Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson’s intimidating exterior is all-the-more heightened by the expansive Polynesian-inspired tribal half-sleeve on his left arm and chest. We all know he’s a heartwarming guy, so of course, his tattoo has all sorts of sentimental meaning behind it. They're one of his most recognizable features, so its all Hollywood can talk about.
In fact, there’s so much meaning in it that we can’t cover it all; Johnson himself told Inked the following: “The story of my tattoo is a very elaborate story... [It represents] all the things that are important to me, that I love and that I’m passionate about... we could cover a lot of body." We’ll see where his journey goes!
Katy Perry is always colorful and loud in music videos and award show outfits, an aesthetic she held onto with her tattoos. An adorable rainbow prism on her ankle and peppermint—both with cartoon faces—are just a sample, and she could not refuse a Hello Kitty tribute when the opportunity arrived.
She revealed the finger tattoo of the cartoon cat back in 2014, captioning the Instagram post “"Does this make my gang signs look soft now?" It’s a seemingly random choice, but actually makes sense given the timing. Merely five days before the Hello Kitty 40th Anniversary, Perry turned 30 and tweeted the following: “OMG HELLO KITTY IS A SCORPIO TOO ILY!!” The tattoo appeared a few days later, to no one’s surprise.
Classy lady Helen Mirren has a tattoo?! It's definitely a surprise, we know. She only has one, but it means a lot to this stunning and talented leading lady. Her tattoo is a Mayan phrase "in La'kesh." That means "You are my other self. We are one. I am another yourself."
Speaking to the Independent Helen Mirren further explained, "It represents a very beautiful idea which is basically 'equal and opposite,' that someone can be as different from you as you could possibly imagine, but have equal value to yourself, that's something I believe in life." In other words, we united as one.
Where were you when Ariana Grande revealed her “small charcoal grill” tattoo? Grande rang in the 2019 new year with a palm tattoo in tribute to her massive pop hit “7 Rings,” but failed to realize that the Japanese characters translated more accurately to something better used for barbeque.
The tattoo says different things depending on which way you read it, but “grill” shows up in more than one scenario. In an attempt to fix the mistake, Grande added on a little more Japanese and a heart. Unfortunately, that only made things worse (yet funnier), reading as “Japanese barbecue fingers.” FYI, Google Translate isn’t exactly the most reliable language tool.
Adam Levine is well known for going shirtless, and thanks to that, he's known just as much for his tattoos. In fact, hilariously enough, in one interview after a photoshoot, he said, "I spend most of my life naked. In fact, I often have to be told by the people around me that it's inappropriate." Okay then.
Well, we do get to see plenty of his tattoos that way. His arm sleeve alone has several including "222," which was the door number of the first studio Maroon 5 recorded in. A guitar (for obvious reasons) and a beautiful rose are two others. The most prominent is a dove and cherry blossoms, which he got in remembrance of the many lives lost during 9/11.
Would you guess that Ryan Gosling has so many tattoos? Ryan Gosling has tattoos ranging from sentimental to totally consuming. Look atThe Giving Tree tattoo on his shoulder, a super cute reminder of childhood joy. He even has his daughter’s name tattooed on his fingers. Can't go wrong with a classic tattoo choice.
But take a gander at the abomination on his left forearm. At first glance, it’s a crying cactus. Apparently, this plant-like tatt was Gosling’s own creation, admitting that it was supposed to be a bleeding monster’s hand. He doesn’t seem too upset about it. If you ever get a bad tattoo, at least you'll get to laugh at it!
You may have to look a little closely to see this talented actress's tattoos. She has more than one (including one on her foot), but her most important one is the number "11." She has the numbers "11 11" tattooed on her wrist, but she hasn't stated why -- weird, right?
A source told People magazine that Jennifer Aniston believes the numbers are "good luck" and "very spiritual." That's not too much of a surprise. Double 11s are often referred to as "angel numbers," which means more since her birthday is on February 11th. Her favorite Welsh Corgi, Norman, passed away in 2011, as well. This is the tattoo she has on the inner arch of her right foot.
Rob Lowe has been around for forever. He was a hit "It-Boy" back in the '90s, and we're guessing that more than one person reading this had a poster of him in their room. He looks very much the same but now, he has a horrible tattoo to decorate his body. Oops!
We all got a good peak of his tattoo on the Ellen Degeneres show, and a story to go along with it! He explains, "When I got sober many, many, many years ago, my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be wild. I wouldn’t still have it. So I of course went and got a tattoo because I was still wild. So I have my newly sober, I’m still wild tattoo and it’s horrible."
By now, Johnny Depp has approximately 700 tattoos. Okay, we're lying. That's an exaggeration, but he does have a total of 33 (and counting). Not all of them are amazing works of art, and some are downright corny. However, there are a few that are worth noting for their linework and meaning.
