Rewind '23: Kelowna grandma, 61, cracks top spot in tattoo mag qualifier

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UPDATE

Kelowna’s Alice Roshinsky, 61, has crushed the online voting to finish top in her first round voting qualifier to perhaps become this year’s cover girl for Inked Magazine.

“The feedback I’ve been getting has been amazing,” Roshinksy told Kelowna10 after getting a text from the organizers that she’d finished tops. “It’s very uplifting.”

She finished in top place among the plus-40 contenders in her qualifying group. Many thousands of women from all over the world are hoping to win the ultimate top prize. That won’t be known until April.

Roshinsky is now into the final 20 among her group, which will see five women eliminated each week going forward. Online voting continues.

“I’m loving this, I’m so excited, I just want to keep going,” she said.

Original story

Kelowna’s Alice Roshinsky loves the skin she’s in and it certainly attracts plenty of attention and admiration.

Whether it’s the tiny blue bird taking nectar from the flowers on her chest, the roses and clock on her thigh, or the special inscription on her arm, the abundance of tattoos are how Roshinsky expresses herself.

The 61-year-old grandma is aiming to become the next cover girl for tattoo magazine Inked, and so far people love what they see.

“I’m so excited,” Roshinsky told Kelowna10 after the early first round online voting on the magazine’s site showed she’s leading the way. “Why not? Sixty-one on the cover of a magazine? I’m just going to go for it.”

Roshinsky has lived in the city for almost three decades and is a well-known face at Audi Kelowna where she’s worked the last 13 years.

She has no modelling experience, but her husband suggested she enter the contest and she’s been overwhelmed by the support of family, friends, and colleagues, and the public’s response.

“I think they’re beautiful,” she said when describing her body art. “To be honest, I go about my day and it’s like I don’t even have tattoos on me. It just seems natural to have them on my body.”

Roshinsky stands 4’11 and has always stayed in shape and kept a healthy lifestyle.

“I’ve been working out for many years. I’m kind of addicted to it,” she explained. “I work out every day and it’s important for me to look after my health and stay fit.”

Asked if she considered herself a role model for others, she said people should just be who they are.

“Let go of who you think you're supposed to be and embrace who you are,” she said, a mantra that is published on her photo page in the magazine’s Cover Girl contest section next to pics of her in red lingerie perched on a leather sofa.

As for some of her favorite tattoos, Roshinsky said she loves the ones on her hands, even though she thought she’d never go there. She has a tattoo dedicated to one of her two granddaughters on the inside of her left arm, and then there’s the ‘most painful one’ she’s ever had. It’s a clock on her left thigh that reflects her sons being born at exactly the same time, albeit a few years apart: they’re now 32 and 28 years old. She also has a 29-year-old stepdaughter.

She said everyone is delighted she’s putting herself out there to be a cover girl and is just being who she is.

“If there’s something that you want to do in life just go for it, don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do it,” she said. “Just be happy, be yourself, and be proud of yourself.”

Among the prizes for the person ultimately voted as winner of the Inked Magazine Cover Girl contest is $25,000, along with a two-day tattoo session with top artist Ryan Ashley.

Anyone can vote once a day for free via the magazine’s Facebook page, or to make multiple choices, votes can be ‘purchased’ with proceeds going towards the non-profit MusiCares. It provides health and welfare services to the music community.

The first round of voting runs to Feb. 16 and the list of contestants will be whittled down to a top 20. The winner will be announced in April.