Man’s Boss Kept Him ‘Restricted’ & Hidden At Work Because Of His Extreme Tattoos

Oct 13, 2023 by apost team

Although tattoos are an excellent way for people to express themselves, especially if the designs are creative, some people don’t favor extreme body modifications. This dislike made it difficult for an online content creator to get work, and he had to be hidden by his boss when he finally got employed. 

The man who legally changed his name to King Of Inkland King Body Art The Extreme Ink-ite — but was born Matthew Whelan has about "90% of his body covered in ink," as per the Daily Star. He is from Birmingham, United Kingdom, and is Britain's most tattooed man. He also tattooed his eyeballs. King first became interested in tattoos when he was nine, but his body art journey started when he was 16.

At the time, his father had a military tattoo because he served in the forces. King also learned how to respect people with body modifications at a young age because he had a family in Australia and could visit New Zealand, where there were cultures like the Maori people who value their body art.

Unfortunately, his first experience was not as great as many things went wrong. His tattoo had an infection that led him to suffer from flu-like symptoms. He luckily survived the incident and didn't contract septicemia, a condition that could cause death in some cases. King said that the experience almost made him give up on getting tattoos ever again and added that people thinking of getting a tattoo should do their research first. Surprisingly, the tattooed man never liked any form of pain, which included tattoos, but in his defense, he wanted to achieve what he wanted, so he had to go through it.

King's tattoos have made him the object of many people's attention, and he enjoys it. However, it also has its downsides. He told the Daily Star about how his body art made it difficult for him to find work. 

"You bring ultimate restrictions upon yourself by looking different. That's not just alternative people," he told the outlet. 

"Basically the reason why you won't get a job is not that you look totally different, it's because people won't give you a job," he said and opined that dress codes should be limited to clothing and not people's choices. 

When King eventually found employment, his experience differed from other staff at the call center where he worked. He complained about being discriminated against and recalled one time when the managers were around to supervise the place, so his boss had to hide him. 

"This appearance, this extreme alternative look can restrict people and has restricted me in the past, even when I've been in employment," he shared and added, "I got shuffled around from one office to another when I was working in a call centre."

"The person they got to move was me," the tattooed man recalled as he mentioned that he had to move from one end of the office to the other. 

Nevertheless, King has found new meaning to his life lately as he is now an actor and has managed to appear in a few projects, including BBC's "Doctors." However, he is often typecast as a prisoner because of his tattoos. 

"I'm not gonna pop up in Downton Abbey as an actor, am I?" the 43-year-old said. "Unless having an alternative scene or someone's tripping out or something I suppose."

apost.com

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