16 Embarrassing Celebrity Tattoos

Tattoos haven't ever seemed to fall out of the realm of self expression. Styles and trends have come and gone, but they still seem to serve as an extreme way to wear our personalities so the world can see. The only problem with tattoos is that people change and tattoos don't. What seemed like a great idea at eighteen might not reflect who you are in ten years or even sooner than that. Removing a tattoo is not only very painful, it is extremely expensive, and it can leave scars. While most people know someone that has a tattoo that once upon a time seemed like a great idea, when we see celebrities with terrible tattoos it seems to amplify what a just what a bad idea they can be. From an awful location, a misspelled word, an ode to a lover, or just a bad idea, celebrities are not immune to making dumb mistakes. Before you hit the tattoo parlor, consider if what you want inked on your body will be a good idea when you're 30, 50, 70… If you think it is, make sure you pick the best artist to brand your body with ink that will essentially be there forever. Before you sit down in that chair, look at these bad choices and see if you are making a similar mistake. Without further ado, here are sixteen celebrity tattoos that will have you asking, “What were they thinking?”

16 What is that?

Self expression… what a wonderful thing. We have the freedom to show who we are, what we believe, and add our own flair of style. When it comes to choosing tattoos, people often come up with an idea they think is amazing and add their own spin on it. The only probably with self interpretation is that other people probably won't get it (not that anyone but you needs to get it). What seemed like a totally unique and beautiful piece of art that you had permanently added to your body could end up looking… .Well, strange. This tattoo on Audrina Patridge's neck is meant to be the apple from Adam and Eve, but she put her own spin on it by making the apple also look like a heart. While it is easy to understand the sentiment behind it, you might not want a tattoo that is so bizarre looking that you have to explain it to people.

15 A Hanger?

Chanel Iman is an amazingly beautiful supermodel and well known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She has traveled the world for her modeling career, and graced magazine covers since a young age. Yet, for those that make a living with their looks, tattoos usually aren't a great idea. They can cost them jobs and be a pain to cover up. Despite all of that, Chanel decided to go ahead and get a tattoo in a somewhat visible area. She chose to tattoo the back of her neck with an object that essentially symbolizes her occupation. On the back of her neck, she has a simple drawing of a hanger with her first and last name underneath of it. Hangers display clothes, and her job is basically to display clothes. While the comparisons are evident, it seems a bit obvious and maybe even a little silly to ink on your body forever especially when you get paid for your looks.

14 Who Wants Bacon?

Who doesn't love bacon? It is pretty amazing, but to go as far as getting a bacon tattoo? Regardless of what I think, supermodel Cara Delevigne got this tattoo on the bottom of her foot as an ode to her favorite food. Besides the silliness of the tattoo, the placement isn't a great idea. Skin that receives constant friction, like the skin on the bottom of your foot, is perpetually being worn away. It gets dry and flakes off, and if you have a tattoo there, it probably won't last very long. Some tattoo shops will even refuse to tattoo difficult areas or locations that aren't ideal for a tattoo. If you are going to get something on the bottom of your foot, where no one will see it, and in a few years won't even be recognizable, why even get it done?

13 Is That Backwards?

A good rule of thumb before you have a needle permanently etch words or images on your skin forever - make sure that any grammar is absolutely correct. When you are translating words from another language, take the time to do a little research to ensure that spelling is correct and that the order of the words is correct. In English, adjectives come before the subject that is being described. In other languages, that rule is different. That is why Rihanna's tattoo is a bit of a blunder. It is meant to read “rebel flower” in french so it should read “fleur rebelle”, but it is written in the opposite order on her neck. If you are going to go to the trouble to tattoo another language on your body, be sure that you know the proper written form before it is on your body forever or remove all doubt and just have it tattooed in your native language.

12 Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea?

