Nancy Mace Defends Tattoos After Bikini Photos Spark Media Firestorm

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Outgoing Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace hit back at the media firestorm caused by her newly posted bikini photos that revealed no fewer than nine new tattoos. The 48-year-old South Carolinian bared her tattooed arms in a bikini during a high-octane introduction for Get Maced, featuring her surfing and firing an automatic weapon.

Her posts caused a stir on the internet, with Fox News commentator Raymond Arroyo calling it 'a cry for help.' However, Mace addressed the controversy and seemed baffled by all the concern over her physical appearance in a post on social media. 'Thoughts and prayers to all those affected by my sleeves. Made the mistake of opening my social media this afternoon. Some of y'all are OUT OF CONTROL,' Mace wrote. 'My biceps should NOT be a news story. We have more important things to worry about. Goodness. And God Bless America.'

Arroyo joined the chorus of commentators on Laura Ingraham's show Monday suggesting that Mace's actions could even have a negative effect on other women. 'My heart goes out to her and it sounds like there was some traumatic things. But tats are not therapy. This is a cry for help. But this is a bad message to women,' he said.

Outgoing Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace hit back at the media firestorm caused by her newly posted bikini photos that revealed no fewer than nine new tattoos. Her posts caused a stir on the internet, with Fox News commentator Raymond Arroyo (pictured right) calling it 'a cry for help.'

Arroyo, who works for the Catholic-themed cable network EWTN, also slammed her for getting a tattoo of the Virgin Mary. She does have the Virgin Mary on the arm there.

A man expressed deep discomfort with seeing his former colleague display ink of the Virgin Mary on her arm, wishing she had prayed instead of getting a tattoo. This sentiment reflects the growing scrutiny Mace faces as she transitions out of Congress. The details first surfaced in a February Politico profile that explained how she received nine tattoos in rapid succession during a chaotic time marked by the end of her engagement and the departure of her entire congressional staff. She stated she sought the pain she needed to feel, describing the ink as a way to reclaim her body and identity after years of trauma she has publicly detailed, including being molested and raped as a teenager.

Among the designs is the opening line from Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs Dalloway: 'Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.' Other images include the word 'Justice,' a saintly figure, a lion, a bird, a flower and a sun. Donald Trump, whom Mace has described as a 'father figure,' took notice of her work. He told a group of South Carolina politicos last December that he had heard she had a number of 'freaky tattoos.' The revelation happened during promotional footage for her YouTube show Get Maced, where the 48-year-old South Carolinian bared her tattooed arms in a bikini during a high-octane introduction featuring her surfing and firing an automatic weapon.

Until last week, Mace had almost entirely concealed the work in public appearances, even as she campaigned for governor and continued serving in the House. The internet reacted with shock and mockery, with many refusing to believe the images were real. 'What the f***,' one X user wrote. Another said: 'We're living in a simulation.' Her term ends in January 2027, leaving her without an elected office for the first time in almost a decade. The YouTube channel, where she plans to comment on daily news, already features segments on topics ranging from the WNBA to 'radical Islam.'

Mace has long framed her personal struggles as central to her political identity. 'My story is I am totally broken,' she told Politico in February. 'I have PTSD over what I've been through.' She spoke repeatedly about a difficult relationship with her father, a decorated Vietnam War hero, and about suffering sexual abuse as a teenager. The tattoos arrived amid a period of intense therapy and legal battles stemming from her February 2025 House floor speech accusing her former fiancé and three associates of sex abuse. All four men denied the claims. Litigation continues, with Mace at times representing herself. 'It's just my reaction and my response,' she said of the ink. 'And it keeps me alive.'

She worked on Trump's 2016 campaign and remained a visible ally until her support for releasing the Epstein files created distance between them. She told NewsNation last month that the split 'may have ended' her future political aspirations. With her House career winding down, the YouTube venture marks her clearest attempt to stay in the public eye on her own terms.