Country artist and GRAMMY award winner Carly Pearce shared her personal experience with tattoo removal with her Instagram Stories followers and warned fans about how unpleasant the process can be. The footage shows her wrist, where the outlines of a butterfly and the inscription “She believed she could so she did” are still visible. The singer did not explain why she decided to get rid of this particular design, but emphasized that the procedure was extremely difficult for her.
“I want to say one thing: if you got a tattoo at 18, like I did, and now you’re getting it removed — oh, that’s something else,” Pearce admitted. She added that anyone thinking about getting a tattoo should think about their choice as long and seriously as possible, and those planning removal should be prepared for the fact that it is “one of the worst pains I have ever experienced.”
For Pearce, tattoos are not a random element of her image, but a chronicle of her life. In an interview with Inked Mag, she spoke about the hummingbird design on her arm, which she got before announcing a new album: “I thought it was a great way to enter a new era of music, and it’s also a reminder of what’s most important in this part of life — healing and hope.” A special place in her “collection” is occupied by a red feather on her arm, dedicated to her late grandparents, who instilled in her a love for country music. “They didn’t live to see this dream come true, but every night when I play guitar on stage, I see it and think of them,” the singer shared.
The full list of significant works on Pearce’s body is as follows:
- a hummingbird on her arm — a symbol of healing and hope, tattooed before the album announcement;
- a red feather — in memory of her grandparents;
- an outline of the state of Kentucky on her wrist — a tribute to her native “Bluegrass State”;
- a bouquet of wildflowers — a sign of a new beginning after her divorce;
- a butterfly and the inscription “She believed she could so she did” — the design currently being removed.
Of the bouquet of wildflowers, Pearce wrote at the time: “Wildflowers are the first to push through after a long winter. Let them start to grow again.”
Tattoo industry experts note that Pearce’s case is not an exception, but a reflection of a steady trend. Laser removal is indeed felt by many as more painful than the application process itself: light pulses destroy the pigment in the deep layers of the skin, and each session is accompanied by a burning and “snapping” sensation. That is why in recent years, there has been more talk in tattoo culture about mindfulness: impulsive “emotional” designs from a young age are increasingly being replaced by meaningful works that a person is ready to wear for years. Public conversation about pain and regret, as in Pearce’s case, helps remove the stigma and reminds us that behind a beautiful sketch lies a real choice.
While Carly Pearce recovers from the procedure and prepares to return to the stage: her Honest Woman tour is complete, and there are no new performances on the schedule until December 2. She is using this time for skin healing and a break from the road.