Mother And NHS Nurse Who Is Covered In Tattoo Is In Running To Be Miss Tattoo UK

 

A midwife insists she is still 'a nice person' despite constantly seeing raised eyebrows from people looking at her heavily tattooed arms. Mother-of-one Claire O'Sullivan, whose tattoos include skulls, butterflies and mermaids, says 'kindness, compassion and ability' are the key to being a good nurse rather than just having clear skin.

Now the 30-year-old, of Gwersyllt in North Wales, is hoping to be crowned Miss Tattoo UK and is on a mission to be an inspiration for all tattooed women. She has a host of tattoos as well as body piercings, likens body art to people decorating their houses and wants to dispel negative stereotypes about tattooed people. She admits some eyebrows have been raised over her heavily tattooed arms especially when she rolls up her scrubs on the wards at her work place in North Wales. Her tattoos include a mum with a baby symbolizing her work as a midwife on her left arm and a mermaid with a baby on her right arm which Claire had done as a tribute to daughter Molly.
On her back she has a large dove overlooking two stars to commemorate the death of a close friend who left behind two children. Other pieces include a large rose-based design up her right leg and a tribal chest piece. But she wants to prove people wrong about judging her on the way she looks.
Ms O'Sullivan said: 'Working in the healthcare environment means I have to have the skin on my arms exposed to ensure good hand hygiene and to prevent the spread of infection. This means exposing my extensively tattooed arms and I have worked hard to ensure I am seen as an equal to my peers. Despite having tattoos, I am a nice person. I have raised some eyebrows along the way and have always tried to prove that kindness, compassion and ability is what you need to make a good midwife, not clear skin. Tattooed people come from all walks of life. I am a mother and I have had to deal with raised eyebrows at the school gate and my daughter Molly has had comments made to her about my appearance. My daughter understands the importance of respecting individuals for who they are not what they look like and she has a very healthy outlook on life as a result and would never dream of judging a person on their clothing, their appearance or their choice of self-expression.'
Ms O'Sullivan said she was overjoyed to have come first in an online poll of 40 women hoping to qualify for the final of the competition.
And now the proud mother, who is also a singer in rock band Thunderlizard, will compete against nine other women at the Liverpool Tattoo Conventionnext month in the hope of being crowned Miss Tattoo UK.
The finals of the competition, now in its third year, will be held at the Britannia Adelphi Hotel in the city centre on May 17 as part of the three-day convention on all things body art.
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