Lizzie Wright said tattoos are like Pringles chips, you can’t ever have just one.
Wright, a Manchester resident, got her first tattoo when she was 19 years old — a great white shark on the side of her right thigh. Wright, now 27, said she has at least 10 to 12 tattoos, most of which are large pieces, including two full arm sleeves.
Inked magazine is looking for its next cover girl and Wright is in the running for the grand prize of $25,000 and a chance to win an all-expenses paid trip to join celebrity photographer Christopher Kolk and his team for an exclusive cover shoot to be featured on the magazine’s cover.
“I really want to win, not just to be a model, but to make it much bigger than I want it to be and be a gateway for bigger opportunities for me to inspire people, to be an influencer,” Wright said. “I think I could reach a wider audience of people for weird girls like me who never really believed in themselves enough to put themselves out there.”
Wright is currently first in her group and said the women are divided into groups based on their individual following. She earned that No. 1 spot by surviving through two elimination rounds that determined the top 10 in each group.
The contest is hosted by Jessica Wilde, one of the industry’s leading tattoo models, and co-hosted by guitarist and singer Dave Navarro.
Wright, a 2011 graduate of Westminster High School, works per diem as a physical therapy assistant for Therafit Rehab in Westminster, Woodlawn, and Towson. She is also a personal trainer at Mad House Boxing Club in Eldersburg teaching both virtual and in-person classes.
Wright said she initially wanted to win the contest because she always wanted to model and act, but lacked the confidence to tell herself she could do it. She always thought she was too short and had too many tattoos, especially working in health care.
“I was always really concerned that I wouldn’t be able to get a job because all I heard through school is that I’d have to cover my tattoos, this and that,” Wright said. “It actually has not been nearly as big of a problem as I thought it would be … I’m a bubbly, happy person and I’m nice to everybody, so why would anyone judge me for my tattoos?
“What I would say to people who are against tattoos is to just give the person’s personality a chance and focus on what’s on the inside.”
Wright has been dating longterm boyfriend, Hampstead tattoo artist Creepy Jason, for five years. Creepy Jason, also known as Jason Lynn, was one of three finalists on season 12 of the Paramount Network competition show “Ink Master”.
Lynn has done most of Wright’s tattoos, including one on her left shin of a UFO abducting a cow in rainbow colors. The piece holds sentimental value for Wright because it was one of the last tattoos Lynn did before they started dating, and the cow symbolizes her ties to Carroll County.
“It’s mostly my passions that are in her tattoos because she gives me free rein to do pretty much whatever I want on her,” Lynn said. “She’s one of those people that gets tattoos as an art collector. She just sees something cool and becomes attached to it. It doesn’t really have a lot of meaning other than she just thinks it’s pretty.”
Being a contestant in Inked magazine’s contest has brought Wright out of her shell to let her revisit hobbies and talents she loves, such as singing and reading tarot cards. Wright and Lynn have taken up photography together in light of the competition as well.
“It’s really been a great way for me to just start expressing myself and being more confident and open about who I am and sharing that with the world,” Wright said. “A big thing I want to accomplish with this is to show people not to be afraid to show what you love because you think you might not be good at it or someone might make fun of you.
“That’s what I want to accomplish, to not hide myself anymore and to not lose this fire that I’ve gained from this competition and inspire everyone to do the same.”
Wright said if she won the grand prize, she would put the money toward improving her career as a personal trainer, as well as use the funds to raise awareness about the opioid crisis.
Votes made in the competition can either be free or purchased. Purchased votes will benefit MusiCares, a charity that provides a safety net of critical assistant for music people in times of need. According to the Recording Academy’s website, services and resources provided by MusiCares cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies.
The charity also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly influence the health and welfare of the music community.
The grand prize winner will be announced March 11 and anyone interested in casting their vote for Wright is encouraged to visit her nomination page on Inked magazine’s website.
“She really wants this,” Lynn said. “I rarely see her step out on a ledge and do something like this where she puts herself in the public eye to be judged. She’s doing it and she’s super confident about it and I like seeing this side of her, so I’m going to support it wholeheartedly.
“I certainly hope she wins. I think she’s got a pretty damn good shot, too.”