15 Celebrity Tattoos And Their Meaning
Tattoos are definitely not for everyone, but some people just love them, and that includes celebrities. Stars sometimes have to get pretty subtle tats so they won't interfere with their roles on TV shows or in movies. Thankfully, famous makeup artist Kat Von D created a special tattoo-cover-up! Many famous people have spoken about sitting in the hair and makeup chair in the morning and having their tattoos concealed to hide the permanent mark. Some tattoos have a deep, philosophical meaning, and others are just super fun. When the rich and famous choose to go under the needle, they all have a different reason, and if they regret it, they have the luxury of being able to afford laser surgery to get rid of it! While some tattoos are more elusive, others are pretty wacky and out there. It has gotten to the point where it is more likely for a celeb to have a tattoo than not. Check some of these 15 celebs and their tattoos out.
15 Johnny Depp
Some people say that getting a tattoo of your significant other's name dooms the relationship. In Johnny's case, this rumor was definitely true. Back in the day, he and actress Winona Ryder were a HUGE thing. Like, Justin and Selena huge. Britney and Justin. All the big ones. So naturally, Johnny got the tattoo “Winona Forever” on his arm. Easy fix: he changed it to “Wino Forever” after the break up. Johnny has many more significant tattoos and has a bit of an obsession with them. “My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story," he was once quoted as saying. He has his mother's name “Betty Sue” in a heart on his arm and above his heart is a tattoo that says “Lily Rose” for his daughter's name. He also has his son's name “Jack” tattooed on his arm. And those are just some of them! Johnny's tattooed bod definitely helped him look hardcore as pirate Jack Sparrow.
14 Drew Barrymore
This star has some tattoos that are just for aesthetics. For example a bouquet of flowers on the left side of her hip, a crescent moon on her toe, a black butterfly below her navel, and a cross tattoo with vines on her lower right leg to name a few. But she also has some tattoos that she says have a particular meaning to her, the obvious one being the two angels on her lower back that both say “Jaid” aka her mother's name. She also has the name of a former boyfriend underneath those. Yikes! As we have said, tattooing a lover's name is always super risky! We wonder if she regrets it or is just plain indifferent to it. After all, maybe this relationship ended amicably, and now she thinks of the tattoos as simply a memory. She also has a crude cartoon drawing of a bird because she considers herself “free as a bird.” Cute!
13 Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is also a celeb that likes to get tattoos that have deeper meanings behind them. Her most notable one a German tat on her inner arm: a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke which means “In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots the answer, and ask yourself… Must I write?" We're guessing this is about her passion for songwriting, based on the fact that she also has a tattoo of the words “Little Monsters." Of course, that's what her fans call themselves and so the tattoo is definitely a tribute to them. She also has another fan tattoo tribute: a unicorn that says “Born This Way.” It's pretty adorable, we have to say! She also has a tiny peace sign in dedication to John Lennon and “Dad” in a heart.
12 Halsey
Singer Halsey is a definitely a rebel and she proves that with her tattoos. She has a giant tattoo on her arm of an upside down horseshoe which is supposed to mean bad luck. Instead of being paranoid of the potential consequences, Halsey's unlucky symbol was completely intentional. “I got an upside down horseshoe to signify that I don't need luck,” she has said. “I work really, really hard, and I believe in the stars aligning, but I don't believe that anything happens to anyone based out of sheer luck. I believe people work really hard, and they manifest what they want, and what they need, and what they're hopeful for, and that's what this is--a reminder." While that is her more noticeable one, Halsey is known to have up to 20 tattoos. Most of them have a meaning behind them, but one that is super special to her is a match on her forearm which was a “match”ing tattoo with three other fans. Awww!
11 Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has a giant Samoan tribal tattoo, intricately designed so each part of the tattoo has a meaning. Let's try to break it down! First of all, he has a sun for good fortune. Then he has particular tattoos dedicated to his “O lo'u to'a” (wife), Dany, and his “lo'u afafine” (daughter), Simone Alexandra. He has two eyes tattooed on him, called “O Mata E Lua", which he dedicates to his ancestors watching over him. He also has one bigger eye, The Great Eye, which allows him to be just as strong as if not stronger than his enemies. He has a broken face to depict his struggles, but it has shark teeth to show off his strengths. He also has a tortoise shell that symbolizes defeating evil spirits. Whew! Are we done yet? Not quite: he has three swirls signifying the past, present and future (the future being the biggest swirl), a tattoo called “niu” that is typically worn by Samoan Chief Warriors, and various stones of achievement and abundance to signify the foundation of life. Okay, NOW we think we're done!
