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Published 11:56 26 Jun 2026 GMT
Anthony Loffredo has become one of the most recognisable people on the internet - but old photos of the man behind the 'Black Alien' project have left people stunned at just how different he used to look.
The Frenchman, who has spent the best part of a decade surgically transforming his body into something he describes as 'alien', was once a clean-cut, conventionally attractive security guard from Montpellier.
You would not know it now.
Loffredo, now 35, has undergone one of the most extreme body modification projects ever documented.
He has tattooed the majority of his body in black ink - including his eyeballs. He has had his nose partially removed and his tongue split to create a forked, snake-like appearance.
He has also had his ears removed, his upper lip modified, several fingers amputated, and reptilian-style implants placed across his head and arms.
More recently, he had the word 'Alien' carved into the skin on the side of his head through scarification.
In short, he looks nothing like the person he used to be.
In a Channel 4 documentary titled I Transformed Myself Into An Alien, filmmaker Arthur Bruel followed Loffredo and explored the reality behind the Black Alien persona.
During filming, Loffredo showed Bruel a photograph of himself from before the transformation began.
In the image, he appeared muscular, clean-shaven, and wearing a fitted red polo shirt with his arms crossed.
Bruel's reaction was immediate.
"But you were a very good-looking guy," the filmmaker said.
Loffredo agreed.
"Very sexy guy," he replied.
But he went on to explain that although he may have looked good to other people, he did not feel he was in the right body. He said he had been happy, but not fully himself.
"But I'm the same person," he added. "Same heart."
Loffredo has said the project began when he was working as a security guard in his mid-twenties.
He has described having a moment of realisation that he was not living the life he wanted.
"I had a click when I was a security guard," he told French paper Midi Libre back in 2017.
"I realised that I was not living my life the way I wanted. I stopped everything at 24 and left for Australia."
What followed was the beginning of what he calls The Black Alien Project - a full-body artistic and personal transformation that he has documented on Instagram to his 1.4 million followers.
He has previously described his body as a work in progress and has spoken about wanting his outward appearance to reflect how he feels on the inside.
Significantly - Loffredo has been open about the fact that his appearance has made it extremely difficult to find work.
In an appearance on the Spanish podcast Club 113, he said: "I can't find a job. There's lots of negative stuff."
He has also described strangers screaming, staring, or running away when they see him in public.
Despite this, he has consistently maintained that people should speak to him rather than judge him based on how he looks.
His appearance has also strained relationships with some family members. He has said that only his mother, brother, and sister remain supportive of his choices.
He has also acknowledged the physical risks involved. "Yeah, I play with my health," he said.
"I usually treat my own body really hard."
In late 2023, Loffredo announced on Instagram that he was pausing the project.
He said it had 'lost its meaning' and that the global attention it attracted had become difficult to manage.
He wrote that he no longer wanted to remove, add, or alter anything on his body, and planned to simply finish covering himself in black ink.
That did not last.
He has since returned with new facial scarification work, and recent updates suggest his relationship with body modification remains complicated.
He has even discussed the possibility of having a leg amputated from the knee down, though he acknowledged that removing a healthy limb is 'something really hard'.
More recently still, he confirmed he would stop modifying his body for good - but would continue tattooing his entire body black.
Whether that holds remains to be seen, given how many times he has made similar statements before.
As you would expect, it is divided.
Some people praise Loffredo for pushing the boundaries of self-expression.
Others find the transformation impossible to understand, particularly when before photos surface and show just how dramatically different he once looked.
When the Channel 4 documentary aired, one viewer wrote that by the end, they no longer noticed his appearance because they felt they had 'seen his heart'.
Another said that while they could not imagine making the same choices, Loffredo seemed kind and comfortable with who he is.
Others were less generous. Comments under his Instagram posts frequently range from fascination to outright hostility.
Loffredo himself has been consistent in his response to the criticism.
"You can't judge someone," he said in the documentary.
"No one knows what's inside someone's head, why they're doing that."