Birds are his thing, and the crow on his right hand and rook with cards on the other is an obvious sign of that. The crow on his right hand may look simple, but the linework is amazing in such a delicate place. In addition to that, his friend Damien Echols and Bill Carter (Jack Depp's godfather) got the same tattoo at the same time.
Every tattoo of Rihanna’s has been iconic, including her first tattoo of music notes to the Egyptian goddess on her sternum. But none other is talked about more than the stars traveling up her neck from 2008. At first, the stars were focused on the neck, then eventually extended down her shoulder blade.
Steal Her Style claims Rihanna admitted, “I like hanging out in tattoo shops… It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don’t care. I don’t take security.” Even her tattoo artists Bang Bang verified her excitement for every new design. It’s no wonder she has so many amazing tattoos!
Talk about a man's man. Tom Hardy is cool enough that the guys want to be him, and the girls...well, they just plain want him. He has this weird dynamic that almost reminds of you of a gentlemanly, prim-and-proper guy personality but his exterior is 100% lumberjack.
Of course, it wouldn't be complete with a lot of tattoos. Tom Hardy has a lot of tattoos we could talk about, but our favorite is probably the smoking skull with a top hat. Naturally, it's paired with a raven giving it that mysterious Louisiana voodoo vibe.
Drake is another hip artist with countless tattoos under his belt like many others in his field. One of his most surprising and one of the best is the portrait of Lil Wayne on his arm. The willingness to get someone else’s face plastered onto your body forever takes unparalleled commitment.
Fans theorize that the body is an obvious tribute to the rapper who started his career. Lil Wayne signed Drake to his label back in 2009 and has since collaborated with him multiple times, to which Drake owes him his fame. Whether critics like it or not, this Drake tattoo is here to stay.
Ed Sheeran’s tattoos, with their shaky lines and weird proportions, are infamous for being… not very good. Why would anyone get something so messy put on their body for the rest of their lives? The answer is clear: if we ignore the garish colors, there are some diamonds in the rough.
The family tree tattoo on his right arm actually isn’t so bad. The design isn’t extraordinary, but the sentiment of love and community behind the art makes it bearable to look at. As for the rest of them, they're the definition of what happens when you order a tattoo kit off of eBay.
Kelly Osbourne, British actress and daughter of dynamic duo Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, tugged heartstrings when she revealed a powerful head tattoo in tribute to the victims of the 2016 nightclub shooting in Orlando. The tattoo—reading “Solidarity” in plain typewriter font—is explained in full on her Instagram. Here’s an excerpt:
“Solidarity: Noun. Unity of feeling of individuals with a common interest or purpose. Individually, we have rights and unique gifts. Together, we have the strength and powerful harmony... 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...”
When Harry Styles got tattooed shortly into his time with his astronomically successful boyband One Direction, fans went wild. Until then, the group was viewed as primarily clean-cut British boys (plus an Irishman) with PG songs about romance. Once tattoos were thrown into the mix, everyone was dying to know what happened!
By far the most popular of Styles’s tattoos are the sparrows on his chest, telling fans on Ellen in 2012, “I just like them. They’re kind of, like, sailor-y, like traveling, for travel.” Makes sense, for the musician's international acclaim is apparent both then and now!
The 2018 remake of A Star is Born featuring Lady Gaga won numerous awards for acting and music after its release. It blew up in the box office, but it meant more to Gaga than we know. The heart-wrenching story of love and fame viewed through a modern lens was so influential that Gaga herself chose to get tattooed for it.
In February 2019, Gaga revealed an expansive new tattoo of Edith Piaf’s song title “La Vie En Rose” along with a minimalist line drawing of the titular flower down the majority of her back. "Happy Valentine’s Day," Gaga wrote on Instagram. "A tattoo toast to 'la vie en rose' by the beautiful @winterstone my spinal cord is now a rose."
Kaia Gerber’s supermodel status makes getting tattoos a tricky business. It's all about showing off the designer's work, and not the artwork on your body. So, she took the micro-tattoo loophole. Her affinity for the tiny tatts, much to the dismay of many traditional artists, proves that the trend is taking the tattoo world by storm.
Fan-favorites include the "face and birdwing" above her left elbow and the “I Know” script with a red line drawn through it, but no one truly knows the model’s favorite pieces or their hidden meanings (if any). Tiny tattoos are all the rage right now, so many people use her tattoos as a reference for their own.
Kylie Jenner is another socialite who’s hopped on the micro-tattoo bandwagon. Much of her body art is so small that fans forget about them as soon as they swipe away from her Instagram. Despite the size of her tattoos, the meaning behind them can’t be denied, especially when they match with someone else's.
First, it was the matching red “m” finger tatt with then-bestie Jordyn Woods (we don’t have to explain what went wrong there). Then it was the butterflies with baby-daddy Travis Scott. Fortunately, the butterfly was for their daughter Stormi and not for each other, so it doesn’t matter that they’ve since broken up. Nothing’s worse than having to cover a couple’s tattoo!
