got their tattoos.

And I was like a naggy mum, practically berating them on WHY THEY DID IT and WHERE'S THE MEANING?

As if getting a reason that wasn't a heartfelt story was not good.

But for them, the meanings were in the experience they had when they got it, and how they admired the work of the tattoo artist of their choosing.

People have different reasons why they get tattoos and they choose the right season to do it.

It took me a while to get my latest tattoos. But this year, was MY right season.

I felt the most connected with them. I'm older and mature enough to take care of them when they fall ill or have something bothering them.

I have to admit, I do love telling people why I got my tattoos and how my explanation reflects my love for my grandmas and family.

Maybe one day, I won't weigh too much meaning on my tattoos like Olivia and get one with "no meaning" just in the spur of the moment.

But even if I did something impulsively, I know I would think of a reason why I got it.

Maybe then though, it wouldn't need to have a heartfelt story.

Top images from Andrew Koay, Aik Hui, Olivia Lin, Alfie Kwa and Simonboy/IG.