Social media is an outlet like no other. Here, one can be whatever they want to be. Also, social media happens to be a great place to speak for the causes you believe in and to seek help from people. Aleen Johnson, aka The Fit Pizza Girl, is an internet phenomenon long in the making. She is well-known on the internet for her heavily tattooed body and is now using her status as a social media spokesperson to remove some of the stigmas attached with heavily tattooed women.
Aleen took her love for pizza to the next level when she had a slice of pizza tattooed across her butt cheek. “It was not meant as a joke. I really love pizza and most people who follow me on social media know this about me and are, in fact, curious about my fascination with the fast food. I wanted to do something special to show my love for pizza, so I thought a tattoo was the best thing,” said Aleen. She earned the nickname “Pizza Girl” while she was deployed in the U.S. Air Force between 2016 and 2017, where she used to eat a pizza almost every night.
Aleen’s problems started when she was still a teenager. Her struggles with depression were overcome with time and pizza, a food that she genuinely attributes to helping her overcome her problems. She is also a fitness enthusiast who works out every day, and has a fan following on social media of more than 581 thousand people following her workouts, and listening patiently to her talking about pizza. “I used to suffer from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. The only constants in my life were pizza and powerlifting,” said Aleen. Having a body full of tattoos to show-off is also something that she finds empowering, although not everyone thinks the same way. “Tattoos are considered to be a form of body disfigurement which is a real problem for many enthusiasts who want to get tattooed. I believe it is an expression of commitment. A tattoo pretty much proves how much you care about something. It is important for people to stop looking for symbols on other people’s skin,” said Aleen.
Aleen uses her social media presence to talk about fitness and mental health, body positivity and obviously, her love for pizza. People need guidance and hope from time-to-time and this was Aleen’s way of doing something for her fans.