There’s basically infinite ways you can express yourself with tattoos . From the placement, to the design, to the colors, no two people are going to be alike .
For some, though, tattoos aren’t just about creative expression or paying homage to something or someone important. They can also be a form of self-identification.
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For Amber, covering herself in tattoos is how she learned to love herself.
Amber, from Australia, appeared on the YouTube channel, Truly.
In an episode of Truly’s Transformed , which aired in 2021, then-26-year-old Amber showed off her tattoos, which cover 98% of her body , leaving very little of her natural skin showing underneath.
She also has a number of other body modifications.
In addition to the tattoos, Amber has several piercings, a split tongue, and tattoos applied to her eyes to make the whites appear blue. Overall, she estimated that she’s spent $130k AUD (approximately $80k USD).
In ‘Transformed,’ Amber gets all of her tattoos covered up.
Yup, all of them. The ones on her arms and legs, torso, and head and neck. For Amber, who began getting tattoos when she was 16, it means seeing a side of herself she hadn’t seen in a decade.
During the episode, she opened up about how she was bullied as a child.
“I’m very, very nervous of this day,” she said in the video. “Mainly because of my insecurities of what I looked like with no tattoos.”
“I was bullied a lot in high school and primary school.”
“So my confidence was next to nothing at a very young age,” she continued. “Through the tattooing, it’s definitely allowed me to find who I am.”
She was then visited by a professional makeup artist.
Suzi Dent, who is a professional makeup, hair, and SFX artist , arrived to cover all of Amber’s tattoos. She first started with a pink base layer, which would negate the blue tones of Amber’s tattoos.
After that, it was time to match Amber’s skin.
After the pink came time to use different shades to match what Amber’s skin looks like without tattoos.
“I love that you have represented everything you believe in on your body, and you wear it around proudly,” Suzi told Amber as she worked.
When it was all done, Amber couldn’t help but be shocked at how she looked.
Amber was speechless when she first looked at herself in the mirror, saying, “I don’t even know how to react. Jesus Christ I was so basic.”
Then, it’s time to show her mom the transformation.
Amber described her mom, Vikki as “supportive” of her daughter’s tattoos, but “not the biggest fan.” When asked how she thought her mom would react, she said, “She’s gonna be very shocked. She’s gonna be probably in love. ‘Oh my God I’ve got my daughter back.'”
But when Vikki saw Amber with her tattoos covered, she said, “Where’s my daughter?”
“I like you with tattoos,” she told Amber as they both became emotional. “I’m just so used to you being you with tattoos.”
While the experience was interesting, Amber couldn’t wait to get all the makeup off of her.
