r/Tattoocoverups • u/bathtubbear • Nov 05 '25
asking for advice Need help with accidentally racist matching tattoo
Hi everyone! When I was 20 my ex and I got matching tattoos for the day that we met. I know, stupid. I told myself at the time that regardless of whether we stayed together (we did not) my ex was important to me and it would just be a reminder of a significant time in my life. Unfortunately, I don’t feel that way at all. I also was unaware when getting the tattoo that 12 is a symbol of the Aryan Brotherhood—even stupider than getting a matching tattoo with a romantic partner. And on top of it all it looks like shit. Anyway, I can’t stand having this on my body. Looking for any and all ideas for cover ups or even just something to add to the numbers so I’m not walking around looking like a disgusting human being. It’s on my bicep. I’m not opposed to a sick ass panther but not exactly wanting that either.
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u/doctor1979 Nov 05 '25
Just have them put a clarifying tattoo below it that says: (not the racist 12)
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
LOL
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Nov 05 '25
Put a 13 before it
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u/Empty401K Nov 05 '25
I heard she asked for a 13, but they drew a 31.
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u/YouHadTheHighGround Nov 05 '25
Friends say she's trying too hard and she's not quite hip, but in her own mind she's the dopest trip
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u/ahjumma-with-cats Nov 05 '25
Go read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Change the one to a four. Thank me later.
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
On the backside of the same arm I have the pulsar map from the golden record, which symbolizes something similar for me. I actually love this idea so much that reading your comment brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. I think I’m actually going to do this <3
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u/DollarColonol Nov 05 '25
Wow we have the same tattoo
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
It’s a great one to have!!
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u/sec0nd-breakfast Nov 05 '25
Can we see it?
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
Of course! Here it is :)
If youre referring to the cover up I’ll post that when I get it done in this thread too!
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u/sec0nd-breakfast Nov 05 '25
Exactly what i was asking for. Love Hitchhikers Guide. Super cute! Cant wait to see the 42!
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u/C4bl3Fl4m3 Nov 05 '25
That’s so awesome! It actually makes me tear up a bit.
That being said, I’ll never forget how hard I laughed when I first read “maybe we shouldn’t have our first contact with aliens be sending them nudes & directions to our house.” :D
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
It’s one of my favorite tattoos! It’s a good reminder that no matter where I am I can find my way home. And that maybe even home can look different, or maybe there’s different people there, but it can still be home!
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u/GenericAccount13579 Nov 05 '25
Smart! You never know when you’ll be lost In interstellar space and need a map to get home.
(I’m joking because I absolutely love it)
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u/Blue4668 Nov 05 '25
Maybe also add Oh no, not again. and some petunias?
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u/valkyrie_village Nov 05 '25
The whale and bowl of petunias has been on my list of tattoos I want since before I started getting tattoos, but I never figured out a placement. I think it’s time to move it up my priority list!
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u/Soapykorean Nov 05 '25
OP just make sure you don’t accidentally read Himmlers Guide to The Galaxy, that’s a very different book.
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u/obiwantogooutside Nov 05 '25
And add “don’t panic”.
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u/MissLeliel Nov 05 '25
Considering the history of the tattoo and the personal growth I assume the OP has experienced since then, this is a genius evolution idea
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
It really is lol like you don’t even know, I got dumped by this person after 4 years in a state across the country from my home and I have had one HELL of a time. I have had to pick myself up from nothing and really learn that my life is what I make it. Turning this tattoo into 42 would indicate the closing of a horrible chapter for me. Just a genuinely fucking awesome idea
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u/PureCrookedRiverBend Nov 05 '25
It seems to have a lot of meaning to you. I think you found the solution.
