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Heleena on cultural appropriation in tattooing

Heleena, a tattoo artist and owner of Francis Street Tattoo in Leicester specialises in traditional south Asian folky tattoos. A ‘Guji baby’, shes’s been speaking out about the inequalities and discrimination in the tattoo industry, here she talks about cultural appropriation within the tattoo world and why it’s problematic…

I only found out what cultural appropriation actually meant very, very recently. We all know the term and get the gist – it’s not yours and you’ve taken it, also don’t make money off it if it’s not yours. But, the definition is adopting something from a culture when you belong to a different culture, so it’s the adopting that’s the issue.

I feel like cultural appropriation is such a tough subject to speak about and I feel like a lot of people don’t speak about it. It’s difficult to talk about because it’s hard not to offend anyone, but it’s good to have uncomfortable conversations, it’s important.

In my point of view, I think it’s wrong to profit from someone else’s culture, especially if you’re profiting from something you don’t actually have much knowledge about. Profiting off a culture is bad. I’m not saying you should know everything about Indian culture, I’m not expecting someone to know a lifetime’s worth of culture.  But if you’re going to use that art work, you should give back to the community that you’re taking from. 

So if you wanted one of my ladies, you’ve come to me, you’re not appropriating. I’ve done it, I’ve designed it for you. You’ve come to a south Asian person to have south Asian art, I don’t think you can appropriate art it if this is the route you’ve taken. It’s like if you go to India and buy a piece of art. You’re giving back to that community, and to a person who has that culture. What would be an issue is if you went to a white artist and say; ‘I’ve found this on Pinterest, it’s so cute, I know nothing about it, please tattoo it on me.’ That’s a big issue. I’m genuinely hurt that people are making money off my culture and don’t understand basic facts about it. 

The line between appreciation and appropriation

There’s a very fine line and obviously it’s very hard to tell if someone is on that line without getting to know them or knowing the person who they are. It can be very disrespectful to want something cause it looks cool, rather than knowing about it. I wish more tattooists would question a person before they tattoo something religious on them, for example.

I feel like I might get criticism here, because I do tattoo religious iconography on people that aren’t brown, because Hinduism is more of a spiritual thing – you don’t have to convert to Hinduism, it’s more of a state of mind. So some of my clients and regular clients are white. Many of them get a lot of my work done, and they’ve been to India, they’ve prayed in temples, they’ve done everything to assimilate to the culture that they’re in while they’re in it. And I appreciate that, that is a form of appreciation, you didn’t go there just to take cute pictures and look cultured. You went there to actually learn about the culture and immerse yourself. It’s a huge difference. 

This is the thing with appreciation and appropriation, because someone can seem very much like they’re appreciating. But if you appreciated properly, if you knew enough about something, then you wouldn’t adopt it for yourself. Like the cornrows and Bantu knots of African women – ‘oh I’m appreciating cause I’m wearing this’, but if you really knew the oppression black women have faced about their hair, why would you want to join in with that? It just shows when people adopt things they don’t actually know shit about them.

I don’t claim to know it all, but the things I do know about I’ve learnt through reading – we’ve all got the internet you know! Google it all! What’s that saying? In the age of the internet, ignorance is not an option. I think that’s very true, and I don’t think there’s any reason to be appropriating at this point.

Whitewashed your feed

There’s been an influx of artists that have been trying to compensate for the lack of colour in their posts. It’s really strange did you know that you were doing this? Was this unconscious or did you know and now you’ve been called out for it? Or did you not realise and you’ve come through to own up to your mistakes?

There were a lot of angry people around my post about desaturation and taking the colour out of tattoos, saying things like, “so what we can’t edit our photos, we’re just taking the redness out?” I don’t know if anybody knows this but tattoos get red. I don’t know where the obsession with taking the redness out of pictures has come from. That’s what they look like. Nobody actually knows what they really look like, for some reason when we post a picture of a new tattoo it looks like it’s already healed, there’s no redness or swelling, no blood.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBTLultndIu/

I used the term ‘corpse like’ on Instagram, which somebody didn’t really like, but that’s how it feels when you see someone taking the colour out of your photo – you look cold, you don’t look yourself, it makes you question – why did they do that to me? Why did they take the colour out of my skin? That’s definitely why I think stop erasing our skin tones. There’s no need for it. 

