24-year-old Shannon Wright is a blogger as well as Production & Marketing Manager from Doncaster, South Yorkshire. We caught up with Shann to chat tattoos, her grungy style and body confidence…
How old were you when you got your first tattoo? I was 19! And I was at a Gay Pride Festival in Birmingham.
What was it and do you still love it? I got some lyrics by The Smiths round my ankle. They’re one of my favourite bands. They say ‘Save your life, because you’ve only got one’. I wish the artist had used a thinner needle, because they’re harder to read then the second set I now have on my other ankle, but I still love it! It meant a lot to me at the time because I’d just come out of a toxic relationship, and it was the first time I felt like myself again and realised I had so much of life to look forward to!
What inspired you to get tattooed? Suicide Girls. I think I was about 13 or something when I first realised alternative models were a thing and I’ve wanted to be one ever since!
Has having tattoos helped you to see your body differently? 1000%! Even before I decided to lose my weight, I wanted them to help me love my body. I always hated my legs because they were quite big (I was a UK28) and I’d never get them out. Even in summer when it was boiling! So my first lot of tattoos I got them on my legs and it gave me such a confidence boost! I learned to love myself and my skin. I just thought if people were going to look anyway, then I’ll give them something to stare at.
What do your tattoos mean to you? I couldn’t imagine myself without them now. They tell my story and make me who I am. Especially on my weight loss journey, they encouraged me to become a better and healthier me and gave me something to strive towards. I have to acknowledge my tattoo artists @lilyjtattoo and @pippa_kovacs_tattoos, without them I couldn’t look the way I do and be who I want to be so I owe them a massive thank you!
Do you have any future tattoo plans? Of course! I’ve just started a chest piece. But I’m actually booked in later this month to finish my sleeve and start my new one! It’s going to be a spooky sleeve with all my favourite ghoulish things like the Addams family, Halloween and goosebumps!
Your style is pretty grungy do your tattoos reflect this too? Kind of! I think my tattoos add to the grunge look, but to look at then up close they’re all really bright and colourful. The majority of my tattoos have a meaning behind them so they tell a story, more than just reflect a style or image.
You’ve recently started blogging, what can readers expect to see in your posts? It’s kind of an extension to my Instagram, so it’s going to be full of recipes, fashion advice and just general chit chat. I get asked so many questions daily that I find myself repeating myself, so I thought if I started a blog, it would be easier to answer them and help people.
You’re really active on Instagram, what inspired you to share your life on social media? Honestly, I think it was the key to actually making me change my life. I think it’s easy to wake up and say you’re going to change but if you post it on social media it’s a sort of pressure to mean what you say. But it’s also such a beautiful community and I have the support of my followers to thank everyday for helping me and encouraging me to be the person I want to be. It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. It’s kinda like a diary and when I feel like I’m going to give up I scroll through and it gives me that boost to carry on.
You’ve also shared your weight loss journey, has being so open helped you stay motivated? Definitely. I have some of the best followers. I’ve made some beautiful friendships, and it’s just an amazing community. I think I’d have given up a long time ago if it wasn’t for those guys.
What sorts of reactions do your posts and/or tattoos get? Does this differ to the reactions you get in real life? I’m lucky to say I rarely get any negative comments. Maybe two in about three years of posting. My goal is to just be real. I want people to see that I’m not perfect. I think it’s so easy to follow other people on Instagram and want to be just like them because they look and seem perfect. I think social media has a lot to answer for when it comes to us being negative about how we look, or having to look a certain way.
I just want to show men and women that it’s okay to just be you. We’re all special and beautiful. Which brings me on to real life. I’m very aware of the stares I get or the negative comments in supermarkets and shops. However, I’m being the person I want to be. I’m comfortable in my skin and I love the way it looks. I’m a massive believer in if it makes you happy just do it. I’d rather die knowing I did everything I wanted to do; than wishing I had done everything differently. Life’s too short!