10 Adam Levine
Adam Levine, aka the lead singer of Maroon 5, is mostly known for his dashing good looks and crooning singing voice. But what makes him even hotter to some is his tattoo collection. What most people do not know is that most of these tattoos have meaning behind them. He is actually quite the sentimental man! For example, his tattoo “222” on his arm represents the door number of the first studio that Maroon 5 recorded in. And we all know what happened next: the band shot straight to stardom. On his left side, he has a Sanskrit (a yoga symbol) to signify his love of yoga. This sweetheart also has a dove with cherry blossoms in dedication to the lives lost in the terrorist attack on September 11th. He also has a few tattoos to honor his mother, Patsy, including some flowers on his upper arm. On his right arm, he has “Los Angeles” tattooed there. Why? Because that was his birthplace!
9 Kelly Osbourne
It is not a surprise that rock star Ozzy Osbourne's daughter has a tatted-up bod. However, she's regretted some of her choices along the way! While she has a tattoo dedicated to her famous father, she also has gotten some tattoos removed. “I was miserable and I just went and got all these tattoos and I don't know why. One of them is a keyboard and I don't even know how to play piano!" she has said. This has not turned her off of tattoos forever, though. After the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando that took 49 lives, she got the word “solidarity” tattooed into her shaved scalp. She showed off her new ink on Instagram with the caption “Solidarity: 'Noun. Unity of feeling of individuals with a common interest or purpose.' Individually, we have rights and unique gifts. Together, we have strength and powerful harmony. I have wanted to get this tattoo for a long time. The tragedy in Orlando devastated me and reminded me that every moment of our lives is precious. Every human is precious. Love hard. Live gracefully, authentically and with conviction, respect, purpose and compassion. Together we achieve what is impossible to those who stand alone. Those of us who embrace and respect freedom stand together, progress together, celebrate together and grieve together. You are not alone.”
8 Megan Fox
Vixen Megan Fox has a plethora of tattoos, all of which have an important meaning to her. She has a Shakespeare quote on the back of her shoulder that says “We will all laugh at gilded butterflies.” When asked about the significance of the quote, Megan explained it is about how “to not get too caught up in Hollywood because people will end up laughing at you.” She also has a moon and a star on her ankle because he dad used to read her a book with a moon and a star when she was little. Which makes her a lot more sentimental than you might have thought that she was! On the left side of her body is a bit of an emo one: “There was once a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART." Ouch! Who hurt you, Megan? Luckily, she also got the Japanese symbol for “Strength” after a bad break up, encouraging her to carry on.
7 Justin Bieber
What you may not know about Justin Bieber is that he is actually pretty religious. He identifies as a Christian and has thanked God and Jesus at award ceremonies. It just goes to show that there is much more to this heartthrob then singing and dancing! He has a cross on his stomach, the words “Son of God” on his chest, and an elaborate portrait of Jesus Christ on his leg. Another special tattoo is simply the letter “G”, standing for “Georgia.” Georgia is the name of a baby who was born with Lissencephaly, or “smooth brain,” and whose story inspired Justin enough to get the tat. He uploaded a pic to Instagram with the caption 'This is for the strongest couple I know Chad and Julia Veach! Their daughter was born with Lissencephaly. She is incredible and has the sweetest soul. You guys make me better and I'm blessed to have you in my life #Georgia #gtat.'”
