A woman who has 70 per cent of her body covered in tattoos has revealed she has been ignored at work and followed by security guards in shops.
Sarah Hutchinson, 29, an actress from Ancoats, Manchester, says when it comes to roles she is typecast as a criminal or homeless person.
Known to her fans as Joey, she has been told by her colleagues that the artwork covering her arms and legs is intimidating, leading people to assume she is “bad.”
Hutchinson, who starred in ITV’s The Cabin, got her first tattoo – ‘4ever in my heart’ on her wrist when she was 15 – and estimates she has since spent around £7,000 on body art.
Speaking about an incident that occurred in a supermarket where she was being chased by a security guard, Sarah said: “I was in Marks & Spencer in the summer, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt.
A woman who has 70 per cent of her body covered in tattoos has revealed she has lost her job and is being followed around shops by security guards.
Sarah Hutchinson, 29, an actress from Ancoats, Manchester, says she is pigeonholed as a criminal or homeless person.
Hutchinson, who starred in ITV’s The Cabin, got his first tattoo, ‘4ever in my heart’ on his wrist when he was 15, and estimates he has spent around £7,000 on tattoos since then.
“I was walking, trying to find something to eat, when my girlfriend said the security guard was following me.
‘I deliberately walked the halls to see if it was, and it was. I said, “I’ll steal something from you if you keep looking at me.”
“I’m very used to it, sometimes I don’t realize it and it’s my partner who points it out to me.”
“It seems crazy nowadays, but I get stared at almost everywhere I go.
“I’m not stealing; I’ll swing the bag and show them I’m not stealing.”
Sarah, who also works as a personal trainer and musician, says her biggest regrets are her hand tattoos of a star, a moon and the word “why.”
An even bigger problem is an ex’s name tattooed on the bottom of her wedding ring finger, which she says is too painful to remove, but adds that his girlfriend won’t marry her while it’s still there.
Sarah estimates that repairing or removing some of the unwanted work could cost her around £1,500.
Following the huge amount of body art she has opted for in the past, Sarah advised anyone wanting to get a tattoo to never hire an artist who costs less than £350 a day.
He also recommends waiting at least three months after choosing a design to tattoo it.
Based on her own experience, Sarah advises anyone wanting to get a tattoo to never hire an artist who costs less than £350 a day.
He also recommends waiting at least three months after you’ve chosen a design to get tattooed, to make sure you’re happy with what you’ve chosen.
She added that her coworkers have stereotyped her and assigned her the same acting roles because she has many tattoos.
Sarah continued: ‘Everyone has the perception that I’m bad. People I met at work told me they didn’t talk to me for a long time because they said I seemed intimidating.
“They always cast me as the homeless person. I am pigeonholed as a criminal; I only get really bad things thanks to my tattoos.
“I think they’re still associated with bad behavior and being stupid or idiotic; people associate that with crime.”
Despite having some tattoos that she’s had to cover up because she regrets them, like a list of five friends’ names she got on a night out, she said there are a few pieces of body art she’s happy with.
She added that her coworkers have stereotyped her and assigned her the same acting roles because she has many tattoos.
Sarah, who also works as a personal trainer and musician, says her biggest regrets are her hand tattoos of a star, a moon and the word “why.”
His other tattoos include tattoos with marine themes, including a bottle with the words “Not all who wander are lost” and ancient Egyptian murals that he says he has no regrets about.
She explained: ‘I have a moon and a star, and next to it I have the word ‘why’. I ask “why” I did it.
“I’m now reserved for darkened skeletal fingers, so it will be the image of the bone across the finger because that’s the only tattoo that will cover it.”
He added: ‘I have a lot of poor quality work. I went to cheap people and that’s why I have a lot of (poorly made) works of art that I’m fixing.’