Tattoos have always been a matter of disagreement, especially between different generations. But with time, people are becoming more open to body art. Melissa Sloan is a woman who experienced another side of body art attitude, and once she was even mistaken for a bank robber. Let’s see how this mom bravely copes with societal opinions and what she has to say about stereotypes.
Melissa has seen a lot of judgement because of her inked appearance.
Melissa Sloan, 46, who is from Wales in the United Kingdom, used to have a job cleaning toilets. But she says she now can’t find a similar job because of the tattoo art that covers her face and body. The mom is struggling to find paid employment because people cast judgment on her inked-up look.
“I can’t get a job,” Sloan says in her interview. “I applied for a job cleaning toilets where I live, and they won’t have me because of my tattoos.”
The mother-of-2 is absolutely puzzled by people’s criticism.
Melissa sincerely can’t figure out why people would even bother thinking about the tattoos that she has. “People have said I have never had a job in my life, but I have had one once, and it didn’t last long,” she says. “If someone offered me a job tomorrow, I would go and work — I would take that offer.”
Melissa started getting tattoos when she was 20 and it quickly became her obsession. She has a special passion for facial tattoos and has no bare skin left on her face. She’s inked over her old tattoos 3 times, and now she has a multi-layered collage on her face.
Despite all her struggles, she doesn’t want to give up on her passion.
Despite her struggles with finding work, Melissa says that she still gets at least 3 new tattoos each week, describing herself as “addicted.”
“If I make it to 70, I’ll still be getting them,” she said. “Every bit of skin will be covered even if I’m turning blue, my face is already turning blue — I look like a Smurf.”
If you are interested in stories about people who break stereotypes, here’s another one for you to read. Find out about a tattoo-covered doctor who proved that looks can’t stop anyone from being a good professional.