It’s nice to see brown bodies, that’s something I wanted to see when I first started getting tattooed. I only came across one Indian/south Asian tattoo artist after a lot of searching. I’m very appreciative that my feed is very brown, it’s orange and warm. I really wish I saw stuff like this when I was 18 and first wanted a tattoo and I wanted to know what it would look like on me. Google Indian/south Asian tattoo artist now and a whole bunch of stuff will come up and I’m a part of it!

The only brown person in the room

I asked my followers what it felt like to get tattooed as a POC and some of the answers were hard to read. Some of them were really heartbreaking. I asked because I didn’t know if it was a just a me thing, obviously me being a tattoo artist I’m usually in white spaces a lot, having white friends as well. I’m always the minority, it sounds terrible but I always feel uncomfortable, I sit with that discomfort a lot and I don’t say anything. When it comes to finding a tattoo artist, I’m heavily tattooed and like traditional work. Most traditional tattoo artists are white men. Whenever it comes to meeting a new artist, I’ll get scared and I’ll hesitate and think, I don’t want to go to this person in case they’re racist. It’s a genuine fear any time I meet somebody I’m terrified that I’m going to walk in and they’re going to look at me and think, ‘oh shit, she’s brown, I don’t want to tattoo her.’ I fear that they’re going to say something horrible to me and it’s happened before.

Kelly Smith did my back and she’s the loveliest person I’ve met in my life, but before I met her I was thinking, I’m going to be sitting day sessions with this woman, never met her, she could look at me and be like ‘omg she’s brown I can’t tattoo her.’ It’s a genuine thing, are they going to be racist, are they going to like the fact that I’m Indian?  It’s like those fears you feel when you meet a new artist for the first time, I’ve never met this person before. Are they going to be a complete dick? We’ve heard all the horror stories of the victims of sexual assault in the tattoo industry, they should never feel that way. Then the added fear of being a POC and a woman, and being in that situation. You’ve got double the fear, are they going to be racist, are they going to sexually harass me? It’s horrible.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQ7CuvnsWk/

Those were the things I was expecting when I asked the question to my followers but the things I heard were far worse. People had paid someone to scar them and then weren’t given the satisfaction of seeing that post on Instagram or if it was posted, the artist had edited away that person’s skin tone. People told me that tattooers had outright refused to tattoo people them or people’s skin had been ruined. It’s horrible, it’s so sad, and it breaks my heart that people have to deal with this. And I’m glad I asked that question because it opened up so many people’s eyes, it opened up my own eyes to the extent of how bad it was – as I haven’t gone through all of it. As a tattoo artist I am privileged as I know my clients will never have to deal with that. I think it was an eye opener for everyone!

It’s when people don’t see it as an issue, obviously I am a POC, I am very aware when I’m the only brown person in the room, but when you’re the majority in the room, you wouldn’t notice. In some sense I don’t blame people for not seeing something that doesn’t affect them, but when people are listening to you and they say, ‘I don’t feel like that, I’ve not noticed that’, you have to continue to say I’m telling you this has happened to me. 

Everything I drew was black and white

I’ve told people about the struggle I felt getting into this industry and they were like, well I didn’t do that to you, that’s not me. I’m not telling you that you did it I’m just telling you that’s what happened. When I got my first apprenticeship the artist actually said to me, ‘I hired you because Indian people work hard’. And I thought, ‘omg sick, being Indian got me a job’. Now I’m like he thought I was going to be an obedient little stereotypical Indian girl. And obviously I wasn’t that so I got fired very quickly.

I thought that in order for me to get a job in this industry I had to whitewash myself into very Eurocentric drawings in order to fit in. So I did a lot of neo-traditional work, but I still gave things a sort of Indian-y flair because that’s what I’ve always been drawn to. It’s interesting cause I feel like my work hasn’t really changed but then when I look at it, there’s new things.

When I moved back to Leicester, obviously there’s a huge asian population. Embracing the Indian side of my work would be liked here – people would like it more. Funnily enough I don’t really have a lot of clients from Leicester. Most of my clients travel from different parts of the country, which is amazing. Obviously it’s mad cause no one knows there is a little brown girl in Leicester that does tattoos, when I meet people they can’t believe it. 

No two skin tones or skin types are the same

I think if you are a colour work artist, it is important that you figure out how to adapt your colour palette to other people’s skin tones. Something I saw a lot from my questioning and the POC experience of getting tattooed, a lot of people got turned down or were told colour wouldn’t work.

