Lesya Toumaniantz’s radical facial tattoo has recently gone viral, posted on thousands of Facebook pages with captions like “next level face tattoo” from Russia. So I thought it was time to tell the real story behind this remarkable tattoo.
About a month ago, Rouslan Toumaniantz, a well known and sometimes notorious Belgium-based tattoo artist (of Tattoo Box in Kortrijk), and Lesya, a designer living at the time in Saransk, a city in central Russia started talking via chat (Rouslan speaks fluent Russian) and realized they had a lot in common, and quickly began falling head over heels in love. About a week ago they met in person in Moscow and decided to get married — their plans for their life together include her learning to tattoo (Rouslan tells me she’s already a talented artist), apprenticing under her husband-to-be, while she also gets the full-body ink that she’s always dreamed of (biomech is the current plan) — and of course a family.
Her new facial tattoo that’s getting all the attention, a huge commitment for both a person with limited experience as a publicly modified person and for a new relationship screams out the intensity of their commitment to their new life, reads “RUSLAN”, the name of her betrothed. At first glance the tattoo echoes Latin American gang tattooing — MS-13 is the first thing that’s come to many people’s minds — and I worry that it could complicate future travel in the Americas, to say nothing of putting her in danger in some cities (of course, these are places where deaf people speaking sign language occasionally are stabbed when foolish gangmembers assume they’re throwing rival gang-signs). But to be clear, the tattoo has nothing about committing to a life in a gang — it’s a commitment to love.
I know that there are people who are terrified that Lesya has made a rash decision that she’ll regret horribly, but sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make in an instant with your heart rather than the ones long-debated in your mind. I know many people whose favorite mods are the ones they got “on a whim”, and who are still happily married to the person they fell for the instant they saw — “love at first sight” is an old truism — and proposed to within the week. I wish them the best of luck and hope that their life plays out as they dream it to be.
Edit/Update: People have asked why it says “RUSLAN” when I’m writing his name as “Rouslan”. It’s simply because one is the French spelling, and the other is the Russian/English spelling of the name — they chose the latter because it fit better on her face.
Continue after the break for a more explicit photo.
Comments
435 responses to “Lesya and Rouslan”
We can have some fun working out she can modify these if the worst happens to the relationship.
@ Shannon Larratt Yeh u spin it as whatever “symbolically” retarded, quasi commitment garbage excuse you like champion (as in “spark plug”). One day that girls gonna wake up and want to hack her face off…moron! or she could be in 0.0001% of people who “love” their spouse or ex-spouses name on them…as a PROFESSIONAL Tattooist I think “Ruslan” should have “FUCKTARD” tattooed across his forehead in shitty Gothic text…you reckon THAT’S love you joke…? If “FUCKTARD” had one single ounce of ‘love” or “integrity” he would NEVER have defaced a obviously stupid and naive young girl with his autograph, let alone in “dog marking it’s territory” shitty Gothic rubbish font across her once pretty face…period!!!! And you…you must be some kind of spineless flip-flop desperate-for-a-story ladder climbing scumbag for even attempting to justify this obvious vandalism of a young and impressionable young girl and spin it as the ultimate expression of love. How can you look at yourself in the morning and be proud of seeing you staring back? I think YOU should have “slimeball scumbag journalist” tattooed on your forehead FUCKTARD
@ Shannon Larratt Yeh u spin it as whatever “symbolically” retarded, quasi commitment garbage excuse you like champion (as in “spark plug”). One day that girls gonna wake up and want to hack her face off…moron! or she could be in 0.0001% of people who “love” their spouse or ex-spouses name on them…as a PROFESSIONAL Tattooist I think “Ruslan” should have “FUCKTARD” tattooed across his forehead in shitty Gothic text…you reckon THAT’S love you joke…? If “FUCKTARD” had one single ounce of ‘love” or “integrity” he would NEVER have defaced a obviously stupid and naive young girl with his autograph, let alone in “dog marking it’s territory” shitty Gothic rubbish font across her once pretty face…period!!!! And you…you must be some kind of spineless flip-flop desperate-for-a-story ladder climbing scumbag for even attempting to justify this obvious vandalism of a young and impressionable young girl and spin it as the ultimate expression of love. How can you look at yourself in the morning and be proud of seeing you staring back? I think YOU should have “slimeball scumbag journalist” tattooed on your forehead FUCKTARD