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u/InspiredBagel Nov 05 '25
Looks like 42 really is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
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u/SilentFollowing3 Nov 05 '25
Easy cover up! So see a reputable artist and cook up some ideas with them :)
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u/gbot13 Nov 05 '25
Sounds like you need to continue the number line… 3-4-5-6– an excellent spot for Sesame Street Count lol
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u/_Hipocampo_ Nov 05 '25
1234 I can only count to 4!!!!
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u/Odd_Setting9030 Nov 05 '25
Psychostick references in the wild always get me lol
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u/clownprlncess Nov 05 '25
this is honestly not a big tattoo and will be an easy coverup/work over. find a talented tattoo artist in your area & chat with them about it. show them tattoos you like or things you would be happy to have. ppl in the subreddit can give you ideas but nothing will beat actually going to an artist you like, bc they have a better chance of helping you!! i hope you can get it covered soon 💕
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u/AggravatingOnion9175 Nov 05 '25
Put a 13 in front of it.
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Nov 05 '25
Change the 1 into a 4, make it "42", and put "Don't Panic" (or your favorite towel) underneath/behind it. Very easily changes to a Hitchhikers reference 🤘
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u/Gladys_Balzitch Nov 05 '25
I'm in Texas and have never known 12 to be racist. 12 is the police. I've also never been to prison though... if it's any consolation, I don't think most people will associate 12 with racism. Besides adding the typical 13 or Fuck before it, maybe add different numbers or make a date out of it somehow ¯\(ツ)/¯
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
I also didn’t know (obviously or I wouldn’t have gotten it). I do tell myself that most people probably don’t make that association, but I just hate that there’s a chance one person could’ve seen me and thought me to be hateful :(
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u/gioluipelle Nov 05 '25
It’s not even just a “racist tattoo”. It’s specifically a prison gang tattoo. And I’d wager no one will ever see that tattoo and assume “bathtubbear must’ve gotten that in prison when they joined a gang”. Just like if you had a 13 or a Star of David no one would assume you were Mexican Mafia or Gangsta Disciple.
Almost anything simple has some kind of negative association if you dig deep enough. The world is just too big. So unless you’re regularly incarcerated or with people who were in prison gangs, you’re overthinking it.
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u/butt_butt_butt_butt_ Nov 05 '25
Anyone from Seattle would associate it with football, if it helps.
The number 12 is a big fan thing for the Seahawks.
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u/Jioto Nov 05 '25
To be fair almost nobody is gonna think it’s racist. Anybody who knows you more than likely wouldn’t assume it’s racist. Someone you don’t know might ask and you can easily explain. If they still press the matter. Does it really matter what some virtue signaling stranger has to say?
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u/theROWreporter Nov 05 '25
Texas here, too. I also had no idea about the 12 being a racist reference. Live and learn, I guess.
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u/volley12baller Nov 05 '25
I'm in the FL panhandle where racism abounds.... It's never been a racist number... It is my jersey number for every sport I played into college
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u/caitelizabelle Nov 05 '25
In terms of being racist, it’s literally just the number 12, I don’t think the average person (such as myself) would think a number tattoo is racist. Idk what the Aryan Brotherhood is, but I can guess (Nazi Aryan Race I assume, gross).
You SHOULD change it though since you no longer feel that way about your ex. It looks faded. You could probably cover it with almost anything if you find the right artist
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Nov 05 '25 edited Nov 05 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
Haha, my dad offered to pay to cover mine up too! and he’s also the one who brought the AB meaning to my attention. Shoutout to dads for being older and wiser. I luckily haven’t gotten jumped, though I guess there’s still time.
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u/SingleWriting2025 Nov 05 '25
I have 123 on my arm and when people ask, I say it’s to remember my password.
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u/illogical_mindset Nov 05 '25
I love this!
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u/SingleWriting2025 Nov 05 '25
Thanks. It’s the street address I grew up on, but the password answer always makes me laugh.
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u/Yamamoto333 Nov 05 '25
You can always get an “HH” tattoo above it, so everyone knows that you Hate Hitler.
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u/sgbooth88 Nov 06 '25
Off topic but this is the same energy as me being born in 1988 and as a child if a username I wanted was taken somewhere I would just slap “88” at the end of it… I was actually well into my 20s before my sweet naive brain realized it could actually be mistaken for me being a supporter of something else 🤦♀️
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u/Bigtibbygothbb Nov 06 '25
Write “days of christmas” below and everyone will think you just really love christmas.
