A model who calls herself ‘Arsenal’s biggest female fan’ says people want her “banned” from matches because she turns up nude in nothing but body paint.
Despite being a long-time Gooner, Arabella Mia often has to “fight” to prove her knowledge of the sport – “just because she is a woman”.
The 27-year-old influencer is known for her signature style at matches – spending hours painting her frame in the team’s colours.
READ MORE: ‘People judge me and say I’m the DEVIL – this is my most painful body modification ever’
Although she’s frequently met with backlash and misogynistic comments online, she strongly defends her choice to strip off at stadiums.
And, ultimately, she feels her antics help women break into the football space.
“Men always assume I’m just another girl pretending to like football and think I don’t know anything about it,” said the model, who boasts over three million followers across her social media accounts including her dedicated Arsenal Instagram page, @arsenalbellauk.
“But I usually end up knowing more than those who try to catch me out.
“I’ve been into football since I was a kid but it was my first boyfriend who inspired my love for Arsenal.
“He was a die-hard Gooner and taught me all about the team.
“But I knew from the get-go that I’d have to fight my way into this space and make myself memorable.
“That’s how the whole idea of going to the matches nude came about.
“I can’t understand why seeing a woman’s body is such a problem.
“At first, I wanted to be the new face of Arsenal – but it’s so much more than that now.
“We need more women in football communities, so it is important to me to be at the forefront of this.
“And this is how I choose to do it.”
The first time she performed the stunt, Arabella – who trained in special effects makeup artistry as a teenager – spent three hours drawing a skin-tight Arsenal kit on her frame.
The adult content creator then headed to Emirates Stadium to interview fellow fans for her social media pages.
Arabella said: “Once I got past the initial nerves, I absolutely loved it.
“I was just standing there talking about football and interacting with other fans – I honestly forgot that I was even naked.
“We had a laugh and I surprised some of the men with my sports knowledge.
“But online, it was a different matter.
“Somebody recorded me at the stadium and posted it online, calling me out for being naked in public.
“It went viral and the hate I got was insane.
“Some people called for me to be banned from the stadium.”
Despite the backlash, Arabella stuck to her guns and kept attending stadiums in the buff.
By providing match commentary online and engaging in debates with other fans, she says the football community has slowly started to accept her.
Arabella said: “I just want to go to matches, engage with fans and have a good time.
“I don’t always stay at the stadium – sometimes, I’ll find the nearest pub and watch from there.
“At away matches, I’ve even had to sit in the competition’s local and keep my head down.
“But I don’t care – I will always support the boys, no matter what.
“Every time I’ve actually been at matches with the fans in person, they love the body paint and most people are happy to get involved with the interviews.
“Even the stadium security are fine with it – I just have to chuck a top on before I go inside.
“One time when I was in body paint, a little girl with her family said, ‘Dad, can I have a photo with the superhero?’
“That’s what she thought I was.
“In my opinion, my nude outfit is no different than Scarlett Johansson wearing the Avengers catsuit.
“I don’t care so much what people think anymore and just do what feels right to me.
“This is pure passion.
“I can’t wait to see what’s next for the team – I’ll be there every step of the way, body paint on and ready for more madness.”
