Kimberley Vlaeminck (56 Stars)

The Story of Kimberley Vlaeminck: "I Asked For 3, He Gave Me 53 More"

Kimberley Vlaeminck is a Belgian teenager who recently became famous after getting an elaborate pattern of 56 stars tattooed over one side of her face, which she claims is 53 MORE tattoo stars than she had originally asked for (she only wanted three stars). Unhappy and remorseful, Kimberley is now suing the tattoo artist for 10,000 euros, which will be used to pay for the laser-removal surgery.

"I said this part, the top, is ok, but not the rest," said Kimberley, who lives with her family in the city of Kortrijk, northwest of Brussels. According to the lawsuit that was filed against the tattoo artist, she claims that she "fell asleep" during the procedure and woke up in pain when her nose was being tattooed. Talking to local media, Kimberley Vlaminck said she wanted to keep the tattoos on her forehead but would have the rest removed.

The Tattoo Artist: "She Asked for 56, That's What She Got"

However, the tattoo artist, Rouslan Toumaniantz, said her client had agreed to 56 stars from the beginning. "She (Kimberley Vlaminck) was awake and looked into the mirror several times as the procedure was taking place. The trouble all started when she went home and her father and boyfriend threw a fit."

Facebook: The Kimberlizer

While this truly bizarre story continues to develop in the Belgian media, Facebook quickly emerged as the Ground Zero site of 56-Stars internet meme. A Facebook group named Fansite Kimberley '56 sterretjes' Vlaeminck has over 20,000 members (as of 6/21/09) and features over 500 submissions of image macros, motivationals and digitally "56-starred" profile pics related to the topic. In further instigating the memetic wildfire that is Kimberley's 56 Stars, a Belgian advertising agency recently released a software called The Kimberlizer that allows others to instantly add 56 stars to their profile pictures.

The Admission of Truth

Kimberly finally admitted to a Dutch TV crew that she did "ask for the 56 stars and initially adored them. But when my father saw them, he was furious. So I said I fell asleep and that the tattooist had made a mistake."

Even with her admission, the Rouslan has agreed to pay for half of her treatment to remove the tattoos, as "it is not my wish to have an unsatisfied client."