6 Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato, who is proud of the fact that she has suffered from mental illness and is an advocate on the subject, is not afraid to show off the tattoos that inspire her and help her in her fight. The most significant of these tattoos are the roses on her wrists-one wrist says “Stay” and the other says “Strong.” As someone who used to engage in self-harm, she can look down at her wrists and have that message resonate in her mind. She also has the lyrics “You Make Me Beautiful,” from the Christian song that inspires her by Bethany Dillon “Beautiful.” The song has a strong meaning for her and says it helped her through her recovery. On her foot she faintly has the words “Buddy was here” in honor of her puppy that was killed by a coyote. She also got five roman numerals on her left side to represent the birth dates of her family members such as her mom Dianna, sister Dallas, step-father Eddie, sister Madison, and one for her biological father Patrick.
5 Sam Smith
Singer Sam Smith does not just have a booming voice, he also has four tattoos, each with their own meaning. The first is an “=” sign on his ring finger, which he feels speaks for itself. “It's pretty self-explanatory. It shows my views on gay marriage and equality for all." His second tattoo is a replica of one of the first tattoos documented, found on a mummy encased in ice. Ewww. But kind of cool, we guess. His third is a lot more bright, though: it just says the word “honesty” on his arm. His reasoning? He always wants to be honest in his music. Aww. On his other arm, it says “Alone.” Sam says he was just going through an emo phase on that one, but he has turned the tattoo into something more positive: "This is just me being a melancholy tw*t,” he explained. “I do see it as a small positive, though. No longer lonely, just alone."
4 Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is also known to be a tattoo aficionado. She got her first tattoo as a teenager: the words “Just Breathe” on her rib cage, in honor of her grandfather and one of her friends who died from lung cancer. She has said, "It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean breathing---that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing. And I put it near my heart because that's where they'll always be." Kind of weird now since she seems to have taken up smoking, but a sweet sentiment nonetheless! She also has the word “Love” inside her ear. That's right, an ear tattoo! "You're only supposed to hear things from people who genuinely love you," she has said. Miley also wanted to commemorate her family, who she is very close to. She has a heart tattoo that some of her family members got to match. In addition, she has a dream-catcher on her ribs to symbolize protection with a feather on it for each one of her siblings.
3 Emma Stone
Emma Stone's tattoo story is too sweet. Her mother was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer but in 2008, she was declared cancer-free! Emma and her mom were so excited that they got matching bird feet to signify their favorite song “Blackbird” by The Beatles. The kicker? The tattoo was designed by Beatles member Paul McCartney himself! Emma wrote a letter to him explaining her story and he was able to design the tattoo for them and send it along to them. Paul McCartney was an absolute sweetheart for doing that, and even just a mere drawing by him would be enough to treasure forever! But now, Emma and her mom have permanent Beatles creations on their wrists. We think that is pretty dang cool. And what a great way for Emma to bond with her mother and show how much they care about each other! This is honestly our favorite story.
2 Vanessa Hudgens
The beautiful Vanessa Hudgens has a butterfly tattoo. While butterfly tattoos may seem pretty typical and even a bit of a cliche at this point, the story behind the tattoo is more than what meets the eye. Vanessa has said, "It was very last minute, but I've actually wanted it for years. A butterfly landed on my mom's stomach a week before I was born and that's how I got my name because Vanessa means butterfly--it's a Latin derivative." We think it is very neat how Vanessa planned it out for years before getting it at the spur-of-the-moment. We also think that that is such a precious story. Picture a butterfly landing on a pregnant belly. Go on. Do it. Impossibly amazing, isn't it? Vanessa's dad also loved the name and recently passed away early in 2016. So in a way, now the butterfly has two meanings, honoring both of her parents. It looks great on her and we wonder if she will come up with other tattoos to add to her butterfly.
1 Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie. Where do we start?! She has plenty of tattoos with plenty of meanings to them. Firstly, this political actress has “Know Your Rights” tattooed on the back of her neck. She must feel so strongly about human rights! One of her biggest tattoos is a Buddhist inscription signifying protection, to honor her first-adopted and eldest son Maddox. It was done by a famous Thai tattoo artist named Noo Sompong Kanhphaiin. Why is this relevant? Well, it is interesting to note the process of getting a tattoo from him: she had to do a special ritual and prayer and kneel the entire time the tattoo was being inked on. Apparently, the inscription means “May your enemies run away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides." Of course, she has way more kids than Maddox, and eventually, she got the geographical locations of the birthplace of each of her children tattooed on her body. Now that's a mom that loves her kids!