He is not the only person to have pursued extreme transformation.
'Dr Evil' body modification artist Brendan McCarthy made headlines in the UK after being prosecuted for carrying out procedures including ear and nipple removal, while one man who covered 90% of his body in black ink went as far as having his genitals removed because they interfered with his 'look'.
But Loffredo's case remains the most high-profile example of someone who was, by his own admission, a 'very good-looking guy' choosing to leave that behind entirely.
Whether you see that as freedom or something else probably says more about you than it does about him.
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A man, who refers to himself as a 'black alien' has opened up about his previous life before his huge transformation.
Anthony Loffredo, AKA @the_black_alien_project online, has garnered a lot of attention over the past few years thanks to his unique look.
The 33-year-old has undergone a massive transformation in order to fit his ideal appearance which involves the removal of his ears, a few fingers, and his nostrils.
Not only that, but Loffredo has also covered almost every single inch of his body in ink, including his eyeballs, and has had his tongue forked to give him that all-round "alien" look.
The French man hasn't always looked like this though - in a previous life, he described himself as a "very sexy guy."
Speaking to Arthur Bruel during a segment of his Channel 4 documentary I Transformed Myself Into An Alien, Loffredo emphasized just how happy he was with his new look after his old, "sexy" body didn't feel comfortable enough for him.
While the doc starts off with Bruel talking about his curiosity when it came to Loffredo's appearance stating that he was "open-minded", but he "couldn't understand why anyone would want to look like that", the pair go on to develop a bond that is obvious to see as the film delves deeper into the "alien's" life.
After showing the filmmaker some old photos of himself, the 33-year-old says: "Happy, but not in the right body."
"But you were a very good-looking guy," Bruel tells him.
"[A] very sexy guy," Loffredo replies," before re-emphasizing the importance of his transformation.
"But I’m the same person! Same heart," he says, also adding: "But it’s not my body, my real body."
While some people in Mexico - where Loffredo resides now - might find him strange, or scary-looking, he's not short of attention when it comes to the ladies.
As revealed in the doc, women everywhere seem to find him attractive, with two women asking him about his tongue.
"Show me your tongue," one woman requests, before asking him why it's green.
"It’s tattooed, it’s ink," Loffredo responds, appearing to be unfazed by the woman’s fascination with him.
"Do you think Anthony is sexy?", Bruel asks the woman.
"Yes," she replies, before doubling down on her views and saying she finds his look attractive.
In a separate interview on the Club 113 podcast, the influencer, who boasts a whopping 1.4 million followers on Instagram, opened up about the difficulties of living in a world of "normal" people.
"I can't find a job, there's lots of negative stuff. It could be positive because you feel better, but you have to know there's also a dark side," he said. "It's a fight every day because every day you find new people who don't understand, who want to judge. It's life, not everyone understands everything. Like me, I don't understand lots of things about lots of people.
"You can't judge someone, no one knows what's inside someone's head, why they're doing that, you need to talk with this person," he added.
Well, as long as Loffredo is content, who are we to judge?
A man who calls himself the "Black Alien" after having several body modifications has revealed his latest transformation.
Anthony Loffredo, a 33-year-old from France, has been on a mission to alter himself into an extra-terrestrial being with his many extreme changes.
Since the age of 27, Loffredo has removed some of his fingers, upper lip, eyeballs, and parts of his nose, and has a split tongue to replicate a snake-like figure.
He has gone to the extreme length to tattoo himself from head to toe - eyeballs included - as well as having reptilian-style implants all over his head and arms.
The plastic surgery aficionado recently took to his Instagram page - where he has amassed 1.4 million followers - to share the news about his latest operations, and it is safe to say that it is his ghastliest one yet.
He teased the procedure on Instagram, writing: "New scar coming soon. Evolution," and it shows a "Z" carved out of his right cheek. He most likely did not find the procedure discomforting as he's no stranger to going under the knife.