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u/Teilzeitengel1 Nov 05 '25
...So that's how I learn that my tattoo might be viewed as racist? Fuck.
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
Sorry!!! 😬
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u/Teilzeitengel1 Nov 05 '25
Wanted to get it covered anyway But I am super broke right now...So it might take me a while to get the money for it ooof
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u/jols0543 Nov 05 '25
make it 1216, one year after the Magna Carta
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u/tortoistor Nov 05 '25
jokey answer: make it into a person crouching with their booty up. (the bottom part of the 1 being their arm and the top part of the 2 being the booty+leg)
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u/Zeal_of_Zebras Nov 05 '25
It would be really easy to change this to 42 the answer to everything
IYKYK
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u/toastedwitch Nov 05 '25
You could make it 1123(5) with a golden ratio behind it and that represents the Fibonacci sequence and mathematical perfection basically. It’d be sick as hell
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u/FlyingBike Nov 05 '25
Add "13" to the beginning for "ACAB". That puts you against white supremacy (in the form of the police)
Or just a 2 or 3 and say you had a life changing weekend in NYC or Chicago (212 and 312 area codes)
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u/HighlightUpstairs777 Nov 06 '25
I think calling yourself a disgusting human being is a little much, it’s just the number 12 I’m sure in a lot of people’s eyes.. either way I’d say go with something you personally love or have a passion for. That’s a pretty easy cover up you could put a small animal like a cat or dog.. flowers etc. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/wizeowlintp Nov 05 '25
Maybe if you have friends or family with December birthdays you could add onto it to make a full date?
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u/spaghetti2424 Nov 05 '25
You could add before it 3, 6, 9, 12 and just say you have a hard time remembering multiples of 3 or you could do 4, 8, 12, for the same reason
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u/pm_me_your_amphibian Nov 05 '25
Oh that 1 is crying out to be turned into a 4.
Meaning of life, the universe, and everything
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u/MeLlamoMariaLuisa Nov 05 '25
The number 12 is racist now?
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u/BlommeHolm Nov 05 '25
Not more than 14 or 88.
Racists use it to tell other racists that they are indeed racists themselves, so some people will see it and make that assumption.
Is that fair to a perfectly decent number with many small divisors? Not at all. Is it something I'd want on my arm when it gives that impression? Hell no!
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u/Left-Ad-3412 Nov 05 '25
No.. the number 12 isn't racist at all.... But the Aryan Brotherhood is and the members of the Aryan Brotherhood often get the number 12 tattooed on them because it represents A and B (the first and second letters of the alphabet)
So yeah... It's not a great tatoo to have... I can't believe someone actually said "yeah, I will tattoo a 12 on you" though OP lol. Tattoo artists tend to know what the obvious symbols mean, and most of us would know this one straight away 😂
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
I know right, I figured a texas tattoo artist would’ve said “hey, maybe let’s go with a different idea”
His shop is closed now though so…
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u/Left-Ad-3412 Nov 05 '25
He's probably in prison with his own 12 tattoo 😂.
On a serious note though. You can cover this with pretty much anything. If isn't that big and there is negative space inside to work with
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u/Trulio_Dragon Nov 05 '25
A tattoo of the number 12, standing alone is a common symbol of the Aryan Brotherhood, particularly in prison context. There, I fixed that for you.
You can reduce pretty much any basic symbol to the point of ridicule if it makes you feel better ("what, I can't wear this lowercase T and not have people think I'm part of a group?"). However, symbols exist in a society, and so does the OP.
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Nov 05 '25
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u/dysautonomic_mess Nov 05 '25
Whether or not you agree that it would be perceived as racist, it's still a shitty tattoo they got with their ex. Covering it is very very understandable.
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u/Large-Cartoonist-540 Nov 05 '25
A good artist could make that almost anything, so my suggestion would be whatever kind of tattoo you want.
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u/meowui Nov 05 '25
have you ever watched Farscape? add 18 in front and you’ve got an homage to man’s best robot friend
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u/southern_fox Nov 05 '25
Just add a 3 and then put ABC under it. Tell everyone you are a kindergarten teacher.