I’ve seen colour tattoos on black and brown people, and they look amazing, they’re gorgeous. They don’t look the same as they would on white people, that’s not the point and it doesn’t need to look the same. It’s beautiful in its own right. 

No two skin tones or skin types are the same. You have to be able to adapt no matter what. Cause you don’t know what the person’s skin is going to be like if you’ve never tattooed them before. Everyone’s skin is different, so I don’t understand why if your skin is visibily different people would refuse to tattoo you – that’s a huge issue. 

I’m guilty of it too, I used to tell people that I didn’t do colour because I didn’t know how it was going to work on POC. I didn’t think it would work because during apprenticeships, that’s what anybody is told – tattoo a POC and the colour turns out like this, the tattoo does this and this. Then you believe it, but seeing other artists be like no it actually does work. I feel like an idiot, why did I just take somebody’s else word for it instead of learning about it and implementing it in my own art work?

By colouring a different coloured piece of paper or just turn the screen brown on your iPad, then add the colour to find what colours work. I see a lot of tattoo artists do that as well with their flash sheets, instead of having it just on white paper they use brown paper. That’s so cool, they’re so smart! Obviously tattoos won’t look like how they do on pen and paper but you get the gist. The contrast more than anything seems to be what everyone has the issue with. The lighter you are the more contrast black has one white, the darker you are the less contrast, it doesn’t mean that you can’t see it – it’s not invisible. 

The patch test thing has been controversial too, because if you wouldn’t do a patch test on a white person, why would you do it on a black person? It kinda make sense but I guess we’re not at the stage yet where we know enough about doing colour tattoos on POC. We need to build that skill set and can look at a POC and know exactly what colours will work with their skin. Since we’re not at that stage the best way to do it is to just put pretty little coloured dots on people, obviously it’s not going to look terrible but it’s like a little rainbow. I think the patch test should be a free service though, I don’t think you should be paying for it. It’s not your fault that you need a patch test, it’s that artist’s lack of experience.

One last thing I would like to say to anyone who reads this, stop getting Buddha heads tattooed. It’s very offensive. In Thailand they have signs everywhere saying do not get a Buddha tattooed on you. I don’t know the ins and outs of it but the fact they have to have signs up telling people to stop getting them tattooed on you kind of says it all, doesn’t it? So now whenever I see a Buddha tattoo I’m like NO. You don’t understand, if you really knew about Buddha you wouldn’t have got that tattoo. If you really cared that much about Buddhism you would have known it offends them – so shame on you. 

Heleena is continuing to speak out and challenge the tattoo industry, make sure to follow her Instagram and why not join in the conversation yourself?

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Sweet as a peach: Chelsie Harrison

Chelsie Harrison co-owns Sweet Peach Tattoo with @emgormleytattoo in St. Helens, Merseyside, where she creates sweet, girly and cute tattoos. We love Chel’s work and so we had to find out more about the artist behind the tattoos…

We love your girly cute style, would you describe it like this? Yes I describe it as a girly take on traditional style tattooing. I draw things I would like to have on my own body and I think traditional never goes out of fashion! 

What inspires and influences your tattoos? To be honest almost everything inspires me, from watching the telly to going on walks. I have to jot ideas down before I forget them, my phone is backed up with screenshots of stuff that gives me ideas on what to draw – flowers, cartoons, patterns and colours.

What do you love to tattoo and draw and what would you like to do more of? I’m a big Moomins fan, I love tattooing anything Moomin related, me and @emgormleytattoo (who I work with) are both dinosaur obsessed and the studio is filled with lots of dinosaur stuff, we both love drawing them and have dinosaur offs!

I’d love to tattoo more traditional lady head designs, I think they are so pretty and I have a few tattooed on myself! Cute animals are something I enjoy too and of course always love flowers! I get excited when a customer completely trusts my judgement and just wants my style and designs on their body.

How long have you been tattooing? I’ve been tattooing nearly six years and I’ve loved every second of it. I got into it by getting tattooed by local artists and always talking about how much I’d love to tattoo, until one day my favourite artist that I was getting tattooed by at the time asked me out on a date! (@pau1terry_) We have been together ever since and he has been the best partner in crime. He encouraged me to find an apprenticeship because he knew how much of an awesome job it is, he is so supportive and I love the fact that we are both tattoo artists. We can just talk about the industry together and ask each others advice and opinions on designs and tattoos we’ve done. He gives a lot of constructive criticism which has helped me get better at tattooing over the years.

