Julia Gnuse
Julia Ann Gnuse | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | August 11, 2016 | (aged 61)
Nationality | US |
Known for | most tattooed woman in the world |
Julia Gnuse (guh-NOO-see), commonly known by the nickname The Illustrated Lady or The Irvine Walker, born in 1955, had 95% of her body (including her face) covered in tattoos[1] and held the Guinness Record for being the most tattooed woman in the world.[2] In her mid 30s, Gnuse developed porphyria, a condition in which sunlight results in blistering of the skin.[3] As the blisters often result in scarring, she began getting tattoos as a way to cover up the scars, which can get as deep as third degree burns.[4][5] A friend of Gnuse's who was a plastic surgeon had suggested she get her skin tattooed in a pale skin tone color, similar to the color of her scars. This was attempted but didn't turn out the way they had hoped.[5]
The tattoos do not prevent the skin from blistering[6] as they are purely aesthetic. Instead she decided to try colorful tattoos, consisting of a variety of themes including: her favorite cartoons, her favorite actors and even a self portrait.[citation needed] Gnuse has appeared on the tv show Ripley's Believe it or Not.[7] She also had a small role in Aerosmith's music video for their song "Pink".[8]
In her last year she started to go through laser treatment to get all of her tattoos removed.[9]
She lived in Foothill Ranch, California[citation needed] and died on August 11, 2016.[10]
See also[]
- Full body tattoo
- Porphyria cutanea tarda
References[]
- ^ National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, LONDON. "Amazing facts about tattoos". Archived from the original on 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2007-05-16.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ Mark, Michelle. "Shock value". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
- ^ "HuffPost Weird News - Strange-But-True Stories from the Headlines". Aolnews.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World By Margo DeMello.p. 225
- ^ Jump up to: a b Murphy, Victoria (2010-05-28). "Meet the most tattooed lady in the world". mirror. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ "Larry King Interviews Dean Cain". Larry King Live. Season 2. Episode 4. January 3, 2002. CNN. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ Chick Ink: 40 Stories of Tattoos--And the Women Who Wear Them By Karen L. Hudson. p. 109
- ^ Orange Coast Magazine May 1999. p. 28
- ^ Tattoo Removal: Before and After Before and After - Tattoo Removal
- ^ Julia Ann Gnuse | nemonews.net
External links[]
- People from Lake Forest, California
- People known for being heavily tattooed
- 1959 births
- 2016 deaths