@ Shannon Larratt Yeh u spin it as whatever “symbolically” retarded, quasi commitment garbage excuse you like champion (as in “spark plug”). One day that girls gonna wake up and want to hack her face off…moron! or she could be in 0.0001% of people who “love” their spouse or ex-spouses name on them…as a PROFESSIONAL Tattooist I think “Ruslan” should have “FUCKTARD” tattooed across his forehead in shitty Gothic text…you reckon THAT’S love you joke…? If “FUCKTARD” had one single ounce of ‘love” or “integrity” he would NEVER have defaced a obviously stupid and naive young girl with his autograph, let alone in “dog marking it’s territory” shitty Gothic rubbish font across her once pretty face…period!!!! And you…you must be some kind of spineless flip-flop desperate-for-a-story ladder climbing scumbag for even attempting to justify this obvious vandalism of a young and impressionable young girl and spin it as the ultimate expression of love. How can you look at yourself in the morning and be proud of seeing you staring back? I think YOU should have “slimeball scumbag journalist” tattooed on your forehead FUCKTARD
If I were this girl’s dad, I would probably find her boyfriend and cut off his face for doing that.
If I were this girl’s dad, I would probably find her boyfriend and cut off his face for doing that.
If I were this girl’s dad, I would probably find her boyfriend and cut off his face for doing that.
@mikmassingham come on now, no need to get all insulting. that poor girl definitely needs some understanding friends. i dont agree with Shannon’s assessment either but I don’t see his opinion as poor journalism. All sorts of things could happen in this situation.I hope whatever it is will happen quickly tho for everyone’s sake. I feel so bad for both of them honestly, more her than him, but still…. And i hope to god no one tries to copy cat this “devotion”.Any boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance whatever that is okay with you doing this to yourself does not love you.
@mikmassingham come on now, no need to get all insulting. that poor girl definitely needs some understanding friends. i dont agree with Shannon’s assessment either but I don’t see his opinion as poor journalism. All sorts of things could happen in this situation.I hope whatever it is will happen quickly tho for everyone’s sake. I feel so bad for both of them honestly, more her than him, but still…. And i hope to god no one tries to copy cat this “devotion”.Any boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance whatever that is okay with you doing this to yourself does not love you.
@mikmassingham come on now, no need to get all insulting. that poor girl definitely needs some understanding friends. i dont agree with Shannon’s assessment either but I don’t see his opinion as poor journalism. All sorts of things could happen in this situation.I hope whatever it is will happen quickly tho for everyone’s sake. I feel so bad for both of them honestly, more her than him, but still…. And i hope to god no one tries to copy cat this “devotion”.Any boyfriend/girlfriend/fiance whatever that is okay with you doing this to yourself does not love you.
I don’t care about the tattoo on her face – looks stupid anyway. What I care about is why tattooists have to stuff up script type. I am a typesetter for more than 40 years and I absolutely hate the way tattooists put gothic, medieval and script fonts in all upper case. It should only ever be written in initial caps followed by lower case. Written this way it looks much nicer and is easier to read. All upper case – wrong, wrong, wrong.
I don’t care about the tattoo on her face – looks stupid anyway. What I care about is why tattooists have to stuff up script type. I am a typesetter for more than 40 years and I absolutely hate the way tattooists put gothic, medieval and script fonts in all upper case. It should only ever be written in initial caps followed by lower case. Written this way it looks much nicer and is easier to read. All upper case – wrong, wrong, wrong.
I don’t care about the tattoo on her face – looks stupid anyway. What I care about is why tattooists have to stuff up script type. I am a typesetter for more than 40 years and I absolutely hate the way tattooists put gothic, medieval and script fonts in all upper case. It should only ever be written in initial caps followed by lower case. Written this way it looks much nicer and is easier to read. All upper case – wrong, wrong, wrong.
so where the fuck is her name tattooed across his face? or something in similar fashion? dude’s a fucking dick.
so where the fuck is her name tattooed across his face? or something in similar fashion? dude’s a fucking dick.
so where the fuck is her name tattooed across his face? or something in similar fashion? dude’s a fucking dick.
