A woman made waves online when she spoke about her experience with a tattoo artist. It affected her so much, she got up and left in the middle of the session.
She later had a panic attack in her car.
Dalina (@senoracabrona) shared her story on TikTok, being open about the experience and how it made her feel. In return, the experience resonated with millions of women who watched and have been made uncomfortable by unsolicited comments about their bodies from men.
The video has over 15 million views.
As she explains in the video, she had met a tattoo artist at the gym she frequents. He had approached her to offer his services since she had so many already.
Dalina said:
“He was like, 'Oh, I do tattoos' and he gave me his card and we exchanged information and I looked him up and I liked his work and I had a tattoo that I wanted to get all over my stomach.”
Which seems great, meeting someone new and hiring them for their very expertise. But this man was not an expert in being kind.
The story continues:
“So, naturally, I come to the [tattoo shop] and he has me take off my shirt. I have my pasties on, so I'm literally there without a shirt and literally just my nipples are covered.”
“And he just starts talking about how unsymmetrical I was. He starts calling my boobs 'tits.'”
A lot of comments can be endured, but there comes a breaking point.
“But, the last straw: I turn around, and he goes, ‘Ah, I get why I see you in the gym all the time. You got back rolls.’”
Which is the comment that set her off. Dalina paid for her session and left. She mentions in the caption that she had a panic attack in her car.
Luckily, she found support from people online.
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
Some others tried to complain about naming and shaming the tattoo artist, but they were quickly shut down. When Dalina spoke about the tattoo artist, some women were worried about running into this man themselves, and wanted to make sure they avoided this experience.
Daline is just sharing a review of her experience, and if it was horrible, that’s the tattoo artist’s fault.
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
The artist seemed to be so genuine at first. She told Buzzfeed that he would talk to her at the gym, give supportive comments, and give fist bumps to her in between her sets.
This led her to trust him when he offered a tattoo session. On top of all this, Dalina is new to the area, so meeting someone she felt she could trust for her tattoos was important.
While the experience was horrible, and Dalina did find another tattoo artist in her area. Paula Yvonne (@paulayvonne2) offered to finish the tattoo on Dalina for free.
Which was wonderful and supportive.
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
@senoracabrona / TikTok
If anything can come out of this experience, Dalina hopes it’s that women can find the strength to get up and leave during these kinds of instances. And while she was initially scared to post his name, she now sees that it helps other women avoid the same fate.
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