26 January 2023 , 09:06
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Tattoos and piercings are increasingly common with the expressive art form moving into mainstream culture. Despite their growing popularity, those who are heavily covered in body modifications can still face abuse and shunning from certain members of society.
German tattoo fanatic Tobias Müller is often recognised for his "extreme" look and together with his partner, the couple have a combined total of 360 tattoos and 54 piercings.
They have spoken out about their experience with trolls and people judging their looks. Even with the adversary from the general public, the pair keep positive and love their inkings, saying: "People constantly troll us but our love is stronger than hate."
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Lena has done most of Tobias's tattoos as she is an artist (Jam Press/@bunter_bodymodification)Tobias has over 300 tattoos by himself as well as split tongue, four subdermal silicone implants, one permanent branding – and even an implanted magnet and chip.
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The 33-year-old claims his addiction hasn't cost him a penny since falling in love in March 2018 with tattoo artist, Lena-Marie Duhn, 24, who he says has done most of his body art.
Now, the pair from Dortmund, Germany, show off their combined 360 "doodles" and over 54 piercings with their online fanbase – but not everyone is keen on their extreme appearance.
Tobias himself is covered in tattoos and even has his eyeball inked (Jam Press/@bunter_bodymodification)"Especially on the internet, there are regular hateful comments, such as that I would have to be mentally ill with the way I look," Tobias said.
"I've also been told that I must've had a bad childhood, that I won't ever find a job and other harsh comments like this. Someone also said they wished I was blind due to my eyeball tattoo."
Lena added: "I've often had requests to kill myself, which has emotionally hurt me – but we normally try to ignore them and simply delete any negative comments.
"[There are] positive comments too, where we've been described as a work of art and in public, people ask for photos with us. At the end of the day, we're only doing all of this for ourselves, not for anyone else."
The couple say that their love is stronger than the trolls (Jam Press/@bunter_bodymodification)After the zookeeper came across Lena's Instagram, he decided to send her a direct message and quickly, the pair felt a connection.
They both love that they can be themselves around each other and share similar interests besides tattoos and modifications – such as music and films.
Tobias said: "I love her character, the way she loves and accepts me as I am, with all my quirks and mistakes. I think we complement each other very well."
Lena added: "I find everything about him attractive, such as his style and physique – especially his smile. When he looks at me with those dimples, I love it. I also love his butt and belly.
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"We both love the way tattoos and modifications look, as they give us the possibility to truly express ourselves."
Tobias added: "I love being able to change and shape my body according to my own wishes and also the new ability I've gained from this, such as the mobility of my split tongue.
"She's completed around 230 of my tattoos in the last five years and all of this has brought us closer together.
"Some ex-partners didn't want me to live life in this way, but now we can both live exactly as we want with the full support from each other."