IF A picture is worth a thousand words than Nyah West local Teisha Gilbert could be considered the War and Peace of the tattoo world.
Teisha has recently been recognised for her passion for tattoos by making it through to the final round of the Miss Ink Australia contest which is being held on October 14 in Canberra.
Teisha openly admits that tattoos are addictive — she has spent at least $14,000 decorating her skin since she was a teenager.
“I just got one and from there I have wanted more and more. Now even my dad has gotten into it, getting his first tattoo about three years ago so it’s kind of becoming a hobby we both enjoy.”
Teisha was keen for a modelling career but found her tattoos limited her opportunities.
“I really wanted to get into modelling, but because I have so many tattoos it basically made mainstream modelling unachievable. So I started looking into options for tattoo modelling,” she said.
The Miss Ink Australia contest recognises the beauty and artistic design of tattooing. Contestants are also judged on the quality and quantity of their tattoos, personal look, stage presence, outfits and answers given to set questions.
Teisha had initially enrolled in the Victorian heats of Miss Ink Australia to be held in Melton but due to a change in venue ownership the event did not go ahead.
Undeterred, Teisha searched for other places where heats were still available and found herself on the stage as runner-up of Miss Ink Brisbane.
As well as the national contest, Teisha has also made the finals list of Inked – Australia/NZ magazine and if she is successful in winning that she will be the face of the magazine for 2016.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of the Friday, September 11 edition of The Guardian.
