‘I’m not done,’ says 36-year-old Esperance Fuerzina, referring to the tattoos that cover almost every part of her body.
The former army veteran from the US has today been crowned the most tattooed female in the world by Guinness World Records.
She’s also claimed the record for the most body modifications on a woman too.
A staggering 99.8% of Esperance’s body is covered in tattoos and she has 89 body modifications, including facial implants and piercings.
Esperance’s love for tattoos started like most do, when she got her first tattoo at the age of 21 – a small symbol on her hip.
But her passion for ink stretched far further than most, and her art now covers her eyelids, eyeballs, gums and tongue.
‘I’ve just had full colour added to my face and I love how it pops and how everything has come together and it’s inspired another layer to my body suit,’ she explains.
The first body modification Esperance had was a ‘tongue split’, where it is cut and separated down the middle.
She then went on to have five facial implants over three sessions, punches (to stretch the tissue) and a wide range of piercings on her ears, nipples, labia and gums.
‘I’ve had three different pieces of my ear removed over the years as well as multiple piercings in both ears,’ she says.
Esperance’s new record smashes the one previouslyheld by Maria Jose Cristerna, who has 40 modifications.
‘With body modifications there’s more of a risk but I really like to see what the human body is capable of and that’s driven me,’ she adds.
Her motivation for her tattoos is a heart-warming one. Esperance says she uses her tattoos to remember her life experiences.
She says: ‘I like body art being this collection of memories I can take anywhere with me, I’ve had a pretty nomadic life, and not much room in my (army) pack.
‘Initially I didn’t plan on having so many but life being an evolution I ended up being this way.’
For her, they ‘turn dark times into light’, reminding her that she is always changing both spiritually and mentally.
It’s taken her 15 years to cover this much of her body, which equals to hundreds of hours under the needle. Ouch.
But Esperance says: ‘It’s just a small moment in time for something I can keep for life.’
She adds that any pain she feels while getting inked is a ‘minor inconvenience’.
The record-holder wasn’t actually a fan of her first tattoo though, and it’s since been covered up with a large ‘beautiful’ Phoenix. This bigger piece of body art served as a catalyst for all the other tattoos to come.
She realised that she preferred big, cohesive ink on her body, rather than small designs.
‘The art is deeply personal and I do feel I’m in a happy place because of it now,’ she explains.
She says she has received some judgement for what she’s done to her body but mostly everyone in her life currently is accepting of her.
Despite being covered, she says her feet need some more work, so stay tuned.
‘I’m going to continue on another layer of my bodysuit and I’m definitely not done with body modification.’
Esperance adds: ‘To be the most tattooed woman and to have the most body modifications feels a little crazy, I’m grateful and excited for the future.
‘I think there’s still a way to go in terms of accepting people and allowing people to look how they want without discriminating against them for the choices they’ve made.’
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