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Photos: Models Ink

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    Photo: Ibra Ake
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    DANI HAYES

    Age: 22

    Hometown: Whakatane, New Zealand

    Agency: One Management

    Where you ve seen her: New Zealand s Next Top Model (she won in 2010), Faint magazine, Karen magazine,Black magazine

    "Six months ago my best friend Kieran and I were watching RuPaul s Drag Race, and he stood up and said we should get tattoos. I m always down for spontaneous [ink]—that s how I started. He got Fierce on his finger, and I have Shame on mine. When we see somebody on the street that has a fierce outfit, he goes up to them and says Fierce! (wags finger). And if they look like absolute shit, then I walk up to them and go Shame on you. (wags finger). It really has nothing to do with RuPaul, but that s what we were watching when we got the idea."

  • Photo: Ibra Ake
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    "The camel toe was my sister s [brainchild]. It was a random moment when she was visiting me on set in New Zealand. I had just finished a shoot, and she was like, Let s get tattoos. I asked her what we should get and she said camels on our toes. That was three years ago. I put the diamond on my foot because they re made under pressure and feet are constantly under pressure. The majority of my tattoos are quite punny."

  • Photo: Ibra Ake
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    "I got the ta moko [a permanent body and face marking of the indigenous Maori people, traditionally carved using uhi (chisels)] on my arm at the end of 2010. Every tribe in New Zealand has a different design. It symbolizes your heritage and culture. Not every ta moko is the same. When you get your ta moko you have to earn it. You have to go back to where you come from and talk to your elders and explain why you want it and how you think your life will change when you get it. Some people don t show anybody because it s a sacred thing. I m part of the Maori tribe and we re very spiritual."

  • Photo: Ibra Ake
    4/24

    "The words on my rib cage say The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. I got it last year in a little town in New Zealand called Awakeri. It goes with a tattoo I have on my pinkie that says Promise. They re a reminder to myself to never give up. I know that sounds corny as shit, but I need a constant reminder to do the things that I m doing. I have a tendency to jump from one thing to another."

  • Photo: Ibra Ake
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    ANASTASIA IVANOVA

    Age: 18

    Hometown: Izhevsk, Russia

    Agency: Supreme

    Where you ve seen her: On the runway at Chanel, Christian Dior, Comme des Garçons, and Elie Saab

    "Tattoos are totally accepted in fashion now. It s more about your style and your attitude than what you look like. I got both of my tattoos on the same day one month ago—in July—in Camden Town, London, where I m based. One morning I woke up and decided I wanted to get tattoos. Together they mean infinity love. "

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