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A British mum who has more than 800 tattoos, including extensive ink covering her face, has revealed a dramatically different appearance after temporarily covering up her body art.
Melissa Sloan, 46, has spent around a decade building her heavily tattooed appearance and describes herself as a tattoo addict.
She reportedly gets around three new tattoos every week, either at home or inside her van.
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Her extreme look has attracted plenty of attention online, but it has also caused difficulties in her personal and professional life.
Sloan has previously claimed that she has struggled to find employment because of her appearance.
Speaking to the Daily Star, she admitted: “I can’t get a job. 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.”
She added: “The first job I had was cleaning ages ago, cleaning toilets.
"People have said I have never had a job in my life. I have had one once, and it didn’t last long. But, if someone offered me a job tomorrow, I would go and work – I would take that offer.”
She has also spoken about feeling excluded from certain events because of her appearance.
“No Christmas parties, and when I go to my child’s school, I don’t get invited,” she previously claimed.
“They said once for me to go to the back garden and look through the glass window.”
But when Sloan decided to cover her tattoos with makeup, the transformation left her family and even her dog struggling to recognize her.
The 46-year-old previously experimented with concealing her tattoos using foundation, but said her children were shocked when they saw her without her usual inked appearance.
“It took me ages. I bought one [foundation] for £3 and thought I’d try it that way,” she explained.
“I put it on for about half an hour, and when I went downstairs, the kids freaked out because they didn’t like it.”
Her partner was apparently equally unimpressed by the transformation.
“And my partner looked twice. He said, ‘No, it doesn’t suit you. Get your tattoos back. It looks weird.’”
Sloan said the reaction went even further, claiming some of her children became upset by seeing her face without the tattoos.
“They burst out crying, and even my dog looked twice. She didn’t like me that way. My youngest wanted me back as I was. It scared her.”
According to the woman, removing the heavy foundation was also a lengthy process, claiming it took around 24 hours to completely get the makeup off.
She hit back at people who suggested her children were frightened by her tattoos, saying: “These trolls say to me my kids are scared but they are scared of me with my foundation on.
"People don’t realise that they are small-minded.”
Despite the initial reaction, Sloan later decided to attempt the transformation again, this time using specialist tattoo-covering makeup.
She recalled her children's response: “They said, ‘Go back to your craziness mom.’ None of them spoke to me. It didn’t go well.”
She continued: “It wasn’t the same; it’s like they were looking at a different person, a stranger.”
According to Sloan, everything returned to normal once the makeup was removed.
“When it came off again, they were back to normal – it should have been the other way round,” she said.
For the second attempt, Sloan said she used a considerably larger amount of specialist foundation.
“I’ve got proper tattoo foundation now. I had to put it on thick. I used half a tub. It was like thick cement, really thick.”
Photos showing Sloan with her tattoos concealed prompted a strong reaction online, with some viewers saying they preferred her more natural appearance.
One commenter wrote: “You look beautiful. I love this look on you!”
Another said: “Stunning! Your eyes get lost with your tattoos, they’re so pretty!”
A third person was amazed by how different she appeared, writing: “Wow. Crazy to see what you must have looked like before tattoos. If this is anything to go by, you were gorgeous!”
However, despite the compliments, Sloan insists she has no plans to permanently abandon her heavily tattooed appearance.
“It’s my life at the end of the day. I can just swap and change,” she said.
And despite some viewers praising her appearance without the ink, Sloan remains happy with her distinctive style.
“People said I looked beautiful the way I was before – but I like it crazy.”
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A mother who is covered in tattoos is having a hard time finding a job, as she claims businesses aren't willing to hire her due to how she looks.
Tattoos have long been a subject of disagreement, particularly between generations, but as time progresses people are becoming more open to body art.
Increasingly, tattoo art is now understood to be an expression of one's self in the form of permanent ink.
Though one mother in the UK has found it pretty hard to convince employers to give her a chance, as she has over 800 tattoos covering her from head to toe.
As reported by the Daily Star, 46-year-old Melissa Sloan from Wales has at least three new designs applied to herself every week.
The majority of the tattoos are applied "prison style" by her partner Luke in the comfort of their own home.
Discussing her employment options, Sloan said: "I can’t get a job. 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.
"The first job I had was cleaning ages ago, cleaning toilets. People have said I have never had a job in my life, I have had one once and it didn’t last long. But, if someone offered me a job tomorrow I would go and work - I would take that offer."
Sloan remains unemployed and is currently living off of government allowances to get by - but she has been making a clear effort to gain employment.
This isn't the only environment where the mother is judged for her looks, as she sadly revealed that she is unable to attend her children's school plays.
Exclusively speaking to the Daily Star, Sloan revealed that Christmas is a particularly hard time as her children's school makes her stand outside and watch the annual nativity performance through the window.
"No Christmas parties and when I go to my child's school I don't get invited," Sloan revealed. "They said once for me to go to the back garden and look through the class window."
Due to the treatment she receives, the tattoo "addict" stopped going to the school plays completely because she didn't appreciate how the teachers and other parents reacted to her.
