“I literally fell in love with him and the song,” Patterson told CNN. “I had never heard anything like this before. I showed it to my dad. Obviously, there was lots of swearing.”
When Patterson turned 19, she cemented her love for the rapper with a tattoo. She got a backwards “E” for Eminem.
“It’s super tiny, like the size of a coin,” Patterson said. “I wanted it because it’s not too obviously Eminem, but that’s kinda funny considering where I am now.”
Of the 54 tattoos across her 5-foot-6 frame, 28 are Eminem-themed. And 16 of them are portraits of the rapper, which earned her the world record.
The tattoo that changed her life
“That tattoo changed my life overnight,” said Patterson, who is open about her struggles with her weight. “I went from hating the skin I was in to loving it.”
Patterson documents her tattoos on her Instagram, where she updates followers on press coverage and future tattoo plans. The attention she’s received online since beating the world record has been overwhelming, she says.
“I’ve had a hashtag called #SignMeShady because I want to get his signature tattooed on me,” Patterson said. “My Instagram has been aimed at getting his attention. I’m excited because I think the attention might lead to something, but I’ve also had a lot of horrible comments, which is hard.”
Often, commenters will call Patterson a stalker or question her relationship with her husband.
“They have a fascination with my love life because they can’t understand how another guy would want to be with me,” she said. “I feel like people just see a picture and they judge me, when they don’t judge … my past or my situation.”