See my comment directly above. If he had have done the tattoo in upper and lower case, as this type face should be written, he could have put the Rou on one cheek and the slan on the other. That way there would be the correct spelling and it would have been balanced.
See my comment directly above. If he had have done the tattoo in upper and lower case, as this type face should be written, he could have put the Rou on one cheek and the slan on the other. That way there would be the correct spelling and it would have been balanced.
See my comment directly above. If he had have done the tattoo in upper and lower case, as this type face should be written, he could have put the Rou on one cheek and the slan on the other. That way there would be the correct spelling and it would have been balanced.
I was waiting to see some higher-res, healed pics of her face, to see how this turned out. Lesya has put a bunch up on Facebook, and the quality of the piece isn’t as good as I’d assumed from the fresh photos. A lot of the solid black healed splotchy, which can be remedied (and she has said that they’re planning another round on this piece). But what’s more unfortunate is the thin linework – in many spots, it’s uneven and wonky. That’s going to be a lot harder to remedy, unless the lines are darkened to even them out. Here are links to a couple of the pics:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/72992_444293352310014_869265793_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/66125_444294092309940_178668987_n.jpg
I was waiting to see some higher-res, healed pics of her face, to see how this turned out. Lesya has put a bunch up on Facebook, and the quality of the piece isn’t as good as I’d assumed from the fresh photos. A lot of the solid black healed splotchy, which can be remedied (and she has said that they’re planning another round on this piece). But what’s more unfortunate is the thin linework – in many spots, it’s uneven and wonky. That’s going to be a lot harder to remedy, unless the lines are darkened to even them out. Here are links to a couple of the pics:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/72992_444293352310014_869265793_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/66125_444294092309940_178668987_n.jpg
I was waiting to see some higher-res, healed pics of her face, to see how this turned out. Lesya has put a bunch up on Facebook, and the quality of the piece isn’t as good as I’d assumed from the fresh photos. A lot of the solid black healed splotchy, which can be remedied (and she has said that they’re planning another round on this piece). But what’s more unfortunate is the thin linework – in many spots, it’s uneven and wonky. That’s going to be a lot harder to remedy, unless the lines are darkened to even them out. Here are links to a couple of the pics:
http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/72992_444293352310014_869265793_n.jpg
http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/66125_444294092309940_178668987_n.jpg
Wow times have changed. It wasn’t that long ago that professional artists refused to tattoo faces, hands & even feet.
Inking anyone’s face like that is not a loving act.
A once beautiful girl now scarred for life. Sad. 🙁
Wow times have changed. It wasn’t that long ago that professional artists refused to tattoo faces, hands & even feet.
Inking anyone’s face like that is not a loving act.
A once beautiful girl now scarred for life. Sad. 🙁
Wow times have changed. It wasn’t that long ago that professional artists refused to tattoo faces, hands & even feet.
Inking anyone’s face like that is not a loving act.
A once beautiful girl now scarred for life. Sad. 🙁
A loving relationship required that both parties give equal committment to the other. I will accept this relationship as true when this guy has this girls name tattooed on his face in five inch lettering. They are getting married. Each will make an equal committment to the other. At the moment it seems very one sided to me. This girl is wearing her committment to him on her face but he is not. So lets see his committment to her now.
Lets have “LESYA” in 5 inch lettters on his face without delay. Is 24 hours long enough to do it? Lesya did it in 24 hours. If he does this I will be delighted for them both for the committment they each have made to the other. At the moment its only Lesya who has made any committment. If he doesnt do this then Im afraid I think very little of him indeed. Anyone agree? Lets see her name inked on him!
A loving relationship required that both parties give equal committment to the other. I will accept this relationship as true when this guy has this girls name tattooed on his face in five inch lettering. They are getting married. Each will make an equal committment to the other. At the moment it seems very one sided to me. This girl is wearing her committment to him on her face but he is not. So lets see his committment to her now.