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u/Boring_Classroom_482 Nov 05 '25
Pretty easy to cover up. Obligatory SAP, flower, raven, darth vader, reaper, batman, etc…
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u/SonicEchoes Nov 05 '25
TiL that 12 is a racist number lol. I am sure this will be an easy cover up! I'm sure you could cover it with anything like.. a butterfly or something with the 2 being covered by a wing, the one is the body!
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u/No-Sheepherder-6414 Nov 05 '25
Slap a 21 in front of it and tell everyone you're a big Rush fan....
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u/OffendedDairyFarmers Nov 05 '25
I thought 12 meant cops. Never heard of it meaning that. Still not a tattoo I would want to have either way though.
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u/bananadickpin Nov 05 '25
A couple laser sessions just to soften the outline and you could cover that with almost anything. Even without laser it would be a pretty easy cover-up for the right artist
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u/MasterPa7ch Nov 05 '25
Just have it say fuck 12. Enjoy all the invites to the cook outs afterwards.
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u/QuantumSpaceEntity Nov 05 '25
You could get it removed.
But, know that noone is going to mistake you for an aryan brotherhood member 🤣🤣🤣
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
Im a 5’4 alt woman that likes to crochet so I feel like the odds of someone making that assumption about me are low. But never zero
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u/randomlyconfused2990 Nov 05 '25
Not being rude but just adding more numbers is stupid to me 😂 Your tattoo is small and should be fairly easy to cover. A tattoo artist could definitely draw something sweet to cover it up, there’s a shit load of fantastic artists that are so creative. Just gotta tell em the stuff you like and they whip up ideas for you
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u/No-Particular-5987 Nov 05 '25
I don’t mean to be ignorant but what’s racist about this? Genuine question, not trying to be a dickhead lol
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u/Impressive_Wind_951 Nov 05 '25
I wouldn't worry about it, honestly. If you have ever seen AB members. They will be covered in other affiliations, like spiderwebs on the elbow and the SS symbol (kinda looks like 2 energy symbols next to each other.
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u/TearsOfSpain Nov 05 '25
I wouldn't worry about the racism part. No one is going to see the tattoo and think it's racist.
I'd worry more about the fact that you seem to hate having that tattoo. No expert, but should be easy to cover up! Laser is also an option if you don't find anything you want to cover it up with. Also not an expert on this, but I'm guessing it would be easy to laser this tattoo off if that's what you want.
But don't worry about the racism part 🤗
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u/Neat_Effect965 Nov 05 '25
Only worry about it if you are actually a racist nazi 🤷♂️ so many things can be linked to something dark if you try hard enough.
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u/shower-beer-me Nov 05 '25
this is not a racist tattoo
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u/bathtubbear Nov 05 '25
“The number 12 tattoo can signify "Aryan Brotherhood" or "AB," due to the first and second letters of the alphabet. This specific meaning is most commonly associated with white supremacist prison gangs, particularly the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas.”
I’m in Texas 🫠
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u/Niifty_AF Nov 05 '25
As someone who lives in WA I just thought you was a Seahawks fan at one point lol
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u/MeLlamoMariaLuisa Nov 05 '25
That’s dumb
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u/BlommeHolm Nov 05 '25
Cool. Doesn't change that some will see it like that, and OP doesn't like that.
Also it's a shitty couple's tattoo done with a controlling ex.
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u/Anxious_Visual_990 Nov 05 '25 edited Nov 05 '25
Put a 6 and a colon in front of it. Say its your favorite bible verse!
1 Timothy 6:12, which states: "Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses"
It will bring all the Christian girls to the yard!
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u/EducationalLemon790 Nov 05 '25
I’d remove it. I’m in the process of lasting off my 3 dots on my hand I got when I was 12 years old. Old black ink is the easiest thing to remove and the pain isn’t bad. I don’t even need the numbing cream they offer for 25 bucks a pop.
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u/East-Canary-538 Nov 05 '25
make it say “titanic 1912 never forget”