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23 of the Best Celebrity Tattoos
Anybody who thought people’s obsession with tattoos would be a quick fad has been proven wrong. A 2019 poll found that 30% of all Americans have a tattoo, regardless of age. This is backed up by the amount of money being spent by consumers, with Americans spending a whopping $1.65 billion getting inked annually. There’s no question the tattoo industry is a thriving business, with a total net worth of over $3 billion worldwide. Not only that, but over the course of the next ten years, it is expected to grow by around 8% annually, making it one of the most profitable industries in the world. And while there are many reasons why tattoos are popular, it’s hard to go past celebs and their best celebrity tattoos.
When a famous person gets inked it gets talked about in all the gossip mags. Images are shared across social media accounts and people make a huge deal about the latest celebrity to get a new tattoo. There is no doubt the constant spotlight on famous people has helped shine a light on not only tattoos but many tattoo artists who have become stars in their own rights for inking celebrities.
There’s also the cool factor which can’t be discounted. Celebrities are associated with being awesome and people want to be them, so if they see their favorite singer, actor, or reality TV star with new ink, they see tattoos as a great way of emulating their heroes. They almost act as accessories for some people, which is totally against the tattoo culture, but that’s a bone to pick for another day.
Celebrities with tattoos include everyone from Miley Cyrus and Kylie Jenner to Justin Bieber and Chris Evans. The types of tattoos these celebs have range from small wrist ink to extensive and detailed pieces on their torsos. Some have deep meanings while others are frivolous designs. Whether you like tattoos or not, they are here to stay, with celebrities leading the charge.
If you are thinking about getting a tattoo and need some inspiration, or just enjoy the art of tattooing, we’ve selected some of the best celebrity tattoos for you to check out below.
23 of the Best Celebrity Tattoos
1. Ariana Grande
Pop sensation Ariana Grande has over 40 tattoos on her body, so picking the best isn’t easy. While most of her tattoos are small designs or words, she also has a cute tattoo of Pokémon Eevee on her upper arm. It seems Grande is a big fan of the hit video game and animated series, with Eevee being her favorite character.
The ink was carried out by Los Angeles tattooist Kane Navasard, who is much loved by celebrities.
2. Chris Evans
Captain America has an array of tattoos across his body that he mostly keeps covered up. One that does often see daylight is the tribal Taurus on his left shoulder. The Zodiac sign represents April 20 – May 21, with the tattoo being a tribute to Evans’ mother, Lisa Capuano, who was born on May 21.
Along with the Taurus, Chris Evans has the word “loyalty” on his right shoulder, an eagle on his chest, the initials SCS on his ankle, and an Eckhart Tolle quote. You can learn more about his tattoos and their meanings here.
3. Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez went all out for her latest piece of ink. The tattoo of a pink rose dripping down her back has a watercolor design and was inked by tattoo artist Keith Scott ‘Bang Bang’ McCurdy. The tattoo itself is very similar to one British model, actress, and singer Cara Delevingne has on her side.
Speaking about the tattoo on the Live with Kelly and Ryan show in January 2022, she explained; “It means a couple of different things,” before explaining its link to close friend Delevingne. “She calls me Rosebud so it’s a nickname. And I’ve always wanted a rose and now I got one, and I love it.”
This is just one of around 16 tattoos that Selena Gomez has and is by far the biggest. You can check out a deep dive into her tattoos here.
4. Chrissy Teigen
Model turned businesswoman Chrissy Teigen’s ink has a close personal meaning. It is a tattoo of a drawing her daughter Luna sketched. Teigen took to Instagram to give a lengthy explanation about the tattoo, commenting, “Luna drew this butterfly on me today and it seemed fitting to make permanent. I wanted @winterstone to move and center it, due to issues I also discuss in therapy, but in the end we decided to leave it right where she belonged. A little imperfect, a little messy, but hell she’s here to stay.” There’s nothing quite the love for a child.
5. Thandie Newtown
British actress Thandie Newtown only recently got her chest piece tattoo. She first revealed the tattoo at France’s 48th Deauville American Film Festival when she won the Deauville Talent Award. The tattoo is of a human heart placed in the middle of the chest.
It’s unknown what prompted the tattoo, but she did get the ink shortly after separating from her husband Ol Parker, so it could have something to do with that. Either way, it’s a stunning piece.
6. Adam Levine
The Maroon 5 singer is covered in ink, with his latest piece a neck tattoo. While once associated with criminals, neck tattoos are becoming more and more popular with tattoo lovers.
Adam Levine got a butterfly tattooed on his neck courtesy of tattoo artist Nathan Kostechko. This is the latest addition to Levine’s large tattoo collection, with the majority of his body filled with ink.
7. Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is another celebrity with an assortment of tattoos. She has everything from a Buddhist Yant tattoo to a Bengal tiger. One of her most personal can be found on her right shoulder. She has the coordinates of the birthplaces of her children. It’s believed she also got her former husband Brad Pitt’s coordinates tattooed in 2011.
