I was fired 30 mins into my dream job because of my tattoos – my family hate them & people shout abuse but I want more

TATTOO-loving Brooklyn Beckham recently felt the wrath of Piers Morgan after getting a fifth tribute to fiance Nicola Peltz inked onto his back.

The Good Morning Britain host, 55, raged: "If God wanted you to have tattoos, he'd have given you them… And David Beckham, he's just a tattoo now, isn't he? He's just one great big tattoo.”

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The 21-year-old, who is the eldest son of Victoria and David, has dozens of emblems all over his body, including an angel tattoo on his chest, a camera on his arm and a ‘Made In England’ stamp on his foot.

Someone who shares Brooklyn’s love of ink is Claire Shepherd. The 32-year-old social care worker from Swansea has received abuse for her tatts and even been fired after half an hour for having them.

Here, she shares her story with Fabulous.

“I was 18 when I first got a small tattoo of stars on my ankle during a girls’ holiday in Magaluf, but it was very discreet and I could cover it if I wanted to.

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It wasn’t until a few years later, in my twenties that I had a second one, some stars on my neck. Now, I’m covered in them almost from head to toe.

For inspiration, I look in magazines and online, and while some are just nice patterns, others have meaning behind them, like a bird escaping from a cage.

I think in total I’ve spent around £3000 on having them done – it’s usually around £50 an hour and depending on how complex they are, each one might take a couple of hours or a few hours spread over two days.

To me, it’s a form of art and self-expression – but sadly not everyone sees it that way. I get comments in the street and have been bullied online by trolls.

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In 2014 I started getting more noticeable tattoos done, like the ones on my neck and my hands.

My employer at the time, B&M, was very understanding and didn’t say anything.

They were quite happy as long as my work as an assistant manager was okay.

I’d been with them for six years, and help them to set up new stores. It just wasn’t an issue.

Then in 2015, I applied for a job as a retail merchandiser at a different company, for a role to go all over the country merchandising different stores.

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It was a telephone interview, about 20 mins or half an hour long and they asked me about my experience.

At the end of the call the interviewer said, “You’re exactly what we are looking for” and emailed me straight away with the start date and policies.

I noticed there was a clause which said tattoos had to be covered up – which I obviously couldn’t do as mine are on my hands and my neck.

To double check it was okay I rang her up, and then she retracted the job offer there and then, saying they wouldn’t be able to employ me. I’d had the job for about half an hour!

I was so horrified I posted it on Facebook and then it just blew up and the story went everywhere. After a couple of days they offered me the job back, but I didn’t take it.

To double check my tattoos were okay I rang her up, and then she retracted the job offer there and then, saying they wouldn’t be able to employ me. I’d had the job for about half an hour!

At the time, I was angry because I felt the policy was outdated. I was right for the job, so it was obviously all about the tattoos.

I would have understood if it had been about piercings or false nails as that is a health and safety issue, but that is not an issue with inkings.

When stores have thousands of people walking through their doors with tattoos, why can’t the staff have them too?

I wouldn’t call it discrimination, as it is my choice to have tattoos, but I felt they were making a judgement about the kind of person they thought I was because I had them.

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Years ago, shops might have said “No brightly coloured hair” or that kind of thing, but that’s gone now. I feel tattoos are the final thing employers still have a problem with.

There’s a certain stereotype of people with tattoos, although it is improving as they get more commonplace.

Even now, l’m judged by strangers even though I’m always smartly dressed and take good care of my appearance, to the extent of having aesthetic work and Botox too.

My parents hate them and they’ll shake their head if I come home with a new one and I hear comments in the street or when I meet people for the first time.

The main one is, “What are you going to do when you’re 80?” I just think, “The same thing I’d be doing if I didn’t have them?” If that’s all I have to worry about when I’m 80 then I’ll be laughing.

I didn’t have them thinking that they would come off when I’m 60 – I’m not stupid! I know they are permanent. It is always that or “What are you going to do on your wedding day?”

But the worst abuse I get is online, particularly after the story about me losing my job blew up. It was really bad.

For a day I did get really upset thinking, “Is this the human race?” I was shocked people could behave that way.

Face to face, no one would say, “Oh look at the state of you” but that’s what they say online – or worse, like “I hope you die in a car crash” and “Why would anyone want to hire you?” Then I’d click on the profile and it would be a picture of some lad with his grandparents!

However, I’ve got a thick skin and I take everyone’s comments with a pinch of salt now. In the past few years, I haven’t had any problems at work with my tattoos.

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I worked in Tesco as a café manager and now I work in health and social care. Everyone I work with is non-judgmental and don’t find my tattoos scary at all.

If it hadn’t been for lockdown, I would have had more done. I’d started having one leg sleeve done so that needs to be finished and then I might have a tarot design for the other one.

I’m quite a spiritual person and love my tarot cards! I’m keeping my back as a blank canvas for now and waiting until I can think of something really good there, but I don’t think I’ll ever have any done on my face.

I overplucked my eyebrows as a teenager so mine are tattooed on, but there’s scar tissue there so the ink is a bit patchy.

The way I see it is that my tattoos are a talking point, whether I am on a beach or in a bar, in normal times.

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Among my friends, I’m the only one with so many inkings – plus I usually have more tattoos than the guys I meet too! It certainly gets the conversation going – I’m single at the moment but it doesn’t put guys off.

I don’t regret any of the tattoos I’ve had done, and if in the future if I decided I didn’t like something, I don’t think it would concern me.

There are more things in life to worry about – I’d prefer to concentrate on myself and my family and being happy.

I felt for Brooklyn when he got all that abuse for his new tattoo, which was inspired by fiancé Nicola Peltz – he’s not doing any harm and it means something to him.

I understand that he’s young and might not be with her forever, but if they did split he could cover it up or get laser treatment.

I’m a big believer in seizing the moment, so why not? It’s a lovely tribute to her.

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