I have over 100 face and body tattoos – I get insulted by nasty girls at work and told I embarrass my family by trolls
A TATTED woman uses her ink as a shield against all the haters.
She feels more confident than ever with over 100 face and body tattoos, and even sets aside cash each month to get more.
Upon turning 18, Tegan Grey (@teganleighgrey_) did the thing she was never allowed to do before: get a tattoo.
Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Tegan recounted that her mother wanted her 18th birthday to feel special.
“I didn’t know what I wanted, so my mom was like, ‘What haven’t you done that you’re able to do now?’ And I went with a tattoo,” she said with a laugh.
After Googling “pretty girl tattoos” for inspiration, she landed on an intricate design to go on her sternum.
“The tattoo artist was like, ‘Are you sure this is what you want for your first one?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I can handle it.’”
As a newbie, she quickly realized it was a lot more painful than she thought it would be.
She said: “It was awful. I managed to sit there for like an hour and then I couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t finish it.”
For a few years, she was scarred – a surprising revelation given how many tattoos she has now.
“I was really put off. I didn’t go back to finish it until my 21st birthday,” she said.
Now 26 years old, Tegan has gotten over the pain and has more tats than she can count – a fact she’s proud of.
“I’ve lost track, it’s got to be more than 100 easily though.
“There was a phase where I was getting two, maybe three tattoos a month, which is quite a lot. That’s almost one every week.”
She became passionate about decorating her body after completing that first tattoo five years ago, and now considers the endeavor a regular expense she factors into her budget.
She said: “You’re looking at $300, $400 dollars a day at the tattoo parlor.
“So, I’ve spent quite a lot, but I factor my tattoo costs as an expense just like I do with rent.”
When choosing between going out for dinner and drinks or getting a tattoo, she opts for the ink.
“The order goes rent first, bills second, tattoos third,” Tegan said.
While much of her arms and core are covered in detailed designs, she said her neck and chest tats are her favorites.
She said: “It’s the thing that people notice first, and they make me feel more confident. It’s like a suit or armor. No one can touch me.”
She recalled her time working at a pub, noting that her alcohol-imbued clients were sometimes out of line.
She said: “Dealing with drunk people, girls can get kind of nasty and attack you for how you look.
“But when they’d do that, I wouldn’t care because I had my suit of armor, I felt protected.”
She compared this security blanket sensation to how many people feel when they put on makeup.
“You know when you put on your makeup and you feel good, you just know it’s going to be a good day? That’s how it is with my tattoos.”
Putting herself out there online, too, means she gets internet trolls – but she’s learned to block them out for the most part.
“The only time where it really affected me was when I posted my chin tattoo, because that got such a bad reaction from my followers. So, then I was thinking, ‘Did I make a mistake?’”
Still, she reminds herself that the anonymous hate shouldn’t bother her, because those closest to her love her for who she is.
“People on TikTok are always like, ‘Your family must hate how you look. Your mom must hate it.’
“But I’m like, ‘You don’t know anything.’
“For my nan’s 60th birthday, we all went on vacation together with my cousins, aunties, and everyone got matching seashell tattoos – including my nan.
“They all put it on their arms, and I put it on my leg because I had no room.”
Her mom, too, has an arm sleeve and leg sleeve, so there’s no judgement coming from her.
Tegan insists she wasn’t down on her body before getting inked, but now she simply feels better than ever.
“I wasn’t unhappy, but the more I get tattooed, the more I feel like myself.”
She pointed out her face tattoos, including the one on her chin, plus another on her temple and one on her ear, noting that she likes to be symmetrical with her face.
As for what’s next, a blacked-out ear might be in her near future.