Julia Gnuse

Who is Julia Gnuse?

Julia Gnuse, commonly known by the nickname The Illustrated Lady, born in 1959, has 95% of her body covered in tattoos and holds the Guinness Record for being the most tattooed woman in the world. In her mid 30s, Gnuse developed porphyria, a condition in which sunlight results in blistering of the skin. As the blisters often result in scarring, she began getting tattoos as a way to cover up the scars. However, the tattoos do not prevent the skin from blistering as they are purely aesthetic.

She currently resides in Foothill Ranch, California.