Nicole Ann

Nicole Ann

@officialsheargenius

“People from my high school look at me now and wonder what happened to me. But this is who I always was on the inside. I just wasn’t able to express that in high school because my parents would have killed me.”

“I get objectified because of my look. It’s weird. People think I’m super outgoing and crazy, but I’m not. I went to this really nice cocktail bar here in New York, and an older man came up to me and said, ‘My friends and I have been staring at you from across the room and I would just love to see more of your tattoos.’ I felt like a piece of meat. I’m shy, I’m kind, and I get nervous. I don’t know what to say in those situations. A lot of men in New York are very provocative with their words. The energy of the city is amazing but also very aggressive. I guess a lot of guys get that into their blood.”

“Living in New York has made me tougher. Sometimes to the extent where I feel like I have lost my compassion. I’m more standoffish. Growing up in a small town, you’re just friendly and bubbly. I used to smile all the time until I moved here. Sometimes I catch myself just sitting on the train with a dead face thinking, ‘Maybe I should smile a little bit.’ A smile is contagious, and I need to remind myself of that.”

“Both of my parents are artists, but I was never good at drawing. I always wanted to learn, but I just didn’t have the talent. I decided to make my body a piece of art instead. I moved out of my parents’ house because they were against tattoos and piercings and I wanted to do my own thing.”

“Back home in Colorado a lot of people judged me and assumed things about me because of my tattoos and piercings. People would stare at me, tell me I should go to church. Some people even thought I was a criminal. But here, people really celebrate my look and the way I stand out. I love that about New York.”

“When you’re a woman with tattoos some people are just like ‘I don’t get it, why would you do that? You’re too pretty to do that to yourself.’ I really hate that. When a guy is fully tattooed it’s seen as cool. People don’t judge them.”

“New York has made me settle into the individual I always wanted to be and be with. I’m marrying the guy I went on my first and only Tinder date with in New York. When I first moved here, I expected to date multiple guys. I mean, it’s New York after all. But after a month I met Eddie. I remember being pretty late for our first date. He took me to this fancy Mexican restaurant. I came in a crop top, ripped jeans and Vans. He was in a suit. I thought ‘We’re so different, this will never work,’ but here we are.”

Q&A

What neighborhood do you live in? Currently living in Harlem.

Best thing about living there? I’m happy I get to live next to one of the iconic places in New York: Central Park.

Favorite neighborhood? Lower East Side.

Favorite street to stroll? Clinton Street.

Why? Some of my favorite bars and restaurants are on that street.

Favorite restaurant? el encanto de lola in Harlem! It’s the best Mexican food I’ve had since moving to New York.

Favorite bar? The Burgery in the Lower East Side. I never know what I want to drink. So the bartenders always surprise me with a delicious cocktail.

Hidden gem? Harlem as a neighborhood. I feel like when people come to visit from outside of New York that’s not a first priority on the list. It’s full of some of the best jazz clubs and beautiful brownstones.

How to be(come) a New Yorker? Be yourself and don’t judge others for being themselves.

Your New York soundtrack? Come Away With Me by Norah Jones. I literally cried on the plane to New York.

“If New York was a tattoo, it would be a rotten apple. Apples can be sweet and tasty, but they can also be rotten. So when I think of the Big Apple, it’s pretty gritty.”

4 THINGS THAT TELL A STORY ABOUT NICOLE ANN

PENDANT “This is from my mom’s funeral. She had cirrhosis of the liver, and she didn’t tell anybody. She just got really sick one day and passed two weeks later. My mom always said I should move to a big city. It scared me, but after she passed, I thought, ‘I’ll try it’. I brought this with me. My mom never traveled so I felt like I was taking her on a trip to NYC.”

TATTOO “I got a heart tattoo with Eddie’s initials on my thumb. That’s a really big thing for me because I always said I would never get anybody’s name tattooed on me. And I always said I would never get married.”

SCISSORS “I love being a hairstylist because I get to interact with different people, learn about their lives, and really get to know them. I also get to do beautiful hair. Someone can come in, have a terrible day, and then you give them a good haircut and blowout and they just feel so much better.”

ENGAGEMENT RING “My fiancé proposed to me at Rockefeller Center in front of the tree. He played the violin and his friend sang. I get really nervous in front of a crowd so I was surprised he proposed to me there. People were taking pictures and I felt so awkward. But it was very sweet.”