Woman says people think she’s a bad mother because of her face tattoos

A mother has revealed that many people believe she's a bad mother because of her face tattoos.

The Sun reported that Claire Elsie-Rose often gets asked about her 14 facial markings, and the mum shame is real.

Rose said parents often have preconceived notions that she's a notorious criminal, but that's far from the truth.

"I've also had questions like 'why would you do that?' and comments like 'you used to be so pretty!' implying I've somehow ruined my looks," she told the outlet.

The tattoo artist shared that she is used to people avoiding eye contact and has seen some cross the road purely because they're intimidated by her unconventional look.

She added: "I'm a good mum, I have a successful business, and I'm in a secure relationship - there's nothing wild about my life, and I love nothing more than a night in, in my pyjamas!"

The mum of four has had an affinity for body and face art since she was a teen and received her first tattoo at 15.

But once she began to find employment, fearful that her bosses would judge her, she would often cover up in the office.

However, after facing a health scare when she was 25 and had a tumour on her lung, the mum decided to take her love of tattoos to the next phase.

Rose received her very first face tattoo, which she recalled as a 'life-changing experience'.

The mother said she felt completely 'liberated' and could finally be herself.

And while it's caused some judgemental parents snickering at her on the school run, Rose regrets nothing.

"I was worried about being judged but I realised life was too short to not express myself," she said.

According to a 2018 survey by the University of Portsmouth, more women reported feeling judged compared to men for their tattoos, as per SBS News.

A university spokesman said: "A sad aspect found by the survey was that 15.64 per cent of women felt judged by their tattoo, compared to just 9.54 per cent of men.

"Other people believe it can have a negative impact on their job prospects if they display their tattoos."

Researcher Dr Stephen Crabbe said that many people assume those with tattoos 'were young, naive, or victims of their own poor judgement'.

"Despite living in a more tolerant society than ever before, where equal rights are correctly pushed across all groups, tattoos remain a subject that sees prejudice cast unfairly," he added.