A former Miss Ink Australia winner now works in the medical profession – and she hopes to change the perception of tattooed professionals.

Dr Sarah Gray is a model and an orthopaedic service registrar, from Adelaide, who is challenging the idea that tattoos affect a person's ability to do any job.

While the public opinion of tattoos is slowly but surely changing, the 33-year-old—who owns the tattoo studio The Grim Raptor—spoke to the Daily Star about how she wants to help end the stigma.

READ MORE: Tattooist sick of being branded 'thug' slams discrimination as people judge ink

“Being a tattooed professional there are more people with visible tattoos now and it's being seen as more of a societal norm in all industries,” she said.

“Tattoos don't make you a bad person and anyone that thinks that is just a representation of their unconscious bias, not of who I am as a person.”

Sarah continued: “There shouldn't be any stigma around tattoos. It's literally just colour in your skin. It doesn't definite you or your skill or capabilities to perform any task.

“I often have people reach out to me sayings they were too afraid to apply for job X or pursue career X through fear of being judged but decided to go for it anyway after finding me. That's a pretty amazing thing.

“If I can encourage one person to remain true to themselves by not being afraid of judgement then I'll continue to document my journey.

“We should actively encourage diversity and creative self-expression. We weren't born to be sheep.”

The doctor got her first tattoo when she was 16 when she was “young and more tattoo naive”.

While it was initially for self-expression, she quickly learnt about the artistic world of tattooing.

Sarah added: “I then started getting pieces to collect from artists and to represent important moments and meanings in my life.”

Thankfully the majority of people the medical professional encounters have no issues with her tattoos.

In fact, many of them respond with curiosity.

She explained that more often than not, it's a simple conversation topic that breaks the ice when she first meets people.

Sarah said these days her tattoos are rarely met with nasty comments or disrespect and to her knowledge, they haven’t negatively affected the opportunities she’s had.

“Although there isn't always transparency in life, I've been blessed with supportive mentors that encourage me for who I am,” she shared.

“They let my work ethic and compassion for others speak for itself. Those who are clouded in judgement by how I look, I wouldn't want to work with anyway. That's their loss, not mine

“I'm working in a conservative industry but the world is evolving and becoming more accepting of others, as it should.”

This isn’t to say that some strangers don’t stop and give her judgemental looks.

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But Sarah just lets all negativity wash off of her like water off of a duck’s back.

“I'm unapologetically myself and no one should have to feel that they have to change who they are to succeed,” she said.

“Before you harshly judge another, think about the preconceived bias you hold. Give everyone an equal opportunity regardless of their age, race or gender. There is no 'one size fits all' in life.”

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