If you weren’t a tattooer what would you be? I’ve always set my sights on tattooing so I haven’t really gave it much thought, tattooing is my dream job and I’m so lucky to a lifelong hobby as a job. If tattooing was out of the picture I think I would like to work with children in a nursery as me and Paul have a little boy together and he brings us so much joy and laughter.

Can you tell us about your own tattoo collection. I’ve got a mix of different styles, I like both blackwork and colour. I have a lot of tattoos from my boyfriend Paul Terry I’m in love with his work and i just let him have free rain and he can tattoo whatever on me! Some of my favourites are from a Leeds based artist called Lucy O’Connell, she has done my chest, neck and forearm and I absolutely adore them, her work is just amazing! I have already booked in with her for more!

We travelled to Madrid last year as Paul was invited to do a guestspot at La Mujer Barbuda, I got tattooed by one of my favourite artists Derbora Cherrys while I was there, she tattooed a shattered lady face with a peach on me and it’s just perfection!

How does tattooing and tattoos make you feel? I love making people’s ideas come to life, it’s mad to think that my artwork is on them forever! (if they don’t get it removed that is). I also love how you meet so many nice individuals, the people I work with are like my family and a lot of clients I would call my friends.

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Botanical babes – Ella Eve

We recently spotted Ella Eve’s tattoos and artwork on Instagram. As soon as we saw her botanical babes series and nature-inspired tattoos, we knew we had to find out more…

How long have you been tattooing and how did you get into the industry? I’ve been tattooing for six years and I’m currently tattooing at Blind Pig Tattoo club in Brighton. My journey into the industry was a little unusual. I knew I wanted to be in a tattoo studio environment and Initially I took a job in a studio doing nail art for a short time. Consequently it was through the people I met in that space I eventually plucked up the courage to ask for advice from my friend who was a tattooist, and her guidance pretty much led me to where I am now, so I’m very thankful for that.

How does it feel to be a woman in the tattoo industry, do you think this has an affect or impact? I remember when I started tattooing I felt and continue to still feel very empowered to be a female tattoo artist. However, as a previously very male dominated craft, it’s hard to not feel slightly mismatched to the job at times of insecurity, and quite often there’s an underlying feeling of having to prove yourself. It can be hard not to overthink what your place is within an already quite judgemental industry, and especially now that social media plays such a huge role within advertising and promoting services.

In terms of being a female, I’ve heard from some clients that they prefer to be tattooed by women. Some completely inexcusable behaviour from certain male tattooists really tarnish it for the rest of the completely respectful men in this industry which is really awful. Hopefully we will put a stop to those people who abuse their positions of ‘power’ by calling them all out. I do feel I need to say, I wouldn’t explicitly say that I myself hold the opinion that being tattooed by a woman is a favourable experience to that of a man, I think it’s all dependent on the clients preference at the end of the day. As a tattoo can be such a private experience in terms of placement, it’s understandable some would specify a preferred gender anyway.

On the whole, it’s so great to see so many women making incredible work all over the world, making a stand for huge changes within the industry and also to personally know some insanely talented female artists too.

What inspired you to get your first tattoo and then become a tattoo artist ? I got my first tattoo at 18 because I was driven by a need for self expression and rebellion which is pretty much exactly what everyone would say I expect! I come from a big family of artists most of which are women and so finding your own identity was a lot harder.

I loved the idea of having something permanent on my skin that was mine and also back then I wanted to design everything I got myself. I think when you have been creatively driven your whole life, self expression is like the air you breathe and getting tattooed was another way of tapping into that.

As for inspiration for becoming a tattooist, the hardest years of my life were those where I put a cap on my desire to create and just existed in a more ‘realistic’ job making ends meet. I spent a lot of time, maybe too much, determining where I belonged in the world. It’s funny because when I think back, the concept of me working as a tattooist when I was 18 was completely terrifying to me. I was so afraid of failure, had no belief in my abilities and the pressure attached to adhering something permanently to someone else’s body was just mind blowing.

I was fascinated with the process of tattooing, the development from ancient tattooing and the current modern day abilities of tattooists. So, the desire was always with me but I had no idea who I was or how to find the confidence to do anything with it. It’s so scary to present your work to someone and ask for a chance, you really do feel like you’re laid bare waiting to be torn apart, and it was a whole eight years later that I eventually found the courage and thankfully it paid off.

