A dad who spent $6,000 (£5,000) on tattoos and then covered himself in “demonic” ink has admitted strangers stare at him on the street.
Xander Snow, 34, from Springfield, Missouri, US, confessed he has so many tattoos since getting his first at the age of 18 that he’s lost count of them.
The tattoo artist grew up on a farm in rural Missouri and revealed it was hard work after going through a lot of trauma at a young age.
Having no money or resources for tattoos or body mods in his younger days, Xander resorted to hand poking himself using liners and shaders taped to a stylus and dipping them into black ink to create tattoos for himself.
He eventually got a machine to draw his tattoos as he found hand-poking tattoos rather slow and dull.
Xander has used black and green ink to tattoo his face (Image:mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)
He had his first tattoo at the age of 18 (Image: mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)
“I wasn’t able to achieve the coverage I wanted with hand-poked tattoos as they are very slow,” said Xander.
“So I picked up a machine and started going hard and it wasn’t long after that I got my license in the states and started professional tattooing.
“I have tattooed myself in all the areas that I can reach.
“In fact, the tattoo on my outer calf is for a friend who passed away.”
Xander’s favourite tattoo remains the one on his sclera. Scleral tattooing is the practice of tattooing the sclera, or white part of the human eye
“I got my sclera tattooed in the middle of this year and I love it. It’s my favourite tattoo,” he said.
“When I was younger I would draw on my hands and arms a lot in the shape of neo tribal and gothic scribbles but I always got in trouble for it.
Having no money or resources for tattoos or body mods in his younger days, Xander resorted to hand poking himself using liners and shaders (Image:mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)
“I have wanted long hair, piercings and tattoos for as long as I can remember but no one in my family really liked that.
“I have a toddler son who loves my body modifications but we never really talk about it.
“Tattooing was something that I always wanted to do and I found the courage to try it out on myself in my mid-20s.”
Xander’s love towards his appearance has not only taken a turn for the good but he feels more comfortable in his skin than ever after spending $6,000 (£5,000) on tattoos.
He has spent over $6,000 on tattoos and has done the rest himself (Image:mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)DON’T MISS
“I had a hard time looking at myself in the mirror and feeling comfortable with my appearance before I got tattoos,” said Xander.”It was like I was living a lie.
“My eyes have been an exceptionally troubling part of my appearance as I have big, sad, blue eyes and iI always felt uncomfortable looking into the mirror, staring at my eyes.
“But now I feel confident and comfortable around people and with my own self as I have created myself in my own image.
“I can look at myself in the mirror and without much narcissism enjoy the reflection that stares back at me.
He admits he can now enjoy the reflection that stares back at him in the mirror ( Image:mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)
Xander’s sclera has been tattooed too ( Image: mediadrumimages/XanderSnow)
“I have never been more at ease with myself than I do now.”
Xander’s body modification and transformation have not gone unnoticed by the people online or in real life.
“Mostly people double-take or their eyes widen when they look at me. Sometimes even their step falters if they meet me at a corner,” he said.
“A lot of people will be overly friendly, as if to say “I”M NOT XENOPHOBIC!”.
“I’ve been called evil, demonic, reptilian and those are just the ones to my face.
“People online have said that I’m an idiot, a waste of air, insane, etc.
“Many of my family members pretend like it’s not a big deal but they never call me or take the effort to talk to me.
“But my close friends understand me deeply and support me. They have known me for a long time and realise that this is my growth and progression.
“I had an old woman at the Department of Motor Vehicles grab my arm, lean in and say, “I just love your tattoos.”.
“People also love my eyes and find them beautiful. Some have even confessed that they could fetishise my eyes.”
