Man With Guinness World Record-Breaking 864 Insect Tattoos Actually Hates Bugs
One man decided to get the thing he hates most tattooed permanently on his body — bugs! — and ended up breaking a Guinness World Record in the process.
Guinness Book of World Records has confirmed that music entrepreneur Michael Amoia now holds the record for the individual with the most bug tattoos. Amoia has a grand total of 864 insect designs inked on his body.
The New York native got his first insect tattoo at the age of 21. The ink was of a single ant.
"The first one I got was a red queen ant. She got pregnant and that’s where it all spawned [from]," Amoia joked to Guinness World Records.
Some of Amoia's most unique tattoos include a 13-inch moth that sits across his chest and throat, as well as a 2.5-inch earwig that fittingly sits behind his right ear. He has a total of 89 ants on his left forearm; 36 on his bicep; and 23 on his right calf. A 2.5-inch beetle sits above his right eye.
It's just too bad that Amoia doesn't actually like the creepy crawly creatures he adorns himself with.
"A lot of people think I like bugs – actually it’s the complete opposite," Amoia admitted. "I’m afraid of bugs, I hate bugs. But it has multiple meanings, that’s why I put them all over my body. It’s some dark meaning, but more of a positive message."
For a glance at some of Amoia's insect ink, check out the photos below:
According to Amoia, people often approach him to speak about his ink.
When he was a young adult, however, he was told that having so many tattoos would limit his career choices. Today, he's a successful music producer and businessman.
"Hopefully I can open up some people's minds so they can realize, you know, there’s a few ways to look at things and don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess," Amoia shared.
Amoia plans to turn his record-breaking tattoos into an NFT that will be auctioned to raise money for For a Bright Future, a foundation that donates equipment and money to underprivileged and underrepresented kids.
"If I can create an NFT out of these tattoos and validate it with Guinness World Records then we can donate some of the proceeds back to these kids," he explained.