Are there any artists you admire or female tattooers that helped you get to where you are? There are SO many artists I admire, it’s hard to whittle them down to just a few. Artists such as Greggletron, Kamil Czapiga, Tyler Pawelzik, Jack Peppiette, Kelly Violence and Suflanda are hugely inspirational for their consistently flawless work. There are some pretty special ladies I admire for their incredible talent and hard work also such as Tahlia Undarlegt, Liz Clements and Jo Black, the gals at Black Moon in Frome, and Deaths Door in Brighton. All of which have helped me in various ways, they may or may not realise.

What do you love about tattoos? Adorning your body permanently with whatever you feel and want is one of the most powerful things you can do. There aren’t many things in life where we have the ability to take complete control of something to that extent. In the same breath, being able to be part of that process with someone can be seen as nothing less than an honour. There’s no other feeling like it.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos? Do they change how you feel about your body? I would honestly say that I have never got a tattoo to change how I feel about my body. I genuinely see an incredible piece of tattooing and want to own it. Most of my tattoos are a homage to the people who made them and their talent. It’s also awesome to collect tattoos from friends who are tattooists, that feels pretty great. There is so much to learn from getting tattooed when you are a tattooist which just makes the experience even more invaluable.

When it comes to the tattoos you create how would you describe your style? What inspires you? I am a nature freak through and through. There seems to be a running theme through anything I do. It’s not as recognisable as some other people’s practices, but there is something that has innately captured me when it comes to the intricacies of nature. I love repetition and sequences in the natural world and without literally focusing solely on sacred geometry or mathematical sequencing translated into imagery, I think there is always an underlying botanical theme in whatever I do.

My belief is that people should appreciate the benefits of going outside and actually looking at the insanely amazing intricate natural world we live in. That’s definitely something lacking in the modern technological world. I’ve seen that lockdown seems to have reignited this in people a bit more, which I’m hoping will carry over when the world is up and running again.

You’ve been doing a series of botanical babes, we love the one you did of our editor Rosalie. How did these come about and how can our readers get involved? The botanical babes project started during the early stages of lockdown and Initially it was a way of giving back to my clients and followers, giving people something to look forward to and get intrigued and excited about, and of course keep me busy!

The idea carries directly over from the work I was developing within my tattoo practise beforehand so it was also a great way to develop those ideas further. In turn it’s become something so much more than I expected. The feedback I’ve received from people on a personal level about seeing themselves in a totally different light due to these drawings has been amazing. I really didn’t expect that. I’m also so grateful for the amount of submissions I’ve had so far. I’m still open for more, so any readers can just visit my Instagram, drop me a follow and a message with a photo of themselves. Submissions are completely free and open to any age or gender, and physical prints are available for £20 each.

What do you love to tattoo and what would you like to do more of? I love to tattoo portrait style pieces, especially within the style of these botanical faces I’ve been doing recently. Having done my botanical babes project I’d love to go back to work and be able to tattoo more developed pieces within that vein. I love the ‘nature on nature’ element of these pieces. I’ve literally joined the beauty of the human form with the beauty of nature and I’m excited to be able to work more on this concept.

Do you have any guest spots planned (obviously when lockdown is over!) This year was meant to be my year for travelling! Typical! But I’ll definitely be rebooking the guest spots I had planned before the pandemic. These include Parliament in London, Northgate in Bath, Easy Tiger in Leeds and Two Snakes in Hastings. I also had plans to travel to LA and San Francisco in October which I don’t think will be going head, but I’m hoping to rebook those dates also. Thankfully, I did manage to attend my guest spot at Black Moon in Frome, and I’ll now be doing regular guest spots with those very lovely guys in the near future!

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Apprentice love: Jade

As we scrolled through Instagram looking for new artists, budding tattoo apprentice Jade’s four-eyed women drew us in. We were captivated by bedroom scenes, bright pops of colour and striking murals – we had to find out more about this tattoo apprentice, who works at the all-female Heartless Tattoo in Los Angeles…

How long have you been a tattoo apprentice, and how did you get your apprenticeship? I started my journey back in November. I was apprenticing at a shop in Beverly Hills that was black owned, which was really dope. I was there for a few months but unfortunately that opportunity was cut short.  Even though I wasn’t  there long, I was able to absorb a lot of important information about what it is like to tattoo darker skin, which is very important for me as an artist.