It might be safe to say that getting a cartoon character tattoo is not a good idea. Everyone has a beloved character that meant the world to them when they were a child, but as important as they are in childhood, is it appropriate to tattoo their likeness on your body? Is it an attempt to hang on to the innocence of childhood or the simplicity of youth? Or do you really love an animated drawing enough to wear it on your body forever? Marc Jacobs chose to tattoo Sponge Bob Square Pants on his arm. He has a variety of interesting tattoos that cover his body, but Sponge Bob's smiling face seems to be one that stands out the most. There is no real reason for the tattoo other than he liked it. This bizarre tattoo is just one of many, and while others might not consider a yellow sponge a great idea, some might think it is just what they want.

11 Who is that?

Love is a magical thing. It is all consuming and life changing. Then, you suddenly find yourself looking at a person you don't even know and somehow love has snuck out the window. Young people have a difficult time gauging just how much love and life changes. Right now, you might think that you have undying love for someone, but chances are it won't last forever. This is why you shouldn't get a tattoo of anyone's name, initials or any other representation of a person that you are dating. Even if you are married it can be dicey to get their name tattooed on your body. The Indian actress Deepika Padukone had her boyfriend's initials tattooed on the back of her neck. However, the romance didn't last, but those initials will be there for years to come. Love changes over time. Don't bother tattooing your lover's name or any other symbol of them on your body. It is just not worth the risk of having an unwanted tattoo for the rest of your life.

10 Don't Unzip It

Karrueche Tran is a model and fashion designer with her own unique individuality. This extends to her tattoos as well. A few years ago, she walked the red carpet revealing a very interesting tattoo. There is a zipper that starts at her ankle and goes all the way up her leg where it begins to unzip around her upper thigh. Undoubtedly, this took quite a while to ink all the way up her leg, but will it have been worth it? It does have a kind of cool look to it, but like all tattoos, is it still going to be a good idea in a decade? There is no real reason for the tattoo other than decoration, and to each their own. I guess if you want to make a statement, go big or go home, and save some money for tattoo removal.

9 Steve O… Oh no

We only get one body. It is your prerogative to do with it as you please. Many people get tattoos they love only to regret it in the years to come. However, there are those that get tattoos knowing full well how dumb and ridiculous they are. The, there are people that doing dumb things for a living. Steve O has made a living off of doing dumb things on camera. Then, he went ahead and tattooed his own likeness on his back. Not small, but a giant tattoo that takes up the majority of his back. This… ahem, work of art was doing purely because he thought it would be funny. A giant, expensive self portrait probably isn't the best idea for a tattoo, and if you find yourself considering it, stop and think of Steve O. Do you want to be known for your dumb decisions.

8 A What? Where?

Is it a good idea to get a tattoo that is funny? Those hilarious moments we share with others strengthen our relationships and make for great stories, but they don't always make for good tattoos. This one that Mandy Moore has tattooed on her body forever, is from a funny story she shared with her band. She says the guys in the band shared a room to hang out in, but they made a rule that no one was allowed to pleasure themselves in the shower. While discussing this rule a bandmate joked that they “didn't want babies on their feet.” What was a funny moment between friends turned into a tattoo that is forever on Mandy's feet. Before you get that tattoo that reminds you of a hilarious moment, ask yourself if it will still be funny in thirty years or if it is worth other people laughing at you.

7 Not Worth It

The only thing dumber than getting the initials of a girlfriend or boyfriend is getting initials of someone for no real good reason especially if that person is fictional. For example, Stephen Baldwin has the initials of Hannah Montana tattooed on his shoulder. Apparently, this was done as a bet. Miley Cyrus told Stephen that if he got Hannah Montana's initials tattooed on him, she would give him a guest starring role on the show. While he went out and got the tattoo, he did not get a guest starring role on the show. Now, he has the initials of a fictional character that isn't even on television anymore. As an adult man, you would hope that he would have more sense than to tattoo the initials of a Disney star on his body, but it just goes to show that even older people make bad tattoo choices.