Not only this, but Sloan revealed that she had been barred from various pubs due to her tattoos so can't partake in the Christmas tradition in the UK of spending it in the boozer with family and friends.
To add to her woes, tattoo shops will no longer let her in and that's why she's had to resort to her partner Luke giving her the weekly dose of ink.
Sloan said: "Tattoo shops shut the door on me - tattooists won't let me in. When I had this done [my face], there's one about five miles up the road and they won't do it."
She finished off by joking: "They won't do it because I'm beyond help because I've gone too far."
Despite all of this, Sloan is proud of her body art and has no intention of slowing down.
A mom whose face is covered in tattoos has expressed that she wishes that she could "take them off" so she could start the collection again.
In an era when tattoos have evolved into widely accepted forms of self-expression, Melissa Sloan, a 46-year-old from Wales, finds herself battling stereotypes and joblessness due to her extensive body art.
Sloan, who proudly calls herself a tattoo "addict," wears more than 800 tattoos across her body, a unique choice that has proven to be a double-edged sword in her life, per the Daily Star.
Sloan's relationship with body art takes on a twist, as her partner, Luke, serves as her tattoo artist, adding approximately three new designs each week. Many of these tattoos are applied in a "prison style" setting within the confines of her home.
The mother of two now has so many tattoos that she's run out of space to apply more to her face, which she isn't overly pleased about.
Sloan is attempting to fill in the gaps on her face, but she's already got three layers of tattoos.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, the 46-year-old said: "I’m putting more colors on my face, some yellow and orange. All the blank spaces will have bits in, I’ll have it red, orange, and yellow and probably some green in it.
"I’m just addicted aren’t I, but that’s who I am. People say I’m going blue. I thought because it’s going blue that I’d liven it up and sparkle it up a bit and throw some different colours on it.
"It might look a bit better because I can’t really change it now, can I? I would take it off and have a nicer design. I wish I could but I can’t go back."
If Sloan could turn back the clock, she would be more daring with the designs on her face, as she explained: "I would have a Playboy bunny and a cross in the middle, a bit of writing underneath and barbed wire across my forehead - something like that!"
To really express her thoughts, the mom said that she would have "f*** off" and "f*** you" permanently inked if she were to have room.
However, the inked path she's chosen has come with its share of professional challenges. Speaking to the Daily Star earlier in the year, Sloan expressed her employment struggles, stating: "I'm not proud of saying it but I haven't worked for 20 years."
She continued: "I have applied for jobs, and they look at me and say 'what is this,' like I'm not a human being. I would love a job and prove them all wrong because all the time they keep saying to me 'no one will give you a job.'"
"People don't like me with my tattoos, my face, because they just look at you like you're worthless, you're nothing," she added. "They don't want people like us with tattoos on their face. They don't understand us, do they? We're just exactly the same as anyone else. We breathe the same, we live the same - but they just don't want to know."
Sloan further expressed her job-seeking difficulties, saying: "I can’t get a job. 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."
Despite these hardships, the mom of two still has a sense of pride in her body art.
A woman covered in tattoos – more than a thousand of them, covering almost every inch of her skin including her face – has revealed that she's ready to welcome baby number eight.
With vibrant green hair, metal grills on her teeth, and tattoos layered over tattoos on her face, Melissa Sloan - a 46-year-old mother from Powys, South Wales - admits that some people are put off by her appearance.
However, that certainly doesn't extend to her children.
Her journey with tattoos began in her 20s and has continued unabated. Originally, Melissa sported designs of flowers and an England flag. However, as her love for ink grew, these were covered with newer tattoos including several crucifixes. Notably, some of her tattoos have been termed ‘prison tattoos’ due to their crude designs and the absence of a professional touch.
The mother of seven, whose children range in age from eight to 24 years old, says her appearance has led to her being isolated. From being barred from school nativity plays, to being banned from her local pub, and facing challenges in the job market, Melissa's unique look has often been met with prejudice.
Melissa's tattoos have led to mixed reactions within her family. While her two youngest children are fascinated by her inked canvas, her eldest children, who have left home, have expressed their embarrassment and are reluctant to be associated with her.
Melissa revealed to the Daily Star last year that Christmas is a particularly difficult time for her family, and her children's school even makes her stand outside to watch the annual nativity performance.
"No Christmas parties and when I go to my child's school I don't get invited," Sloan revealed. "They said once for me to go to the back garden and look through the class window they told me to do so."
She now no longer attends her children's plays due to the teacher's requests for her to remain outside instead of in the hall with all of the other parents. In fact, Melissa went on to say that she no longer goes to the school at all, and she relies on her husband Luke to do all of the parental duties, like taking the kids the school fayre.
But Melissa is certainly looking on the bright side of life, revealing that she now wants to have baby number eight.
Speaking to the Daily Star, she said: "I want another baby soon [...] I’m trying for another baby. I told the nurse this the other day and she was shocked, her eyes popped out!
"See I haven’t had sex for three years but my kids keep asking for a brother or sister."
