Chantrelle (30)
Atlanta, GA

The Tattooed Lady

Since she was a kid Chantrelle experimented with body art, always drawing on herself with pens or sharpies. So, when she turned 18 it didn’t surprise anyone that she spent her birthday getting her first tattoo: a rose on her neck. What her family and friends didn’t expect is that she’d be back for another the next day...and the next day...and the next. In fact, that very first week of legally eligible for body art, Chantrelle’s tattoo artist was the one to cut her off. She said “you need to give your body a rest! Take a break!”

The break didn’t last long...and since that birthday Chantrelle has racked up approximately 200 tattoos! They cover nearly her entire body from head to toe and she has no plans to stop until she is completely covered, everywhere except her face. If her body was a canvas she wants to fill in 90% of that canvas in a “full body sleeve,” as it is known. She loves the art, she loves the way they look on her body, she loves the stories and creativity that they bring. For Chantrelle, the obsession with tattoos is just as much about the aesthetic as it is about the therapeutic qualities of the procedure. She feels that by expressing herself
through tattoo artwork on her body it allows her to refrain from telling her life story - after all, it’s all right there, visible to any stranger!

She has noticed that every time she goes back for another tattoo (sometimes even weekly), it’s because something emotional is going on in her life. Instead of finding a therapist, Chantrelle just finds herself back in the tattoo chair! When she doesn’t have the funds or her artists don’t have the availability, Chantrelle’s motto is that if she can reach it, she can tattoo it on herself! Chantrelle loves the mental challenge of sitting through a tattoo - she’ll even participate in “tap-out sessions” which involve sitting for as long as she physically can for a tattoo before the pain or bleeding becomes too much to bear. The tattoos definitely turn heads in every room, but sometimes the story they tell doesn’t reach the right audience. Chantrelle has had countless inappropriate remarks made about her tattoos from people trying to hit on her to people who pre-judge her as a thug or low-life.

Luckily, Chantrelle’s girlfriend Amy loves her tattoos and wouldn’t have it any other way but her sister, Shahirah, worries about how much further she’ll take it. That much ink can’t possibly be good for someone. She is concerned about the health risks associated with extreme amounts of tattoo ink. Shahirah also doesn’t like the example Chantrelle is setting for her sons (Chantrelle’s nephews) who look up to their aunt and are now curious about getting tattoos themselves. As a woman working in corporate America, Shahirah tries to warn her sons that Aunt Chantrelle is able to display art on her body as an artist, but too much ink is a deal breaker for many professional career paths. Shahirah loves and respects her sister but doesn’t always agree with her choices, which has had a history of pulling them apart in the
past.

According to Amy and Chantrelle the two are lovebirds and are ready to get engaged and get married. However, Shahirah doesn’t believe that Chantrelle will actually marry her girlfriend nor does she think she should. Chantrelle was previously married to a woman, but sadly her first wife passed away. Chantrelle gets military benefits as a widow from her first marriage, and marrying Amy would mean giving up those benefits. Besides that, Shahirah thinks that the couple has moved too fast in their relationship. They haven’t been together long enough to really know if they are ready for the permanence of marriage. There certainly seems to be a theme of Chantrelle making permanent life decisions on an impulse...

With an impending proposal, Chantrelle is already looking for a wedding dress that will fit her tattoos. She’s worried about what she might find, and doesn’t quite have a vision of how to remain traditional and complementary of her inked look at the same time. If Chantrelle is really obsessed with her totally tattooed look, won’t she easily find what she’s looking for?