A woman who has spent £20,000 tattooing her body and face has hit back at nasty trolls who criticise her ink, claiming that her body art has helped her feel more comfortable in her skin than ever before.
Harley Berglund, 24, currently has 18 tattoos with multiple inkings on her face, including her forehead, cheeks, and to the side of her eye.
And the woman, who boasts an Instagram following of over 15,000, has said that despite the cruel comments she receives from some people who think her ink has "messed up a pretty girl", she couldn't be happier with her tattoos - and hails her choice to get them as one of the best she's ever made.
She said: "I'm a pretty outgoing person and love to meet new people and just have fun. As much as I love myself today, the road to where I am hasn't been easy at all.
"But I am so thankful for the rough years that have taught me a valuable lesson and given me a new perspective on everything really.
"I was around 12 or 13 years old when I started to just do whatever I wanted because the bullies in the schoolyard wouldn't stop bothering me either way, so why not do it with pride?
"So far I have 18 tattoos, costing approximately about £20k."
Harley, from Sweden, explained her tattoos have helped her love herself "for the first time" in her life, and even thanked her "haters" for making her a stronger person.
The woman, who volunteers at a charity shop, added: "It has made me way more confident in my own skin and I love myself for the first time in my 24 years of life. It is the best thing I have ever chosen to do for myself.
"I have the absolute best friends around at the moment and the best boyfriend I could ever ask for. To be honest I don't know what I have done to deserve him really.
"I get negative comments almost every day but gosh, without the haters, I wouldn't be who I am today so I can't do more than thank them really."
And Harley has some advice for people who don't yet have the confidence to fully be themselves without the fear of being judged.
"Don't take life so seriously and especially not what a meaningless stranger that is insecure and scared has to say about you," she urged, "At the end of the day, it's only you, yourself and you that has to be pleased with who you are. You do you."
Harley also spoke specifically about one tattoo on her forehead, which depicts a strip of barbed wire and is inspired by the rapper Post Malone, who has a similar one on his forehead.
The woman said she got the tattoo done in 2021 after joking about it with her tattoo artist, who decided to give it to her for free when they realised how good it would look on her.
She said: "It started actually as a joke and after my two tattoos above my eyebrows were done, my tattoo artist and I were like, wouldn't it be fun to make a stencil of Post Malone's iconic barbwire forehead tattoo but only print a stencil?
"When we put it on, we both in the same second noticed it fit too well. He actually did it for free for the fun of it."
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