Tattoos on show at ink pageant
A TOOWOOMBA woman’s tattoos were on display at the weekend, when she competed for a spot in the Miss Ink Australia finals.
Lana Merry, 29, came in at second place in the Miss Tattoo Brisbane category, which qualified her for a spot in the nationals next month.
There are two categories, with Miss Ink for women under 29 and Miss Tattoo for women 29 and over.
Miss Ink Australia has hosted pageants around the country for more than five years.
Tattooed women compete in three rounds — day wear, swimwear and formal wear — and are judged by a panel of professional individuals from within the Australian tattoo, fashion, and modelling industries.
It is the second time Ms Merry has competed in the competition and said it was a great experience.
She said she almost had too many tattoos to count, but at a guess had about 20.
“The judges were quite impressed with my tattooist Shayne’s work,” she said.
“My most meaningful tattoos are definitely the two that I have for my daughters and the cancer ribbon I had added to my hand for a friend we lost last year.”
From here Ms Merry heads to the grand final in Canberra on Saturday, November 3 where she will compete against women from all across the country.
“I am pretty nervous about the finals and there are so many things that go through your mind before a competition,” she said.
“I’m also extremely excited. I’ve met a lot of beautiful, inspiring women so I’m looking forward to catching up and meeting the competitors from the other states.”