The world’s most tattooed teacher — who had his nipples and belly button removed to be a better “canvas” — says the kids in his class “don’t care” what he looks like, and accept him within minutes.
Frenchman Sylvain Hélaine, 37 – known as Freaky Hoody – started his teaching career ten years ago in suits and ties.
But now he’s covered in tattoos worth £57,000 on every surface of his body, including his palms, tongue, gums and even eyeballs.
The Paris-born educator, who is also a performer and comedian, admitted that it takes his young students’ carers longer to get used to his appearance.
“I currently have 29 kids in my class,” he said. ‘I teach between the ages of seven and eleven.
Sylvain Hélaine, 37 – known as Freaky Hoody – started his teaching career ten years ago in suits and ties
“They don’t have any questions, the main change for them is that I’m male as this is typically an older female job.
‘My colleagues are in their forties and fifties and have several children.
“After two minutes, the kids accept me. It takes two days for the parents and two weeks for the grandparents.’
Sylvain says he has “two lives” that are perfectly complementary – one as a teacher and the other as an artist.
The influencer started to color his body after a personal self-expression crisis when he moved to London in 2012 and started teaching at Dulwich College.
‘I was looking for something. I had a crisis thinking I wasn’t doing anything with my life,” he explained.
But a visit to Brixton left him inspired when he noticed how many people had body art.
“The HSBC banker had his neck tattoo,” he recalls. And the guy in McDonald’s had both sleeves done and it was an eye opener for me.
The Paris-born educator, who is also a performer and comedian, admitted that his young student’s guardians are taking longer to get used to his appearance
The influencer began to color his body after a personal self-expression crisis when he moved to London in 2012 and began teaching at Dulwich College
“I did my first coat in three and a half years, I completed it in Paris.”
“Tattoos are infinite,” he explained. “To be covered layer after layer is infinite and full of hope.”
Sylvain sees the artwork on his body as a whole – and also as a second skin.
“I have one tattoo, my pajamas,” he said. ‘I’ve covered myself completely.
“I see my arts as just one piece, one full body suit that has evolved over time. I’m on my second layer now.’
He explains that “the more tattooed you are, the harder” the process is.
Sylvain sees the artwork on his body as a whole – and also as a second skin. Pictured at the start of his tattoo journey
When it comes to public perception, Sylvain says he doesn’t experience hate on the street or on social media
The infected influencer says women tend to make stereotyped assumptions based on his tattoos and immediately sexualize him
“I have one tattoo artist in Paris, Romain Pareja from Hand in Gloves,” Sylvain said. “I know what I’m going to eat beforehand and which train I’m going to take to avoid stress.”
The teacher will be “all black” by 80 or 90 “because it’s easier to get tattooed in darker shades.”
When it comes to being seen by the public, Sylvain says he doesn’t experience hate on the street or on social media, but struggles when it comes to online dating.
The infected influencer says women tend to make stereotyped assumptions based on his tattoos and immediately sexualize him.
“Because of my appearance, some women will try to seduce me because they think I’m violent, dangerous and criminal,” he said.
Despite being a big fan of tattoos, Sylvain says it’s important to make sure you know what you want when getting tattoos
Sylvain got his first tattoo when he was 27 – and recommends waiting until you’re ‘adult’ to make the choice for yourself
He also said you can always hide ‘bad’ tattoos – revealing that he has never regretted any of his
“I’ve met a lot of crazy girls and had interesting nights, but you can’t build anything with them. They thought I was crazy.’
Despite being a huge fan of tattoos, Sylvain says it’s important to make sure you know what you want when getting tattoos.
“Tattoos are like love, you are 100% sure you love tattoos,” he explained.
“If you want to get tattooed, hold on. I was 27 when I got my first tattoo, I was kind of grown up. I was mature enough to know I made the right choice.
“Just wait until you get a good job, you don’t want your tattoos getting in the way of your job or your professional life.”
“There’s plenty of time to wait. The paradox is that you only live once, but you want to wait.’
He also said that you can always hide “bad” tattoos – revealing that he has never regretted it.