And she doesn't mind that the baby will never see her true face without ink, as that has been the case with her two youngest children, Autumn and Summer.
She even claims that her two youngest kids became "scared" when she decided to cover up her ink with foundation and makeup.
"They burst out crying and even my dog looked twice," she joked. "I wanted a change. I wanted to challenge myself but the kids were scared they wanted me back."
She previously explained that her addiction to tattoos started as a way of coping with the abuse she suffered as a child.
A woman dubbed "Britain's most tattooed mom" had a pretty weird concern about her ink when her partner was fighting for his life.
Melissa Sloan, 46, has gained notoriety for her extensive body art, primarily done "prison style" at home by her partner, Luke.
She has over 800 tattoos and despite facing discrimination for her appearance, has no plans of slowing down.
However, her tattoo journey faced a potential halt when Luke, with whom she shares two children, was rushed to the hospital last year due to failing health.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Star, Melissa expressed her fears, admitting: "He’s still with me – God bless him. I don’t know what I would do without him, I really wouldn’t know what to do. I’d have no tattoos done then if he went, would I! If I can’t get my tattoos done then I’d be a right mess."
Luke's health scare, characterized by heart failure and respiratory issues, put Melissa's tattoo routine in jeopardy. However, against the odds, Luke's condition stabilized, sparing Melissa from both the loss of her partner and the interruption to her tattoo sessions.
Struggling with the potential grief of losing both her partner and her tattoo artist, Melissa turned to prayer by Luke's bedside, forging a newfound connection with Jesus.
Recalling the moment, she shared: "When Luke was in hospital on his last legs, when he had hours to live, I was there by his side. He was given everything, he just had to pull through.
"I prayed that night in the room and I never prayed before and I said 'don’t let him die for the kids'. And a miracle happened, he pulled through and that’s when I think I started to believe in Jesus."
Melissa's spiritual journey, however, faced obstacles. Despite her newfound faith, she recounted being "chucked" out of a local church due to her tattoos and what she described as her "loud" demeanor.
"They kicked me out and it just felt so wrong because they’re supposed to open the doors to everyone, I couldn’t believe it," she said.
This isn't the first time that Melissa has faced difficulties, as her troubles extend beyond social gatherings.
She disclosed that tattoo artists have refused to work with her, deeming her appearance "beyond help," per the Daily Star.
"Tattoo shops shut the door on me – tattooists won't let me in. When I had this done [my face], there's one about five miles up the road and they won't do it," she shared.
After airing her grievances on TikTok, she claimed to have received offers from artists willing to tattoo her free of charge.
"I'm shocked that the tattoo artist is accepting me for who I am because they don't see behind me [the tattoos] but he's offered me to go," Sloan revealed. "I'm very surprised."
Sloan's tattoo journey, marked by an average of three new tattoos per week, has led to approximately three layers of ink on her face alone.
However, her tattooed appearance has also posed challenges in securing employment.
"I can’t get a job. 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," she expressed.
A woman revealed that she is often mistaken for a "bank robber" because she is covered in tattoos.
Melissa Sloan really stands out from the crowd due to her unique appearance. The mom-of-two is covered head-to-toe in tattoos, so much so, that you can barely see her skin anymore.
Speaking to the Daily Star, the 46-year-old revealed that she is often mistaken for a criminal and has already been banned from hotspots in her local area in Wales including pubs, tattoo parlors, and even her own children's school.
Now there's another place to add to the growing list.
"When I walk into the bank they look at me like I'm going to rob the bank," Sloan told the outlet. "They're all scared."
"It feels like they think you're going rob them," the tattoo enthusiast continued. "I'm walking in and everyone just stays still and they're all frightened.
"As if I'd want to rob a bank anyway - I'd get noticed straight away," she added.
However, while Sloan could easily try and avoid the bank, it was reported that she's currently changing her name, meaning she'd have to go into the establishment in order to update her details.
"If I change my name to Missy [from Melissa] I'm going to have to go to the bank, it's going to be a hassle," she said, adding that she's prepping for the sideways glances as well as the disapproving looks.
Despite the chaos that comes with her unique look, Sloan admitted that she's not ready to give up the ink just yet.
"I'm going to start up here on my chest and I'm going to keep going now because obviously I'm running out there [on my face]," she said. "I'll be starting on my chest and going around my body parts and I'll keep going all the way.
"I'm never going to stop - I can't stop," she continued, saying that she "just has to do it."
"[My partner] says 'why do you bother going through all of this pain?', and I said I just have to do it.
"It's hard to explain, and when that pain goes for a split second I want another one," the 46-year-old said. "I could have one every day but I don't think it will do me any good."
Even though she faces difficulties no matter where she goes, she told the Mirror that she doesn't want to get rid of any of her ink.
"I can have these lasered off if I wanted, the doctor said I can have these lasered off," Sloan alleged. "They said if it makes you 'depressed' you can have it all off.
"But if I do that, I'll end up having them back on again. So there's no point in that, is there?"
Each to their own.
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