This week’s person of the week is Alicia Thomas. She is the Concord-area representative of the Modified Dolls, an organization of women with piercings and tatoos who get together to raise money for a different charity each month.
How did you get involved with the Modified Dolls? I got involved with the dolls because Jordie, our second-in-command of the New England chapter, knew I have a good heart and do volunteering on my own, so she asked me a couple of times to join. So I did!
What does it take to be a Doll? Is there a certain amount of tattoos you have to have or something like that? Yes! You have to be female, at least 18 years old, and have a minimum of five body modifications. They don’t have to be tattoos, they can be piercings too.
What are some of your coolest or most meaningful tattoos? Most meaningful are probably my anchors on the back of my ankles. They’re there to always keep me grounded no matter what. My coolest, hands down, is my paisley half-sleeve with the skull hidden in it, done by Concord artist Doug Mendoza at Bona Fide Tattoo.
What are some of the causes you’ve raised money for that have meant the most to you? Well, I haven’t been with the Dolls all that long, but I really liked the one we did for the One Fund right after the marathon bombings, and last month was Vest-A-Dog to raise money to get police dogs bullet proof vests. I love any of the charities that involve animals.
Do you do any events or appearances with the Dolls? Or what do you do exactly for fundraising? Our chapter isn’t very big yet, so we have very minimal events. However, the Dolls will be present at the Boston Tattoo Convention. Most of our fundraising is done online on our page, but again it’s because we don’t have a large enough chapter to do a ton of live events. Stay tuned though!
What made you interested in getting tattoos in the first place? Was there an event or person or something? My roommate at the time of my 18th birthday had a couple, so she brought me the day I turned 18. My mom has tattoos too, so I never thought negatively about them. Most of the ones I saw were beautiful and in my opinion can really enhance a woman’s body.
Did you ever think that you would be able to use them to help other people or animals? No, honestly, because society is so set in their ways of associating tattoos with bad people. That’s what we as Dolls are trying to change. Our motto is “the different making a difference.”
Have you gotten any new tats since you became involved with the Dolls? Or has it inspired you to want more? What would you get if you did get more? I got a dermal anchor piercing on my chest the day I got accepted. It does inspire me because the Dolls really support inpiduality. I’ll be adding to my sleeve in the next couple months, and hoping to do more with my pin-up girl on my thigh. Once you get tattoos, you always will think of something new you want or something added.
What do you do when you’re not working with the Dolls? When I’m not working on Doll stuff, I’m getting tattooed, working my office job, hiking or playing with my chinchilla!
What’s your hidden talent? My hidden talent is my ability to pick up virtually anything with my toes. I have monkey feet for sure.
Guilty pleasure? Guilty pleasure is anything food related. I love trying new food, even if it’s something most people would think is gross! I’d own at Fear Factor!
For more information about the Modified Dolls, look them up on Facebook.
