He has spent more than £40,000 on tattoos and body
modifications in a bid to 'be the person I want to be' but Matthew Whelan, 35,
from Birmingham, says his unusual looks have made it difficult to find work.
Thanks to workplace discrimination, he claims, he has been forced
to go it alone and is now planning to set up his own business.
Mr Whelan, who officially changed his name to King of
Inkland King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite but goes by Body Art for short, has
covered every inch of his body in elaborate inkings.
'I've got my face covered in tattoos, I've got various
animals and I've got a giant snake on top of my head,' he explains.
'My eyeballs are stained, it's also known as an eyeball
tattoo. I've got pirates on me, aliens on me and I've got a blue penis. My
penis is blue.'
He also had his nipples cut off six months ago in a bid to
provide himself with a smoother canvas and keeps the discarded body parts in
his freezer 'next to my sprouts'.
For all that though, Mr Body Art says employers should take
him seriously and look beyond his personal appearance to what's inside.
'I personally find it really difficult to get my head around
it because there are companies out there that employ people on merit,' he
fumes.
'There are [body] modified friendly companies. But the
majority are like: "Look at these people! You look different from everyone
in our office. You're different. You don't fit our criteria. We're not
employing you." That's frustrating.'
Now Mr Body Art is planning to solve the problem by striking
out on his own and has begun making preparations for his new career by
attending business seminars in his home city.
His spare time is being spent helping the local branch of
the Liberal Democrats campaign ahead of the election, although he admits that
people often wish to talk about his body modifications rather than Lib Dem
policies.
'Dealing with people shouldn't be a challenge,' he adds. 'Is
that right? No, it's not. It's a blatant form of discrimination.
'I'm not after sympathy of any kind. Most modified people
aren't. I'd just like to be given a chance.'
Mr Body Art, who appears on a Channel 5 documentary entitled
2,000 Tattoos, 40 Piercings and a Pickled Ear tonight, hasn't always had the
acceptance he craves - even within his own family.
His father Patrick has found his son's penchant for inking
particularly hard to come to terms with and worries it might frustrate his
plans for business success.
'I've never understood it and he knows I've never understood
it,' he says. 'I can't come to terms with it. But I've accepted it.
'I'm not happy with it. I'd love him to be the son that I
knew but he has chosen his own way of life.'
Mr Whelan Sr says he finds his son's name change
particularly hard to accept and wants to continue calling him Matthew as he
always has.
Mr Body Art, however, has different ideas. 'I legally
changed [my name], I abandoned [the old one] and I've got a new name so call me
by that,' he insists.
'We don't really talk about my tattoos but when it does crop
up, it can get passionate,' adds Mr Body Art. 'But I believe in my tattoos. I am who I am.'
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