Lets have “LESYA” in 5 inch lettters on his face without delay. Is 24 hours long enough to do it? Lesya did it in 24 hours. If he does this I will be delighted for them both for the committment they each have made to the other. At the moment its only Lesya who has made any committment. If he doesnt do this then Im afraid I think very little of him indeed. Anyone agree? Lets see her name inked on him!
A loving relationship required that both parties give equal committment to the other. I will accept this relationship as true when this guy has this girls name tattooed on his face in five inch lettering. They are getting married. Each will make an equal committment to the other. At the moment it seems very one sided to me. This girl is wearing her committment to him on her face but he is not. So lets see his committment to her now.
Lets have “LESYA” in 5 inch lettters on his face without delay. Is 24 hours long enough to do it? Lesya did it in 24 hours. If he does this I will be delighted for them both for the committment they each have made to the other. At the moment its only Lesya who has made any committment. If he doesnt do this then Im afraid I think very little of him indeed. Anyone agree? Lets see her name inked on him!
Good call. Plenty of skin left for more stupid shit that fuckwit can write on her.
Good call. Plenty of skin left for more stupid shit that fuckwit can write on her.
Good call. Plenty of skin left for more stupid shit that fuckwit can write on her.
@rocky
he does have her name on his face, much smaller tho– so he can get it covered up or pierced over later. im really sad to say this, but this will end badly at some point.
@rocky
he does have her name on his face, much smaller tho– so he can get it covered up or pierced over later. im really sad to say this, but this will end badly at some point.
@rocky
he does have her name on his face, much smaller tho– so he can get it covered up or pierced over later. im really sad to say this, but this will end badly at some point.
I would like to see laws written thst require 1) psych exam 2) informed consent 3) at least 42hr waiting period — for people under 21 it should be 100% illegal even if parents consent.
I would like to see laws written thst require 1) psych exam 2) informed consent 3) at least 42hr waiting period — for people under 21 it should be 100% illegal even if parents consent.
I would like to see laws written thst require 1) psych exam 2) informed consent 3) at least 42hr waiting period — for people under 21 it should be 100% illegal even if parents consent.
why would anyone do this….just stupid!
why would anyone do this….just stupid!
why would anyone do this….just stupid!
Yay Rocky! Perhaps you could start a petition or something 😉 Although his face is pretty busy already so maybe a nice big scar or branding would be better? And why stop at his face? I really think he should carve Lesya’s name on his cock too, seeing as he is so keen to claim ownership of her genitals (in the naked photo *shudder*). Come on Rouslan, fair’s fair!
Yay Rocky! Perhaps you could start a petition or something 😉 Although his face is pretty busy already so maybe a nice big scar or branding would be better? And why stop at his face? I really think he should carve Lesya’s name on his cock too, seeing as he is so keen to claim ownership of her genitals (in the naked photo *shudder*). Come on Rouslan, fair’s fair!
Yay Rocky! Perhaps you could start a petition or something 😉 Although his face is pretty busy already so maybe a nice big scar or branding would be better? And why stop at his face? I really think he should carve Lesya’s name on his cock too, seeing as he is so keen to claim ownership of her genitals (in the naked photo *shudder*). Come on Rouslan, fair’s fair!
“I know that there are people who are terrified that Lesya has made a rash decision that she’ll regret horribly, but sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make in an instant with your heart rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.”
What kind of damn logic is that?
The *worst* decisions are also those you make in an instant with your heart, rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.
“I know that there are people who are terrified that Lesya has made a rash decision that she’ll regret horribly, but sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make in an instant with your heart rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.”
What kind of damn logic is that?
The *worst* decisions are also those you make in an instant with your heart, rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.
“I know that there are people who are terrified that Lesya has made a rash decision that she’ll regret horribly, but sometimes the best decisions are the ones you make in an instant with your heart rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.”
What kind of damn logic is that?
The *worst* decisions are also those you make in an instant with your heart, rather than the ones long-debated in your mind.
she ruined her own life, so sad to see.
she ruined her own life, so sad to see.
she ruined her own life, so sad to see.
First of all, the story doesn’t mention that the tattoo was given to her within 24 hours of their FIRST TIME MEETING in real life. Ugh. You can’t love someone if you don’t KNOW them. :/