A man left his dad “shocked” and his best friend in fits of laughter by getting his tattoos covered up.
Tay Ashby started getting tattoos aged 16 – and he now estimates that 80% of his body is inked.
But the horror fanatic ditched his black clothes and tatts for an epic transformation – but he looked so unrecognisable that he ended up “hating” his appearance.
The 30-year-old told the Daily Star: “I hated it, it just wasn’t me.
“I looked like an alien and it really wasn’t my normal.”
Despite being addicted to tattoos, Tay, from Melbourne, agreed to get them covered up for an experiment.
His ink was hidden with makeup while his 19 piercings were removed on the episode of Hooked on the Look.
And Tay’s usual black-dominated attire was replaced with a dressy pink shirt.
The transformation took all day to perfect before he surprised his father, Peter, and best friend, Detlyn.
Afterwards the tattoo artist said: “Their reaction was to be expected. Detlyn just laughed and picked on me the whole time.
“My dad was more shocked – he knew I hated how I looked.”
Ironically, his father tried to persuade Tay not to get tattoos when he was a teenager.
But his not-so prudent plan of allowing his son get one inking backfired.
Tay explained: “My dad took me to get my first tattoo back when I was 16 hoping it would scare me out of wanting to get anymore.
“The main reason why he didn’t want me getting too many tattoos was more so that I wasn’t judged and held back from getting a career.
“But it worked out for me in the end after I became a tattoo artist.”
And by becoming a walking piece of art, Tay is often judged by strangers and is stared at in public.
However, he said that’s one of the best things about his ink.
He said: “Reactions on the street are always mixed, they range from pure disgust and judgement to someone wanting to stop me and chat or look at them.
“One thing I have learnt is that kids have no filter, they’re always the funniest, pointing and shouting. I can imagine it would be embarrassing to some parents.”
And Tay added: “The best thing is people either love it or hate it, they love me or they hate me.
“I am who I am and these tattoos tell a story about me and I love it.”
Tay now works as a co-owner and tattooist at Dead Mind Tattoos in Melbourne.
Despite saying there wasn’t even one thing he liked about the recent transformation, Tay said the show made him appreciate his unique style even more.
He added: “The experience made me realise that everything I have done over the years in regards to getting heavily tattooed was the right decision for me, I am happy in the skin I am in.”
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