A zookeeper has confessed to getting tattooed once a week and spending over £10K on his inkings despite people calling him a criminal.
Tobias M ller, 33, from Dortmund, Germany has been modifying his body for sixteen years and spent over £10K on over 100 tattoos including his eyeball, a split tongue and subdermal implants and he is currently being tattooed once a week.
He has always loved tattoos even as a young child he found people with tattoos more interesting to look at than people without.
Tobias started his journey with tattoos at 18, he had originally gone to the tattoo shop with his mother at 17 but they wouldn't tattoo him so he had to settle for getting his ears pierced.
Tobias is happy with his look although he faces some discrimination for it the modifications make him feel comfortable in his own skin: "I have had the most negative experiences here in Germany, sometimes I'm just looked at in a derogatory way, it has happened that parents forbade their children to look at me, or that people changed sides of the street.
"I also regularly get hateful comments on the internet.
"Many of the negative reactions are due to my punk style as punks are very unpopular in Germany.
"We have a very bad reputation here, many people here think that every punk would be unemployed, a criminal and on drugs.
"Many people on the streets think that of me too because they can't believe that someone who looks like me with all the face tattoos and piercings could get a job."
"I started with my earrings when I was 17, I'm 33 now so I have been modifying my body for 16 years now and there is no end in sight.
"It has cost me some thousands of course but some years I got my tattoos for free. I think I paid in all years more than £10,000 but I'm not totally sure, I didn't count."
Tobias said his most extreme modification is his eyeball tattoo and although his parents are supportive of his alternative look they felt getting his eyeball tattooed was too dangerous.
"My tattooed eyeball is definitely a polarising one, some people love it and are fascinated by it while others can't look in my face or say they hope I lose my eyesight because of it," said Tobias.
"My parents are okay with it now when I first got it done they thought I was taking too much of a risk, that it was dangerous and I should not endanger my sight but it worked out fine and they are used to it now."
Tobias does get positive feedback and support on his alternative look.
Tobias has some advice for those considering modifying their own body as the decision should not be taken lightly.
"Think carefully about whether you can handle people staring at you and judging you when it comes to visible things and whether you really want that," said Tobias.
"If that is okay for you then do it and don't let anyone stop you. It's your life, your body, your decision."
