Cariboo beauty sets her sights on international magazine cover

Sep 25, 2018 | 9:22 AM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Kimberley Paige is the girl next door — with an edge. 

She’s approachable, passionate, humble, and self-described as goofy. She’s a Cariboo girl through-and-through, with a heart for hiking, camping and exploring back country trails. And, she loves tattoos.
 
Kimberley Paige’s first tattoo, at 20, was a set of leopard spots on her shoulder.  While admitting that particular tattoo is slightly cliché, she felt the leopard represented an animal that was fierce and powerful, yet gentle and beautiful at the same time. Having just removed herself from what she describes as one of the hardest times in her life, she felt those particular characteristics personified her transition into what she was becoming and what she wanted to be.

WATCH: Kimberley Paige talks about her dream of becoming an INKED Magazine cover model.

An extremely shy and quiet kid, Kimberley Paige  used art  as a creative outlet to express her feelings. “I found, as I became older, tattoos were just a way of showcasing that in  a different type of outlet that I could take with me wherever I go,” she explains. 

“It’s hard to say how many tattoos I have right now — they kind of all coincide with each other,” she responds. “I kind of just keep adding to that single one.”  She chose to put a butterfly tattoo on her neck, such a focal point, because of a quote she heard that resonated with her: “Perhaps the butterfly is living proof that you can go through a great deal of darkness, and become something beautiful.” The butterfly reminds her of everything that she’s been through, and everything that she’s become because of the obstacles she has faced.
 
The 29 year old mom of two doesn’t feel like she’s addicted to tattoos, per se, but she does plan on spending more time in the chair.

WATCH: Kimberly Paige thanks supporters for helping her on her way to achieving her dream.

Inked is a tattoo lifestyle magazine that bills itself as the outsiders’ insider media. Covering music, fashion, art, sports and the rest of the lifestyle of the tattooed, Inked is a brand that sits among GQ and Vanity Fair.  For the first time in the history of the magazine (2004), Inked is hosting an international search to find their next cover girl to join the likes of Kat Von D, Pink, Amber Rose and JWoww.

People from across the globe help decide who will become Inked Magazine’s first ever Cover Girl by voting for their favorite tattooed model. “Every one of these ladies is special, but only ONE can be named our Inked Magazine Cover Girl,” a spokesperson for the magazine said. Only one entrant will be selected to be photographed and featured on the cover of Inked Magazine, plus she will win $25K in cash.
 
When a friend first sent Kimberley Paige a link to the Inked Cover contest and suggested she enter, she didn’t take it too seriously.  When she eventually decided it was something she would like to experience, the day she bravely submitted her entry and waited for her contestant page to appear online, the contest website crashed.  She said that day she was a little obsessed with watching the votes accumulate.  But, now, she doesn’t have to because her friends are so excited for her, they send her regular updates.
 
At the time of publishing, Kimberley Paige is currently leading in her group, with the most votes. During the Competition, anyone voting with a valid ‘real’ Facebook account can cast one vote every 24-hours.  You can view Kimberley Paige’s INKED Magazine Cover Model Contest page here.  Voting for the top 30 contestants ends Tuesday, October 2.   
 
Winning this contest would be, in Kimberley Paige’s own words, “unbelievable for this small-town girl.”