Honestly,  I got my first apprenticeship just being at the right place and right time.  After leaving my first apprenticeship, I was offered another opportunity to continue my journey at an all Woman of Color shop located in Los Angeles, Heartless Tattoo. The owner of Heartless, Yher, has been a long time inspiration of mine and friend and she told me when I was ready, she had a home for me. I couldn’t be more grateful for my Heartless family!

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get started in the tattoo industry? I would tell them to put themselves out there as an artist, make connections, continue to practice your craft. Nothing is just handed to you. Living out your dream consists of hard work, dedication, and practice. Also, I would tell them to make sure that this industry is something that you’re genuinely passionate about and that you’re ready to sacrifice for it. Pay respect to those who did it before you and the history behind it as well. 

Can you share with us your experience as a woman in the tattoo world, and your experience as a black woman in this industry? So far so good. The shop that I’m at is an all female shop so it’s really nice to be around feminine energy, especially in such a male-dominated industry. As I get further into the industry, I know that there will of course be some hardships for not only being a woman but also a black woman, but I am here for the fight and representation.

What’s the tattoo scene like in LA? LA has so much history and has played a HUGE part in the tattoo culture and history. From Ed Hardy to GoodTime Charlie, to Freddy Negrete and Mister Cartoon, they paved the way for us artists and put LA/SoCal tattooing on the map. It’s crazy I can call this place my home and just be surrounded by so much history. It’s very normal to see people blasted in tattoos in LA, it’s very accessible to get tattooed out here. It’s very normal. You will drive down Melrose Ave, and pass like 10 shops within a two mile radius. It’s quite interesting!

We love your double-eyed girls, what inspires your illustrations? I’ve always been inspired by black women and women of color. The four-eyed girl is how I add a little me into every painting. I’ve been wearing glasses since third grade and being called four-eyes has always been a thing, so I just re-channelled it into my world. When I got serious about my art, I wanted to create something that looked like me and the people who also look like me. I realized that a lot of the artists I looked up to weren’t depicting black women (up until recently honestly). And I wanted to create something that I would’ve loved to see when I was a kid. 

Are there any artists or tattooers you look up to or influence your work? There is a list of people who I look up to and influence my work. I can talk about them all day honestly. Tattoo wise, my Heartless family inspires me every single day, I can’t believe I’m surrounded by such talented, cool ass people. I’m also inspired by Doreen Garner (@flesh_and_fluid), Brittany Randell (@humblebeetattoo), K. Wong (@kwongtattoo), and Lydia Madrid (@lydiamadriid). My art influences are Christina Martinez (@sew_trill), @reesabobeesa, Natasha Lillipore (@lillipore), Hailey Losselyongs (@hai_ey), and Tamia Blue (@tamiablue). 

What do you like to draw/tattoo and what do you want to do more of? I love drawing my girls and I want to be able to tattoo them as well as my original art.

How would you describe your style? Where do you want to take your tattoos in the future? I would describe my art style as illustrative for sure. But as far as my tattoo style I want to push my work as neo-traditional and show black art in the neo world. 

Can you tell us about your own tattoo collection, what was your first, which is your favourite? I’ve been collecting tattoos since my eighteenth birthday. Both my mom and step dad are heavily tattooed so my mom literally dropped me off at the tattoo shop on my birthday. My first tattoo is a hamsa with a Ganesha inside on my rib. That’ll forever hold a special place in my heart since it was my first, however I don’t have any favorites. I think for the most part my tattoos are badass! There’s a couple that I definitely wish were different but I still love them and it’s funny to look back at.

Have your tattoos changed how you feel about yourself and your body? DEFINITELY! I couldn’t imagine myself without my tattoos and I am planning on covering the majority of my body. It’s so fun to look at the pieces and be like holy shit that’s my arm. 

I feel like they make me, me. It sets me apart from the rest and at the same time I’m a part of a sick ass community. 

We love how open and honest you are about your mental health on Instagram, can you say a bit more about why this is so important to share. I felt like at this time, It was time to share where I am and how I feel. I never liked talking about my mental health because it made me feel like a burden to others, but this time I knew that I wasn’t being open for me but for those who feel the same way and feel alone. I felt like it was important to let people to know that it is okay to be not okay.

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Self Love Club member Sare Goldman

We chat to Manchester-based business owner Sare Goldman, a fat positive self lover who loves tattoos, empowering others and sharing her creativity.

