A 23-year-old mother got her 40 tattoos all over her body and her face covered up for an experiment and said her children didn't know who she was as she tried not to cry
The woman identified as Aimee Smith, is known by many as "the girl with the tattoos". She said,“I can’t express enough how much my tattoos are a part of my life.
"I live in such a small town and everyone knows me just from my appearance. They don't know my name, it’s just the girl with the tattoos."
For the sake of experiment she agreed to get them covered up. Aimee said: “I was not impressed. I was trying so hard not to cry. “To some people, it's just being covered in makeup but I was disgusted seeing myself looking like that.
“I know it's a strong word but I felt vile and horrible in myself. I felt so uncomfortable and it was like looking at someone who I didn't know.”
The mum-of-two added: “It takes a lot for my mum to cry.
"I was shocked to hear her say how beautiful I looked but at the same time because I’ve had face tattoos for so long and they are such a big part of my life she was like, ‘that’s not my daughter’.”
She got her first face tattoo aged 19 and took part in the recent transformation for an episode of Hooked on the Look.
She decided to take part in the experiment as many people had said that she had “ruined” her face and that a parent having so many was “unacceptable”.
Aimee said: “Since doing that programme it was like, ‘wow I really am so comfortable with who I am’."After the camera people left I was like I really need to get in the shower. I had to pick my kids up and my youngest wouldn't even look at me because he had no idea who I was.
"Their reaction made me realise just how much my tattoos are a part of me."
She added: “Over the years tattoos have really helped me find myself and to get out of that tunnel of not knowing who I was.They have helped me find who I am and I don’t know who I would be without them.”