A dedicated Madonna fan will be feeling “Like a Prayer” has been answered after her tattoo tributes earned a world record.
With 18 inked portraits of the superstar, Tara Berry (USA) officially has the most tattoos of the same musician on the body (female).
She was inspired not only by her love for Madonna, but also previous record holder Nikki Patterson (UK), who held the title with 15 tattoos of rapper Eminem.
Tara, from Topeka, Kansas, started getting inkings of the world’s biggest-selling female recording artist back in 2016.
At the time, Madonna was looking for fans with tattoo tributes to her to appear in a music video, and Tara was hoping to make the cut.
She was also hoping to enter a best tattoo contest at the Kansas City Tattoo Convention after getting the inking on-site, but sadly it wasn’t done in time for either of those things.
It was the start of something special though.
Tara, who works for a mobile phone company, told us: “Most of the tattoos were over a six-month period. I already had two Madonna portrait tattoos when I read about the person that had the Guiness World Records title at that time with 15 Eminem tattoos.
I’m honor of National Lollipop Day, here’s Madonna with lollipop pic.twitter.com/dPyjhkonub
— poptrashmuseum (@poptrashmuseum) July 20, 2022
I decided that night I was going to go for the record and contacted the artist and he said, ‘What the hell, let’s do this’.
Tara estimates she’s spent up to 110 hours getting inked and in excess of $9,800.
“I begged, borrowed, worked out deals, anything to move forward in the process,” Tara said.
Although her mother was “flabbergasted” by her inkings, Tara said her friends thought they were “way cool”.
And she gets a lot of attention when she’s out and about too.
She explained: “I get stared at and gasps a lot. All kinds of people touch my arms or ask if they can, some grab my arm very enthusiastically. I welcome it all.”
Tara’s tattoos depict Madonna over the years, from the early days of her career in the 1980s to more modern looks.
She even has a tattoo of Madonna’s famous kiss with Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003.
Madonna and Britney Spears recreate their iconic 2003 VMAs kiss at Britney Spear’s wedding. pic.twitter.com/5Oa9GQ0XRZ
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 10, 2022
While most people recognize Madonna instantly, Tara says people sometimes mistake her tattoos for the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston and Marilyn Monroe.
She added: “Many, many people ask if they can take pictures and video my arms. I’m happy to oblige. A reaction that really surprised me is when Madonna was recuperating after her near death experience last year, which was the same time I was in New York for a family vacation.
“I was outside Madonna’s Upper East Side residence taking pictures and one of her neighbours walking his dog commented on my tattoos and said I must be rich. I found it ironic, I was in one of the most expensive zip codes and had that reaction. I’m a simple sales person that works at T-Mobile.”
Tara has been a fan of Madonna ever since 1983’s “Borderline” was a big hit.
Her favourite songs overall are “Vogue”, “Dress You Up” and “Iconic”, and when it comes to albums, the ones she most likes listening to are True Blue and Confessions on a Dance Floor.
On finding out she’d claimed the record, Tara said: “I’m still in shock, I really never thought I would get it. I was expecting bad news when I found out by email. It just hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve wanted this so bad and did whatever it took to get it.
Madonna’s mark on me and her true fans is immeasurable. Because of one person’s unrelenting determination, passion and sense of what’s right, the world is forever altered!
If you love watching records being broken you should check out our Records Weekly series on YouTube...
Want more? Follow us on Google News and across our social media channels to stay up-to-date with all things Guinness World Records! You can find us on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Snapchat Discover.
Don't forget to check out our videos on YouTube and become part of our group chat by following the Guinness World Records WhatsApp channel.
Still not had enough? Click here to buy our latest book, filled to the brim with stories about our amazing record breakers.
Related Articles