News of Loffredo's latest operation comes after he was recently spotlighted in a Channel 4 documentary titled I Transformed Myself Into An Alien, which explores the extreme surgeries he has undergone in his pursuit to look like an alien.
The doc starts off with interviewer Arthur Bruel talking about his curiosity when it came to Loffredo's appearance stating that he was "open-minded," but he "couldn't understand why anyone would want to look like that".
The surgery fanatic then told the filmmaker that he is pleased with his current look, revealing that he did not feel comfortable enough in his old "sexy" body.
He then showed Bruel old photos of himself and said: "Happy, but not in the right body," to which the interviewer interjected: "But you were a very good-looking guy."
"[A] very sexy guy," Loffredo responded, before re-emphasizing the importance of his transformation. "But I’m the same person! Same heart," he says, also adding: "But it’s not my body, my real body."
Elsewhere in the documentary, we see that while some people in Mexico - where Loffredo resides now - may react to his extra-terrestrial obsession negatively, he still gets attention from women.
During a segment, two women fascinated by his look ask about his tongue, with one requesting him to show him before questioning why it's green. "It’s tattooed, it’s ink," Loffredo responded, appearing to be unfazed by the woman's infatuation with him.
"Do you think Anthony is sexy?", Bruel also asked the woman. "Yes," she replies, before doubling down on her views and saying she finds his look attractive.
A man who calls himself the "black alien" has revealed that he carved out the skin in his head to spell "Alien".
Anthony Loffredo, a 32-year-old from France, has undergone many body modifications - such as removing his fingers, upper lip, eyeballs, and part of his nose since the age of 27.
He is also heavily tattooed, has reptilian-style implants all over his head and arms, and has a split tongue to replicate a snake-like figure.
Just when we thought he was done, Loffredo admitted that the next body modification he underwent was what might be his most gruesome one yet.
Check out the clip below:In a video shared to his 1.3 million followers on Instgram, Loffredo showed off the side of his head - which now has the word "alien" carved into it.
The plastic surgery aficionado fanatic suggested in the video, where his black-tattooed skin has been sliced out, that he's not even halfway to reaching his target in the caption, writing: "Black alien project evolution 45%."
Despite his large social media following, in real life, Loffredo has opened up about the difficulties he faces due to his uncommon look - including finding employment.
Speaking on an episode of the Club 113 podcast, he said: "I can’t find a job, there’s lots of negative stuff. It could be positive because you feel better, but you have to know there’s also a dark side."
The so-called Black Alien has also spoken about the day-to-day scrutiny he faces because of his appearance by sharing videos of him walking through crowded streets to record other people's reactions.
According to the New York Post, in 2017, Loffredo revealed to the French paper Midi Libre why he decided to alter his looks, saying: "From a very young age, I have been passionate about mutations and transformations of the human body."
"I had a click when I was a security guard. I realized that I was not living my life the way I wanted. I stopped everything at 24 and left for Australia," he told the outlet.
"I love getting into the shoes of a scary character. I often settle down somewhere and play a role, especially at night in the dark streets… I explore the contrast between the role I play and myself," Loffredo added.
Published 13:22 24 Jul 2023 GMT
A man who calls himself a "Black Alien" after having several body modifications has revealed that he struggles to find a job due to his unusual look.
Anthony Loffredo, a 35-year-old from France, has undergone many body modifications since the age of 27, such as removing his fingers, upper lip, eyeballs, and part of his nose.
The man is also heavily tattooed from head to toe – eyeballs included - and has reptilian-style implants all over his head and arms, and has a split tongue to replicate a snake-like figure.
While he has a large following on social media - amassing 1.2 million followers on Instagram - Loffredo has opened up about the difficulties he faces in the real world.
The plastic surgery fanatic made an appearance on the Club 113 podcast to discuss his ever-transforming modifications and said: "I can’t find a job, there’s lots of negative stuff. It could be positive because you feel better, but you have to know there’s also a dark side," as cited by Indy100.
Loffredo also spoke about how strangers react to him every day, and explained that he has to "fight every day" because "you find new people who don’t understand, who want to judge".
