A Washington DC man covered his body from head to toe in a “unified suit tattoo” because he doesn’t “want to die with regrets.”
Drew Powell, 67, has spent more than $62,000 on ink and extreme body modifications after becoming interested in tattooed South Pacific warriors when he was younger.
But it wasn’t until he was 60 that he decided to embark on his own journey with ink.
The retired telecommunications businessman now has a unified tattoo that covers most of his body, as well as 23mm septum and nipple piercings.
“I have a Marquesas-inspired black suit tattoo that covers pretty much every part of my body, with the exception of my hands, neck, head and face,” Drew said.
Drew Powell, 67, from Washington DC, is covered in ink and has several extreme body modifications.
Drew began her inking journey at age 60 in December 2022 and just a year later she had a full Marquesan bodysuit.
“Starting (tattooing) later in life had some advantages,” he admitted, adding: “I was fully funded, I had time, I knew exactly what I wanted and, being a blank canvas, I ended up with a unified tattoo.” . .
Due to the responsibilities and stigma surrounding tattoos and body modifications in Drew’s younger years, he was discouraged from beginning his journey of self-expression.
“Over time, the world adopted my way of thinking, so I decided it was now or never,” he said.
‘I didn’t want to die with regret.’
Drew revealed that he has a 23mm stretched septum that was punctured at age 13, but was stretched until 2020.
‘I also have 8mm pierced nipples and other assorted piercings.
“When I first saw images of tattooed South Pacific warriors and indigenous people with cultural modifications, I wanted them for myself,” he added.
And the tattoo fanatic has spent thousands of dollars on his love of the needle, spending hours in the chair and months to complete his inkings.
He said: ‘I have spent over $62,000 on tattoos and body modifications.
“My tattoo suit took 14 months to complete; I did it by tattooing myself in eight-hour sessions every two weeks.”
According to the tattoo lover, the total time for his costume was 220 hours.
“All my life I wanted to get tattoos and modifications, but until recently these things were not done in the West unless you were crazy or a criminal,” he said.
‘When someone asks me how many tattoos I have, I can honestly answer: ‘One.’ So I don’t have a favorite tattoo. My entire bodysuit is my favorite tattoo.’
He also said that he can’t choose a favorite piercing because he likes them all, and that by transforming, “he becomes more me every day.”
And, as for the pain, the brave man said the sensation is only temporary, but the lasting effects are well worth it.
His inking cost him a whopping $62,000, but Drew claimed he didn’t “want to die with regrets.”
Drew had been interested in the tattooed warriors of the South Pacific when he was younger, which inspired his own ink.
‘There are two types of pain: the immediate pain of stabbing pain and the marathon pain that constitutes the tattoo.
‘They tattooed my nipples black and two weeks later they pierced the 4 mm ones. As for piercings, what hurts me the most are my nipples.
‘My most painful tattoos were my sternum, nipples, ribs, the back of my legs, just below my buttocks, and my feet.
‘In the case of tattoos and body modifications, the pain is temporary.
‘The aesthetic and pleasurable sensations last a lifetime.’
Drew shares his love of tattoos on Instagram (@septumdan) and has amassed over 1,000 followers, who are enthusiastic fans of her body art.
He says the reactions have been mostly positive, with only the occasional negative Nancy dropping her opinion.
Their loved ones have also joined in, although some family members initially found it difficult to accept their new normal.
‘Most of the reactions come from members of the tattooed and modified community.
‘Occasionally people who are not tattooed or modified leave negative comments, but tattoos and body modifications are something they will never understand or accept.
‘To each his own.’
“Just remember that when you walk next to people on the street, you never know what’s underneath.”
She admitted that it was initially difficult for some of her close family members to accept her new look, as she had spent the first six decades of her life without body art.
Drew says it has been a pleasure working with his tattoo artist Butch and that his tattoos have opened up new opportunities for him.
‘We both feel the same about respecting indigenous cultures.
Drew said: “For some close family members, it was hard to accept at first, because they were used to seeing me without body art for the first six decades of my life.”
This tattoo nut weighed 21 kilos 10 years ago and claimed his health was failing him. He has now lost eight kilos and now he loves life.
‘My Monkey is all about cultural appreciation and celebration of the world’s indigenous people.
‘Being heavily tattooed and modified has also opened up other opportunities for me.
“I am now an ambassador for Ink Models International, a UK-based company that matches people with companies who want to advertise with tattooed people, as tattoos gain greater acceptance in society around the world.”
He added: ‘I even occasionally do human hook hangs, where large hooks pierce my skin and then lift me up on ropes to fly through the air.
‘Suspensions, like tattoos and body modifications, are a kind of rite of passage, something missing in our Western ‘instant gratification’ society.
‘It’s quite liberating and better than waiting to die while rocking on the porch.
‘For anyone who has considered getting a tattoo or piercing… Just do it.
‘Life really is too short!’
Drew’s appearance isn’t the only transformation he’s undergone either, as just ten years ago he weighed 21 kilos and claims his health was declining.
He lost a whopping eight kilos and says he is now loving life while tattooing and modifying intensely.
It comes after a heavily tattooed cancer survivor TikTok user went viral after revealing her full-body inks and striking tinted eyeballs.
Quest Gulliford, who beat Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has spent $70,000 on tattoos since he started tattooing in 2009.
His Houston tattoo artist stuck a needle into all sides of his eyeball to turn them black.
“It’s not really like a tattoo on the skin, it’s more of an injection or modification,” he said.
