Lawyer Maria Jose Cristerna reacted to her divorce by getting a tattoo. Many people have probably done the same thing in response to an important life event, although for some it represents the beginning of an obsession with tattoos and body modification.
Maria has been dubbed ‘Vampire Woman’ in Mexico and has drawn a lot of attention as her tattoo collection has extended all over her body. Reactions range from inspired to outrage in the face of this lady’s transformation.
There is no doubt that her tattoos are there to stay: complex, extensive and colourful, there are surely too many of them for the lawyer to ever contemplate tattoo removal.
Such an extreme statement is quite unusual, although extensive tattoos are becoming more and more common. You only need to look at David Beckham, who also has an impressive collection of tattoos, although they are monochrome and reflect his attachment to family and faith.
Reactions to Beckham may be less violent than those to Maria, and yet tattoos do open the individual up to a judgement based purely on appearance. When you are a celebrity, whether, in the football or body art world, you may not find these judgements to hold you back. In the real world, however, the consequences can be more serious.
