Even though people call her a “freak,” a mother’s two children still see her as a role model and look up to her.
The woman, Melissa Sloan, doesn’t have anything unusual about her looks, except for one thing—she is covered in tattoos. She has tattoos all over her body and face and keeps getting more, even though she struggles to find a job and often faces rude comments when she goes outside.
Melissa, 46, from Wales, has been addicted to tattoos for 26 years. She got her first one when she was 20. Over time, she accepted being labeled as a social outcast. “It’s like having a [cigarette] or a drink—you get hooked. I just can’t stop,” she explained. Since tattoo shops refused to work on her, she bought her own tattoo machine. “I carry it with me and get tattoos anywhere, even in the car,” she said.
Despite her love for tattoos, her addiction has made life harder. She once worked as a toilet cleaner, but now no one hires her. “I applied for a cleaning job, and they wouldn’t take me because of my tattoos,” she said. “But if someone offered me a job, I would take it.”
Melissa, who has over 800 tattoos, also faces harsh judgment and verbal abuse. “People think I’m a freak. They avoid me, and it’s awful,” she said. “I expected this because I like being myself, but it still hurts.”
Her two kids, aged 8 and 10, also face criticism because of her. Schools often bar her from attending their activities. “The kids notice people staring, but I tell them to ignore it,” she said.
Despite the negativity, her kids admire her. They enjoy temporary tattoos, and Melissa promises them permanent ones when they’re older. “They’ll have better ones than me,” she joked.
Melissa used to look very different before her tattoos, but she has no regrets about her choices. She hopes her children will grow up confident in themselves, despite the challenges.
Leave a Reply