6 Just Remove It

Rod Stewart's daughter got a celtic tattoo on her hip reading “Daddy's little girl”. While the sentiment is meant to honor her father, the placement seems a bit strange. You probably shouldn't put tattoos mentioning your parents so close to your unmentionable areas. What started as a bit strange got worse when she started dating Cisco Adler. She added to the phrase “Loves Cisco” breaking the cardinal rule of not tattooing your boyfriend's name on your body. When they broke up, she had “Cisco” turned into “Disco”. Now it reads “Daddy's Little Girl Loves Disco.” We aren't sure if she does love disco, but this can go down in the books as the never ending mistake. Don't make a bad tattoo worse. She may want to consider having it removed all together before she gets another great idea and tweaks it again.

5 There is Something on Your Face

Way back in 2012, the rapper Soulja Boy loved Gucci so much, he thought he would have the logo tattooed on him… On his face! Right in the middle of his forehead! The young rapper went for it, and actually had the tattoo done for all the world to see every time they looked at him. Why he thought his face was the best location remains a mystery. While we all have brands we love so much we wouldn't consider living without them, not many would actually go all the way as to tattoo them on our bodies, not to mention our foreheads. Whatever it was that drove him to tattoo his forehead must have dissipated because he reportedly decided he no longer wanted the tattoo in December 2015. He decided to have it lasered off, and he has been sharing the procedure on social media.

4 Pawesome Tattoo

These paw tattoos on Eve's chest are probably the most recognizable. People could see the tattoos without even seeing her face, and they would know exactly who it was. For something as recognizable as these paw prints, they actually have no real meaning. At eighteen, Eve went to get her second tattoo and a friend dared her to get the paw prints on her chest. This dare led to Eve's signature look. While the rapper says she doesn't regret them, it is puzzling why you would go through with a tattoo that someone dared you to get especially when it is in such an obvious spot. A word of the wise, if someone is daring you to get a tattoo, it is usually because it is absurd, silly or just outright ridiculous. Do you want that on your body forever?

3 Do You Like It?

Many people love pop culture. It speaks volumes about society and current events and offers a glimpse into a country's consciousness. The thing about pop culture is that it changes rapidly especially in our tech focused world. This is why it may not be a good idea to get a tattoo that represents pop culture at the moment. In ten years, people might not even know what it is anymore. This tattoo that T-Pain got is an immediately identifiable symbol of the social media craze that has overtaken the world. It may be hard to even imagine, but Facebook won't be around forever. Even if it is does stay around longer than we expect, will it still be funny to have a Facebook tattoo? We have enough social media exposure, maybe don't get put a constant reminder of it on your body.

2 Is that What I Think it is… ?

This is a man that is very familiar with tattoos, and he has plenty that are attention grabbing. However, for all of the tattoos he has covering his body, one seemed to spark a bit of controversy. A tattoo appeared on Brown's neck that looks like a woman with half of her face battered. It seemed in particularly bad taste because of Brown's violent history with Rihanna. Many assumed the tattoo was a reminder of what had happened between the two, but Brown insists it is something completely different. He says the tattoo is an artistic rendering of a symbolic mask for the Mexican holiday Dios de los Muertos which means Day of the Dead. The design is said to have come from a “sugar skull” advertisement used by MAC cosmetics and holds no meaning between Brown and his relationship with Rihanna.

1 Is That Real?

Hmmm… .Well, this is definitely one of the more interesting tattoos I have ever seen. It is hard to know what to say if you meet someone with an ice cream cone tattooed on their face. The first question you might think and maybe even blurt out if you have no filter is, “Why?” It would be a hard thing to ignore when standing face to face. The rapper, Gucci Mane, got the tattoo to show the world how he chooses to live his life which is “cool as ice”. It is a very interesting choice not only in location but the actual image as well. While Gucci has plenty of tattoos including other face tattoos, it is still a bit shocking to see. Will this tattoo still be as cold as ice in twenty years? Hopefully, he still thinks so.