I’M not surprised the hapless cashier at Castlepoint M&S allegedly told Bournemouth mum Natasha Henson that her tattoos looked ‘appalling’.

They are.

In my opinion they make her look as if she has been scribbled on by the Year 6 art class.

The word to watch here, by the way, isn’t tattoos. It’s opinion.

Natasha claims she sought the cashier’s opinion of her tatts after a customer ‘tutted’ at her. The cashier gave it.

I can’t see the problem but Natasha reckons she burst into tears after she was allegedly told: “Why on earth would you want to mutilate and disfigure yourself like that?”

‘It’s my choice to have tattoos and I do not expect people to judge me for it,’ she huffs.

Well more fool her. Natasha may think her ‘body art’ is beautiful. Most people who get inked do. That’s their opinion and they’re entitled to it. But lots of people, and I’m one of them, reckon tattoos look scary, disfiguring and horrible.

It doesn’t mean we think Natasha or anyone with tattoos is horrible or disgusting or a bad person. We just think tattoos look horrible, that’s all.

Anyone who radically changes their face, hair or body from what is accepted round about them as the norm must brace themselves for comment about it, both good and bad. And in most cases that’s the reason people do it – to provoke a reaction.

Natasha may think she looks lovely – as I did the years I wandered around wearing electric blue mascara with my hair in a poodle-perm and sporting flowery Laura Ashley trousers. But I looked ridiculous and so, in my opinion, does she.

In writing this I know I’ll get the customary bucketload about my appearance but it goes with the territory. You don’t do this job and expect everyone to agree with you. And if you have enough common sense to put on the end of a teaspoon you don’t get plastered in tattoos and expect everyone to praise you for your fantastic individualism.