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This week history was made when a journalist became the first-ever person to present a primetime news bulletin with a Māori face tattoo.
Mum-of-four Oriini Kaiapara got the ink in 2017 after discovering she was 100% Māori – the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand.
And on Monday the 37-year-old from Auckland read the news bulletin on the nation’s Newshub after being asked to fill in.
Viewers were instantly struck by her moko kauae – the lower chin tattoo traditionally worn by Māori women.
And while face tattoos remain uncommon for people who regularly appear on TV – some celebs have defied industry standards.
Here, we take a look at what some stars looked like before they got their faces tattooed.
Post Malone
Musician Post Malone is one of the most recognisable artists in the world thanks to his unique style.
The singer even splashed out $1.6 million (£1.1m) having two diamonds fitted to his blingy teeth.
And unlike most pop stars, Post Malone has his face covered in tattoos.
He once told GQ that the extreme tatts come from “a place of insecurity” because he didn’t like his appearance.
The Texas performer has the phrase ‘Always tired’ inked to his cheeks while having the words ‘Stay away’ above his right eyebrow in tribute to a Nirvana song.
He also has barbed wire on his forehead and a sword along the side of his face beside a huge medieval gauntlet and flail.
Despite the body art being his most famous feature, Snoop Dogg once posted a ‘Flashback Friday’ picture of Post Malone on Instagram.
The snap shows the singer standing with Snoop before he had any face tatts – and he looks considerably different.
Jemma Lucy
Ex on the Beach star Jemma Lucy has had one of the most dramatic transformations in showbiz.
She is now instantly recognised for her bleached blonde hair and face and neck tattoos – but she once looked completely different as a celebrity wannabe.
Before the ink and hair dye, Jemma was a fresh-faced brunette who was a contestant on Signed by Katie Price.
But the glamour model is now covered head to toe in tatts – with one of the most sentimental ones being on her face.
That’s because she has the name of her daughter inked to her cheek close to a design of a swallow.
She also has a tiny cross below her eye along with the word ‘love’ above her eyebrow.
Mike Tyson
When we think of well-known face tattoos Mike Tyson will always be remembered.
The controversial former heavyweight world champion boxer reached a new level of infamy when he tattooed the left side of his face in 2003.
Tyson said the tribal tatt represented his “warrior status” and was inspired by the previously mentioned Māori tribe.
And the boxing legend once added: “Me and my friend created this, and it’s a Māori, a New Zealand tribe warrior tattoo.
“And I thought it was pretty cool, so I had a tattoo put on my face.”
He got the tatt towards the end of his fighting career – but the bruiser nicknamed ‘Iron Mike’ looked just as menacing without the ink.
In 2013 Tyson joked that he was at the “doctor’s office” getting his famous tatt removed – only for it to be an April Fool’s joke.
Aaron Carter
Aaron Carter rocked the world of showbiz in 2019 when he got a large tattoo of Rihanna on his face.
The singer baffled fans when he shared the tatt along with the caption: “I’m the biggest thing in music right now. I can’t be denied. Fact check me.”
It bizarrely shows Rihanna as the Greek monster Medusa from a photoshoot she did for GQ in 2013.
Former child star Carter also has the word ‘love’ written under his eye while having the name of his on-again partner Melanie above his eyebrow.
He became famous as a fresh-faced blonde pop star in the 90s and is the younger brother to Backstreet Boys performer Nick Carter.
But with his various tattoos across his body – he’s now unrecognisable from when he first hit our TV screens.
Amanda Bynes
Another former child star, Amanda Bynes, unveiled a tattoo of a thin black heart on her cheek in December 2019.
And the actress followed it up weeks later by showing a smaller heart above her right eyebrow.
She posted the snaps in the same week she apologised for an infamous Twitter rant back in 2013.
At the time she called Drake “ugly” before bizarrely claiming the rapper had a disability.
Bynes became famous aged 13 when she starred in The Amanda Show on Nickelodeon before she appeared in the TV hit What I Like About You.
She also played Viola in the film She’s The Man starring co-star Channing Tatum.
- Tattoos
- Transformation
- Mike Tyson
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