Tattoo artist creating body-positive 'roll flowers'

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But tattooist Carrie Metz-Caporusso's new designs are a groundbreaking take on the motif, and they are challenging society's prejudices about who's worthy of being tattooed.

Lavender sprigs, crocuses and roses spill out from the body folds of Metz-Caporusso's curvy and plus-size clients, some of whom travel across state lines for the artist's "roll flower" designs. The black ink pieces celebrate their body shapes, using their natural folds and creases to create the flowers' stems.

"The roll flower only exists if you have rolls," Metz-Caporusso said in video call from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Metz-Caporusso, who uses they/she pronouns and describes themselves as "unapologetically fat and queer," came up with the idea for roll flowers after hearing clients wistfully talk about the tattoos they wanted to get -- but only once they had lost weight.

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"I knew when I designed the roll flowers, the first thing people would think was, 'But what happens when you lose weight?' So, I was trying to challenge that thought," they said, adding: "A fat person isn't a failing thin person. A fat person is just a person, and they should be made to feel as good as anyone else should be made to feel."

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