Rep. Nancy Mace Reflects on Her Tattoos and Personal Struggles
Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, shared some revealing insights in a profile published recently, discussing her decision to get nine tattoos during her time in Congress. She mentioned that, for her, tattoos represent a form of pain that one must experience.
The 48-year-old congresswoman got these tattoos in rapid succession in late 2023 and early 2024. This period was notably turbulent for her, marked by the end of a relationship with her fiancé and a significant turnover of staff in her office, with some describing the working environment under Mace as “toxic,” according to Politico.
Mace elaborated that, aside from wanting to feel pain, getting tattoos serves as a way to reclaim her body and identity.
One of her tattoos features the opening line from Virginia Woolf’s beloved novel, Mrs. Dalloway. It’s worth noting that Woolf tragically took her own life in 1941, fearing the onset of insanity.
“My story is that I am completely broken,” Mace reportedly stated in her profile.
She shared her fraught relationship with her father, her fight to become the first female graduate of The Citadel, and the traumatic experiences of sexual assault that she endured throughout her life. “I have PTSD from what I’ve been through,” she expressed.
In another part of the profile, Mace said, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay with myself. There’s no end to the story of me being whole.” It seems that these moments of trauma have turned into a source of motivation for her.
She mentioned her involvement in upcoming family court hearings, one concerning a mother and another related to the family of a murder victim, stating, “It’s my reaction, my reaction… and it’s what keeps me alive.”
A significant aspect of her work also involves her role in the Congressional investigation into the infamous Jeffrey Epstein. Recently, Mace revealed that she felt upset when former First Lady Hillary Clinton questioned her about explicit photos of Bill Clinton found in Epstein’s files. “She was screaming. She was upset. I hope President Clinton is not as upset as he was yesterday,” she remarked.
