Woman gets 14 tattoos on her body, but the names she chooses to ink permanently will leave you stunned

Performance artist Harriet Richardson recently showed off her latest work called “Temporary.” She got 14 tattoos on her body, but they don’t show the names of her ex-boyfriends. Instead, each tattoo displays the name of an ex-lover’s mother.

According to The Independent, the 30-year-old artist is known for doing intense projects. She said the idea came from feelings of anger and revenge. Richardson admitted that many of her works start from these strong emotions. 

She used her own body to represent the disposable side. The mothers of her exes represent the respected side. Richardson made sure not to use the men’s names. “I was very conscious not to use men’s names,” she said. “The people that are, arguably, more important to me than the men – are the women who raised them.”

Richardson believes the mothers matter more than the exes themselves

Getting all the names wasn’t easy, even with social media. Richardson remembered 12 names from memory, old diaries, or Facebook. One ex had ghosted her, but during a phone call, he mentioned his dad’s name. She casually asked for his mother’s name too and wrote it down in ten different places. This level of commitment to her art rivals some bizarre decisions people make.

For two men she barely knew, the search was harder. Richardson hired a private investigator to find the names. She didn’t tell any of her exes about the project because that would feel like asking permission. She calls it “an act of self, not a collaboration.”

“It’s open access information and free will,” Richardson explained. “It’s not invasive. You can’t say it’s unethical. Or at least, it’s no more unethical than having sex with me and then not speaking to me again.”

After checking all the names, Richardson visited tattoo artist David Walker in Liverpool. A few hours later, the work was done. This is Richardson’s first tattoo, and she says it will be her last. Unlike a man’s temporary tattoo disaster, Richardson’s ink is meant to stay forever.

Richardson now uses the tattoo as part of a new rule for herself. She recently chose celibacy after struggling with relationships. Any future partner must be told about the tattoo upfront, and she must know their mother’s name. If they spend the night together, she plans to add that mother’s name to the list the next morning. This forces potential partners to really know her before anything physical happens.