Cara Delevigne instantly went viral when she posted a micro-tattoo of a lion head on her finger back in 2013. Micro-tattoos, which are minimalist and miniature designs that can fit anywhere on the body, exploded in popularity in the 2010s after musicians and models alike wanted to jump into body art without it taking up too much space.
Delevigne’s slew of tiny tatts—including designs of snakes to elephants that are barely bigger than a quarter—makes her a figurehead of the micro-movement. Criticism from tattoo artists and collectors regarding these types of tattoos is rampant, but people want what they want and are willing to pay for it!
Ke$ha’s tattoos are actually quite overlooked because they’re not exactly surprising in terms of her punk-rock aesthetic. You'd expect someone with her status to be tattooed, right? Well, there’s more than meets the eye with her artistic choices. The tigers and aliens might not have much significance, but her script work points to something deeper.
In particular, the 2017 addition of “Live Free” on her fingers is a haunting reminder of her tiresome legal battle with a producer who’s allegedly assaulted her on multiple occasions. It’s tattoos like these that remind everyone of the value of art and making independent choices.
The “Without Me” artist Halsey isn’t shy about sharing the inspirations behind any art she’s associated with. Being very outspoken in general, Halsey loves to talk about the artwork that paints her body. While some of her tattoos look straight-from-Pinterest, her take on a Marlyn Manson portrait is undoubtedly unique and controversial.
"Absolutely obsessed. — Manson by mega babe @celiadunne_tattoos,” the artist wrote on Instagram, as well as “got manson tatted on my ribs…,” on Twitter after getting the new addition. Good thing she clarified that the Manson she referred to wasn’t the cult leader...
Similar to Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber’s tattoos are infamous within the body-mod community. To the untrained eye, they don’t seem too bad (except for that abysmal Selena Gomez portrait), but most artists have much to criticize with his pieces. That isn't too much of a surprise since it's honestly hard to like Bieber as a person, to begin with.
To us, his best tattoos merely aren’t on display as much as the bad ones. Take the depiction of Jesus and praying hands on his leg—anyone would be hard-pressed to say they aren’t done well. Plus, they weren’t done willy-nilly because they represent a personal journey of faith and religion. Some thought had to go into those.
An amazing artist, actress, and model, Zoe Kravitz can do it all. She also has an impeccable sense of style that's unparalleled, especially in her taste of body art. Of course, they’re not to everyone’s style, but they truly capture her ethereal aura. We wouldn't expect her to have anything more than totally unique tattoos.
The snake on her arm, being one of the few tattoos that aren’t abstract designs, breaches the realms of micro-tattoo. These single-needle designs look amazing and dainty when first done, and we’ll have to see how they hold up over time, but they sure look amazing during the first year! No wonder everyone-and-their-mother is vying for these minimalistic designs.
Okay, Post Malone’s face tattoos aren’t exactly the pinnacle of taste or skill, but they definitely make a statement. Mention this musician at any get-together and you’ll witness comments to the likes of “His music’s great, but those tattoos!” and “Why would he choose to ruin his face?” Hey, we get it. But face tattoos symbolize everything from strength to status in rap culture, and Post’s aren’t all bad.
In fact, he recently admitted to GQ, "I feel like the face tattoos make me interesting to look at, so where I might lack in handsomeness, I make up for in intrigue at least.” He definitely achieved intruigue. No one can ignore the barbed wire on his forehead, which unfortunately doesn’t distract much from the mediocre “Always Tired” script under his eyes. They can’t all be winners...
It's not exactly a shocker that Lana Del Rey, with her mysterious life and hypnotizing music, has a few tattoos under her belt that are all script. It would be a surprise if she didn't have a tattoo that wasn't words. As a singer-songwriter and musician, the choice to have words permanently on her body instead of images makes total sense.
From “trust no one” to “paradise” and “die young,” her tattoos hold equal amounts of mystery to her music. Most of these relate pretty closely to her music and mean even more when you know her work. “Trust no one” seems pretty straightforward, but “die young” is a little dark for most people’s taste.
Zayn Malik has a tattoo aesthetic that mirrors the likes of Adam Levine: traditional imagery with an injection of fun. He got a “gun in waistband” tattoo that got everyone talking about the former One Direction member, especially fans that were obsessed with him.
There's a long line of tattoos, but one of the most popular is probably the eyes on his chest. They're the eyes of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Gigi Hadid — a super risky move, but he hasn't regretted it. Guess that's all that matters!
Jhené Aiko is a stunningly beautiful singer and songwriter who is just now getting her start despite being very obviously talented. She's also another celebrity with a massive tattoo that's absolutely stunning. In 2018, she opted to cover a number of tattoos on her back with a “dragon with phoenix wings.”
She clarified on Twitter, “Don’t let this distract you from the fact that i also covered my buddha and Bible verse… but still love and respect Buddha AND Jesus lol. have a good day, kids.” There’s no denying that it’s well done, we just can’t imagine the hours of literal blood, sweat, and tears that went into the piece.
