A British man whose body is "90 percent" covered in tattoos has claimed he was hidden from his bosses due to his unusual look.
Matthew Whelan - who legally changed his name to King Of Inkland King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite - claims that he faced workplace discrimination at his job as a call center worker due to his colorful tattoos.
He is known as "Britain's most tattooed man" thanks to the fact that 90% of his body is covered in ink, but living with over 300 tattoos isn't always easy.
The King Of Inkland told The Daily Star: "You bring ultimate restrictions upon yourself by looking different. That's not just alternative people.
"Basically the reason why you won't get a job is not that you look totally different, it's because people won't give you a job. It also depends on what the industry is and their dress code. I think a dress code should just be that - clothing."
He opened up on ways he had been discriminated against in the past, claiming: "This appearance, this extreme alternative look can restrict people and has restricted me in the past, even when I've been in employment.
"I got shuffled around from one office to another when I was working in a call center. The managers were coming up so they decided to have a move around in the office.
"The person they got to move was me. I got shifted from one end of the office down to the bottom when the managers come up," he said.
Tattoos can be a contentious topic in the workplace. Credit: Getty ImagesTattoos can be a contentious topic in the workplace, with some companies directly stating that employees need to conceal visible tattoos while on the job.
In the past, the King Of Inkland has led a campaign to protect the employment status of people with tattoos and other various body modifications, though not much has changed thus far.
Tattoos can be a great form of self-expression, with The Guardian reporting that 30% of 25 to 39-year-olds had one or more.
However, given that they are permanent (unless you go down the costly and painful route of laser removal or a cover-up) careful thought needs to be given to the ink you choose, as a Healthline survey detailed that a whopping 75% of participants regretted at least one of their tattoos.
Chelsea and England footballer, Ross Barkley, previously discussed his own tattoo regret, telling The Times in 2018 that he was removing his tattoo sleeve: "I got them at a young age and sometimes when you are young you do stupid things and do not think about it.
"But I went into it too quick and over the years I felt I wanted to get them removed," he added.
The King Of Inkland, however, has no desire to remove his tattoos, which have cost him upwards of $27,000, and keeps adding to his impressive collection.
