A HEAVILY tattooed woman has shared her unbothered response to trolls who judge her body art.
The 36-year-old revealed that she is already planning her next inking session.
Julia Falcon has had 98% of her body tattooed, spending 18 years building up the collection.
She told What’s The Jam she now sees her ink as “one big tattoo” and has been described by trolls as being “desperate for attention” over her appearance.
Julia said she has faced her fair share of misconceptions online, with people “coming for” her any time she posts a picture.
“The only negative experiences I have because of my tattoos are usually the ones that I get in my comment sections online,” she explained.
The California native pointed out that the anonymity of the internet makes it easier for people to hate on her.
“If someone doesn’t like me because I have tattoos in the real world, they just ignore me,” she said.
“But the internet gives a lot of people the opportunity to safely tell me that they dislike me because of the artwork I have on my body.”
While people often critique her physical appearance, Julia revealed that they mainly question why she got her tattoos in the first place.
“People mostly say that I am desperate for attention,” she explained.
Despite the backlash, she revealed she has no intentions of stopping her tattoo sessions.
She is currently planning to re-tattoo her back piece, which she says is 18 years old and could do with a touch up.
“My eyelids are the only places on my body that aren’t tattooed, yet,” Julia, who works as a caregiver.
“The tattoo process is more important to me than the tattoo itself.
“It is very ritualistic, meditative, and can even be spiritual at times.”
She added that her tattoos have played a vital role in her sobriety.
“I do the 12 steps everyday, and that requires a lot of self examination,” she explained.
“The tattoo process is very meditative, so I found myself going for sessions more for the experience than the actual art.
“This is why the tattoo process is so special to me.
“It really pushed me to learn a thing or two about surrendering to something greater than myself, surrendering to pain.”
Julia credited her experience getting inked with contributing to her personal growth.
“In those moments with the needle, pain is your higher power and you can either fight it or surrender to it, it’s a transcendent experience,” she said.
Depending on what part of your body you choose to ink, tattoos can range significantly in terms of pain levels.
Some of the most painful areas are those where the skin tends to be thinner or closer to the bone.
Each area has specific factors which contribute to the level of pain.
Ribcage: Thin skin, little muscle, and many nerve endings.
Feet and ankles: Many bones, tendons, and nerve endings close to the surface.
Hands and fingers: Many bones, tendons, and nerve endings, resulting in increased pain during tattooing. Knuckles can be especially painful.
Spine: Proximity of the spinal cord and nerve endings makes it sensitive. Tattooing directly over the vertebrae can be especially painful.
Knees and elbows: Thin skin and little padding between the skin and the underlying bones.
Armpits and groin: High concentration of nerve endings and lymph nodes.
Neck and throat: Thin and sensitive skin, with many nerve endings and blood vessels close to the surface.
Source: Tatt2Away
Julia’s first inking was going to be a dragon on her arm but after meeting a “brilliant” tattoo artist, they cooked up an idea for something bigger.
“Instead of a little dragon on my arm, we did a dragon on my back and we slowly added on from there,” she said.
When that artist passed away, Julia decided to honour him by finishing her bodysuit.
“There’s meaning behind my whole suit, it’s a tribute to one of the best tattooers I ever had the honour of knowing,” she explained.
“I have a portrait of his cat on my hand, in memory of him.”
She named her head inking as one of her favourites but added that she loves all her tattoos equally.
With a strong support network behind her, Julia shared her indifference to her critics.
“It’s just art for goodness sake! Art doesn’t just turn someone into a bad person,” she pointed out.
“I love that [my family and friends] are able to see and understand that.”
And to anyone considering getting heavily tattooed, she recommends just doing it.
“If it’s something that you find you really want and if it will bring you joy, then go for it,” she added.
“Not everyone is going to agree with the decisions that you make, and yes there are people out there that will dislike you because you look different.
“But we don’t get tattooed for them, we do it for ourselves.”
