…Researched and contributed by Femi Taiwo.
Melissa Sloan, a 46-year-old Welsh mother, has made headlines for her addiction to tattoos. According to reports, she has at least three tattoos etched on her face every week.
To maintain her addiction, Melissa relies on her partner Luke, who performs most of her tattoos “prison-style” at their home. But her extreme appearance has resulted in many bans, which the Daily Star has rounded up.
Banned from Work
Despite her love of tattoos, Melissa cannot find work due to her alternative appearance. When she first spoke with the Daily Star, she admitted that her regular visits to the tattoo artist’s gun were not doing her any favors in the professional world.
She once had a job cleaning toilets but found it hard to get another job as her collection of tattoos grew. “I can’t get a job,” she shared. “They won’t have me. I applied for a job cleaning toilets where I live, and they won’t have me because of my tattoos.”
Melissa is yet to be offered a job seven months on from when she spoke to the Daily Star and currently relies on benefits to get by.
Banned from Tattoo Shops
Melissa’s extreme appearance has caused her to be banned from tattoo studios, despite her love of tattoos. Although she gets the bulk of her work done at home, she sometimes seeks the help of artists for more complicated designs. But Melissa says she’s been “banned” from parlors because her face is “beyond help.”
“Tattoo shops shut the door on me – tattooists won’t let me in,” Melissa said. “When I had this done [my face], there’s one about five miles up the road, and they won’t do it. They won’t do it because I’m beyond help – because I’ve gone too far.”
Banned from Pubs
Melissa has been banned from entering many establishments due to her tattoos, including pubs. She’s now got a “life ban” for entering any boozy establishments because of her permanently decorated face. “I’m not allowed in the pub, it’s all pubs,” she explained. “I’ve been banned for life from pubs in the past because of the tattoos.
I [have gone] into pubs and have people look at me like I’m nobody; you get judgmental people. I am banned from pubs in my area, I can’t get in because of my tattoos.”
Banned from School
Melissa’s devotion to tattoos has made her an outsider, even at her children’s school. According to reports, she was banned from her children’s school during Christmas time and was made to watch her child’s nativity play through the window because of her alternative appearance.
“No Christmas parties, and when I go to my child’s school, I don’t get invited,” Melissa said. “They said once for me to go to the back garden and look through the class window; they told me to do so. The teachers told me to do that, that’s why I don’t go to the school play.”
Melissa’s Experience
Melissa even struggles to leave the house as strangers heckle her on the street to the point she was called a “freak” in front of her children.
Despite her struggles, Melissa has refused to stop getting tattoos. She declined the offer of “free” laser treatment on the NHS to remove her face ink, as she felt it would be a waste of time since she would just start all over again.
Melissa’s tattoos have not only caused her problems with finding work and being barred from certain places, but they have also attracted negative attention from strangers.
She claimed to have been called a “freak” in front of her children, and she struggles to leave the house without being heckled on the street.
Despite the negative attention and barriers that her tattoos have created, Melissa has no intention of stopping.
In fact, she has even turned down an offer of “free” laser treatment on the NHS to remove her face ink, feeling that it would be a waste of time as she would just start all over again.
Furthermore, the tattooed mum even expressed a desire to have her eyeballs inked, willing to take the “gamble” on her sight.
Melissa’s story sheds light on the stigmatization and discrimination that individuals with unconventional appearances face in society.
Her inability to find work due to her tattoos highlights the discrimination that tattooed individuals face in the professional world, despite their qualifications and abilities.
Furthermore, being barred from pubs, tattoo shops, and her children’s school, demonstrates the narrow-mindedness and prejudice of some members of society.
Melissa’s story also raises questions about body autonomy and personal expression. While some may see her tattoos as extreme or controversial, Melissa is entitled to decorate her body in a way that she sees fit.
In conclusion, Melissa Sloan’s story highlights the challenges and discrimination that individuals with unconventional appearances face in society. Her story serves as a reminder that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their appearance or lifestyle choices.
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