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She isn't letting other people's judgments take away from how good of a mother she is.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Apr 28, 2023
A mom was forced to defend her parenting after receiving negative comments about her appearance.
Claire Elsie-Rose, 33, a mom-of-four from the UK, spoke to The Sun about all of the preconceived notions people say about her just because of how many tattoos she has. Rose opened up about all of the negative names now associated with her, and how that has affected how people view her as a parent.
Rose says she is often called a 'bad mom' and a 'criminal' because of the 14 tattoos on her face.
Rose, who lives with her four children aged between six months and 12, and her partner of three years, Jonny, 30, admitted that people have asked her insensitive questions and judged how good of a parent she is just because she has multiple tattoos, with several on her face as well.
Some of the questions and comments that are often hurled at Rose include, "Why would you do that?" and "You used to be so pretty!" — and Rose acknowledged that while she understands people's immediate thoughts, they don't make her feel good.
"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 [pajamas]!" she told The Sun. At 15, Rose got her first tattoo and has continued to do as she has continued getting older.
While the mom-of-four and tattoo artist used to feel self-conscious about the artwork on her body, she has since learned to let people's comments and judgment roll off her back. "I don't have to defend myself, and it's not worth my energy."
When in public, Rose revealed that because of her face tattoos, she gets "ten times as many looks." She admitted that when she's shopping with her children, she'll often get "followed by the security guard," and that people will cross the street to avoid walking past her.
After a health scare, Rose decided that she wanted to take her tattoos to another level.
When Rose was 25, she explained that she had suffered through a cancer scare that put things into perspective for her.
“At that time, I was obviously heavily tattooed everywhere else, but I’d always been afraid to get one on my face even though I’d always wanted one,” she told The Sun.
So, Rose decided to get "queen" tattooed above her right eyebrow, calling the experience "empowering." Shortly after, she got "love" and "hope" under her eyes.
"There’s a huge jump from having your body tattooed and having your face tattooed, however, and it’s a very different reaction you get from others,” she pointed out. “You get ten times more looks, and the judgment is really upped.”
Despite how other people think about her and her tattoos, Rose doesn't let it get to her and she tries not to let it dim her joy. “I was worried about being judged, but I realized life was too short to not express myself.”
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.