Being a self lover is a journey that never ends, it’s about breaking the rules that society has set and embracing everything about yourself – good and bad.

I have dabbled in self love for around two years, I followed plus size girls on Instagram and started to follow their journeys, but it really came to life in June 2019. My parents were going through a divorce which hit me hard and I wanted something else to focus on. I had always struggled with my weight, I yo-yo dieted and I was never happy with my body. In June 2019, I decided to ditch the diet and just start to love and embrace myself instead. I started to take pictures of my body, clothed and unclothed (in underwear), and started to post them on Instagram. I was never prepared for the amount of support I got from other like minded people who were on their self love journeys just like me! Since then I have never looked back!

I’m very much an activist at heart and I strive to be the voice for people who feel that they don’t have a voice. So self love is present in my life every day. Whether that’s practicing it myself or by trying to empower others to see that they’re amazing!

Self love is about trying to train your brain to rethink the rules around your body and the clothes your wear. Of course I still get body conscious from time to time but it’s about always speaking to yourself in a kind way. No matter who you are, I can guarantee that you have something that you’re hung-up about when it comes to your body; whether that be fat rolls, cellulite, stretch marks or your teeth. Life is far too short to be worrying about what you look like. No matter what you look like, you are allowed to exist freely, you are allowed to wear what you want, when you want and live free from judgement. Self love isn’t selfish and you deserve to love your body.

Being a fat positive self lover can be hard at times as it’s about changing people’s mindsets, which can take a long time! I find that the best thing to keep me going in the right direction is to simply get dressed up and take selfies. It’s so empowering to look back on the pictures and think “OMG, I’m so gorgeous”, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking so highly of yourself! If I ever get disheartened or body conscious, I just talk to one of the many friends that I’ve made in the self love community and they put me on the right track again! They are so supportive and it’s great to know people who are exactly like you.

Fat positivity is about accepting fat bodies and not wanting to change them. It’s about normalising the fat body and teaching people to not see fat bodies as “disgusting” and “unhealthy”. Being fat positive isn’t “promoting ob*sity”, it’s simply just trying to show society that fat people shouldn’t be shamed for just existing. I love empowering other people, I love encouraging them to see how gorgeous and amazing they are and yes, sometimes, people can be quite rude and ignorant but when you know you’ve empowered another girl to wear a crop top then it’s so worth it!

Tattoos have helped my self love journey so much! My body is a piece of art already so the tattoos just add to it. I’m not using tattoos to cover my body, I’m using my body to showcase some amazing work that makes my body look even more beautiful! I have around 20 tattoos and my first tattoo was when I was around 14. My ex was getting a tattoo and I was intrigued, so I bit the bullet and got a small star near my bikini line so my mum wouldn’t see it. It’s safe to say that I’ve had it covered up now! From the age of 16-18 I used to be obsessed with stars to a point where I have about five different sets on my body, all of which I’m planning to get covered up with some other amazing work!

My choice of tattoos have definitely changed since I’ve started my self love journey. I have a few women/feminist related tattoos and a few with empowering words on them such as “Stay True”, “Empower Women” and “Tough Girl”. My favourite type of tattoo style is neo traditional. I absolutely love the style and can’t wait to get more once lockdown is over!

Tattoos definitely inspire the pieces I create ! I can’t draw so the pieces I create are the next best thing. I started my business, Creative House UK, in July 2019, I had spent years trying to think of different business ideas because I’d always wanted to be my own boss.

Since a young age, I’d always wanted to be a hairdresser so took a fast track course to qualify. Once I qualified, I soon lost my passion for it. I then dabbled in photography and started to do model and family photoshoots, but then I found it too stressful to try and get that perfect shot. Then I had a lightbulb moment – “OMG, I can make prints!” I had made all of my own wedding stationery and it just seemed like the perfect idea.

I uploaded my first print on Etsy and when I got my first sale, I was just ecstatic! Fast forward to now and I have my own website and I’m now selling prints, phone cases, t-shirts, tote bags and other bits and bobs and I love every second. I’d always wanted a creative job but could never find anything that suited me until this.

I love to create empowering pieces that inspire people to love themselves. I want to create pieces that when people look at them or wear them, they feel so good about themselves. My t-shirts have been a massive hit and so many of my self love babes are wearing them. It makes me so proud to see them wearing something I’ve created, knowing that they feel empowered and that they are loving themselves wearing it.