"It’s life, not everyone understands everything. Like me, I don’t understand lots of things about lots of people," he continued. "You can’t judge someone, no one knows what’s inside someone’s head, why they’re doing that, you need to talk with this person.
"I’m a normal guy, I work, I have a family… I like being looked at like a normal guy with a job, with a family, who has a friend, girlfriend, all of that. That’s what makes me normal," he added.
According to the New York Post, in 2017, Loffredo revealed to the French paper Midi Libre why he decided to alter his looks, saying: "From a very young age, I have been passionate about mutations and transformations of the human body.
"I had a click when I was a security guard. I realized that I was not living my life the way I wanted. I stopped everything at 24 and left for Australia," he told the outlet.
"I love getting into the shoes of a scary character. I often settle down somewhere and play a role, especially at night in the dark streets… I explore the contrast between the role I play and myself," Loffredo added.
The so-called Black Alien also previously disclosed that his extreme appearance has affected his relationship with some family members, causing them to break down.
He said that only his mom, brother, and sister support his radical transition, but, he added that despite some family support, he has a few regrets about the risks of his modifications.
"Yeah, I play with my health. I usually treat my own body really hard. But I still think and say to myself, people can die of anything like you could be run over by a car, you could have a stroke," he said. "So you know life, it’s just luck."
The self-dubbed "Black Alien" has announced that he is finished with modifying his body and is instead turning his attention to tattooing his entire body black.
Anthony Loffredo, a 35-year-old self-proclaimed "Black Alien" from France, is renowned for his extensive body modifications, including the removal of fingers, upper lip, eyeballs, and part of his nose.
Anyone familiar with Loffredo will know that his appearance is out of the ordinary, but his body modifications could be at an end.
Taking to his Instagram account, where he posts the majority of his content, the 32-year-old has revealed that he is done with "removing" and "adding" things to his body.
He said: "This project to which I gave everything, love, passion, determination, strength, has lost its meaning over the years, I did not expect it to have so much impact on the world, to be known I did not know how to manage it and my project has lost its meaning."
Sharing two images side by side, Loffredo revealed that there is a six-month difference between them, and in the image on the left he felt like a "child" who was "clearly lost".
He went on: "I no longer want to touch my body or take anything off or put anything on, I am putting an end to the modification of my body for the moment I no longer like this world, I’m going to finish my full black all over the body and finish for the moment like this."
He ended his post by waving goodbye to body modifications.
In a recent video shared on his Instagram page, Loffredo gave fans a glimpse as she underwent more tattooing on his face, in order to black out the intricate series of white lines that had previously criss-crossed it.
He told his followers it was the part of the latest evolution of his project, adding: "The change begins New Face More Black Loading."
This announcement is at odds with what he said just a year ago though, as in an appearance on the Spanish podcast Club 113, Loffredo spoke about further modifications.
"My next modification is my face, that’s the next one," Loffredo said. Although he refrained from divulging specifics, he hinted at contemplating a drastic step, possibly involving the amputation of one leg from the knee down.
In response to questions about his unique look impacting his employment prospects, Loffredo revealed on the podcast that he has faced challenges due to his extraterrestrial appearance.
When asked if he kept any of his amputated body parts, he nonchalantly shared: "My ears. My friend keeps them." He also admitted to retaining his discarded lips from previous mouth surgeries.
Despite some family members breaking ties due to his appearance, Loffredo highlighted the support from his mom, brother, and sister.
However, he acknowledged the potential health risks associated with his lifestyle, stating: "Yeah, I play with my health. I usually treat my own body really hard."
Loffredo also introduced a woman named Melina, who was believed to be his girlfriend, to his 1.4 million Instagram followers. Images posted on his account show the couple posing together, with one captioned "Jungle party."
The post received over 97,000 likes, with followers expressing admiration for the unique couple - though the post has since been deleted.
While Loffredo has said that he is done with body modifications, he has also left the door open for there to be more in the future.
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