A war veteran has become the most tattooed woman in the world after a decade-long journey to get 99.98 percent of her body tattooed — and she’s not done yet.
Esperance Fuerzina, 36, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has now officially been named the most tattooed woman ever.
The veteran – who got her first tattoo on her hip when she was 21 – also holds the Guinness World Record for most body modifications on a woman.
Today, her tattoos can be found from her scalp to the soles of her feet, including her eyelids, eyeballs, gums, and tongue.
The first body modification Esperance underwent was a tongue split. She then had five facial implants and a large number of piercings in her ears, nipples, labia and gums.
Esperance Fuerzina (pictured right), 36, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has now officially been named the most tattooed woman ever. Pictured left, before her tattoo journey began
The veteran – who got her first tattoo on her hip when she was 21 – also holds the Guinness World Record for most body modifications on a woman
Esperance has also had parts of her ears removed to create her unique look.
Her 89 body modifications shatter the previous record, held for more than 10 years by Maria José Cristerna, who had 40 modifications.
While some people keep their precious memories in photo albums or diaries, Esperance uses her tattoos to record her experiences.
She said: ‘I’ve lived a pretty nomadic life and didn’t have a lot of room in my (army) backpack, so I felt like I could take this with me wherever I went.’
Each new tattoo has helped Esperance make sense of her life and she says they “turn dark times into light”. They remind her of what she has been through and help her to develop spiritually and mentally.
For the past 10 years, Esperance has learned to cope with the pain of tattooing through meditation. She believes the discomfort is “a small moment in time for something I can cherish for the rest of my life.”
Now her tattoos stretch from her scalp to the soles of her feet – including her eyelids, eyeballs, gums and tongue
Esperance (pictured) has also had parts of her ears removed to create her unique look
Her 89 body modifications break the previous record, held for more than 10 years by Maria José Cristerna, who had 40 modifications
While some people keep precious memories in photo albums or diaries, Esperance uses her tattoos to remember her experiences
Esperance (pictured with a tattoo) attracts people’s attention when she goes out and finds it difficult to get negative reactions from people
But she says she is wisely aware that the cruelty and judgment of others is a reflection of themselves, rather than hers, and she believes that kindness always wins.
Each new tattoo has helped Esperance make sense of her life and she says they “turn dark times into light”, reminding her of what she has been through and helping her develop both spiritually and mentally.
She regretted something, but she learned that along the way. Her very first tattoo was also her first ‘cover-up’: she replaced the tattoo with a beautiful, large Phoenix.
The cover-up made her realize that she preferred large, cohesive, flowing tattoos, which gave her the look she has today.
Esperance attracts attention from people when she is outside and finds it difficult to get negative reactions from people.
But she says she is acutely aware that the cruelty and judgment of others is a reflection of themselves, not hers, and she believes that kindness always wins.
When she achieved her Guinness World Records title, she said, “It feels a little weird to be the woman with the most tattoos and the most body modifications, but I’m grateful and excited about the future – and of course, I’m not done yet!”