8. Hailey Bieber
Hailey Bieber got celebrity tattoo artist, Mr. K, to ink the letter J, alongside a star, on her ring finger as a tribute to her husband Justin Beiber. She also got the word “Beleza,” which is Portuguese “for ‘beauty” on the right side of her neck. Hailey’s mother, Kennya Baldwin, is Brazilian and the native language there is Portuguese, hence getting the word tattooed in a foreign language.
9. Justin Bieber
Speaking of Bieber, he has a rose tattooed on his neck. He got the ink from famous tattoo artist Dr Woo a few years back. There is no explanation for why Justin Bieber got the tattoo, but it probably has something to do with his wife.
10. Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott
Matching tattoos are big with celebrities, especially those in a relationship. Reality TV star turned billionaire Kylie Jenner and her long-term boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott, celebrated the birth of their baby girl Stormi by getting small tattoos on their wrists. The tattoos are of a small butterfly and were inked by longtime friend and tattoo artist Jon Boy.
11. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is another celebrity with a wide range of ink on her body. She has everything from the phrase, “I’m proud of u, Yoko,” tattooed on the left shoulder blade to a dream catcher on the righthand side of her torso. One of her better tatts is a motorcycle competed by the famous Dr Woo. It’s a detailed tattoo of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus’, motorbike and acts as a tribute to the country singer.
12. Lena Heady
The Game of Thrones star is another celebrity who is a fan of Dr Who. She got him to tattoo a black scarab beetle on her right hand. It’s quite a distinct tattoo with fine details and edging. “Already in the next realm with my scarab,” Heady captioned the tattoo on her Instagram account.
13. Lady Gaga
Where do you start when it comes to Lady Gaga? The “Just Dance” and “Poker Face” singer is another singer with more tattoos than you can poke a stick at. She has everything from a trumpet and David Bowie’s face to an anchor and the date of birth of her aunt. One that stands out is the monster claw she got on the left side of her back.
The fan-inspired art was tattooed on Gaga by artist Eric Gonzalez while she was midway through her “ArtRave: The Artpop Ball” tour in Europe in 2014. It is a tribute to her fans and the “international sign of a Lady Gaga devotee” according to Page Six.
14. Olivia Rodrigo, Iris Apatow, Charli D’Amelio, and Avani Gregg
These four friends were all hanging out and decided to get matching tattoos. Rodrigo and Apatow got love hearts while D’Amelio and Gregg got smiley faces. You might wonder why these primitive designs are considered to be among the best celebrity tattoos. The reason has more to do with the meaning, as it’s a great show of friendship between the four best mates.
15. Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba got some body art to pay tribute to her three children. She went and saw the famous Dr Woo and got the star signs of her kids inked on her left forearm. She took to Instagram to share an image of the tattoo, including the caption, “Honor Gemini ♊️ Haven Leo ♌️ Hayes Capricorn ♑️.”
16. Zayn Malik
While he hasn’t had the solo success of fellow One Direction members Harry Styles and Niall Horan, Zayn Malik certainly has the edge over them when it comes to tattoos. Malik has close to 60 tattoos on his body. Some are small and subtle while others are large and easy to spot, such as this head tattoo. It’s a floral pattern on the left side of his head that covers quite an area and is tribal in design.
17. Brooklyn Beckham
Following in the footsteps of his famous father David Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham is slowly acquiring a collection of stunning tattoos. A couple of his best include a Chinese dragon down his left arm and a large chest tattoo of four cherubs floating in a red cloud.
He also recently revealed that 70 of his 100 tattoos are dedications to his wife, Nicola Peltz. An interesting way to show your love, but whatever works.
18. Jourdan Dunn
British model Jourdan Dunn is another collector of tattoos, but the one that stands out is found on her back. Inked just under the back of her neck, the tattoo is of the Egyptian Goddess Isis.
Sharing the tattoo on Instagram, she included a caption explaining the ink: “This is My Tattoo of The Egyptian Goddess Isis 👁 She is One Who is All 🌎She symbolizes the female of the throne 👸🏾 what She represents has always held significant meaning to me ♥️
She is revered as an excellent mother and is Associated with all of the elements: earth, air, wind, and fire. She had so many different areas of influence that she earned the title of “Lady of Ten Thousand Names ” 🎭 She resembles the Woman I am and The Woman I want to be. Forever, strong. 💪🏼”
19. Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson has a shitload of tattoos on his body. The majority of them are random designs but a few have meaning, such as his Piggy Smallz tattoo on the side of his body. Piggy Smallz is the name of the pig he adopted with Ariana Grande when they were together. To commemorate the piglet, Davidson enlisted Mira Mariah to tattoo the pig’s likeness on his body. Cute.
20. Vanessa Hudgens
On the right side of her body, Vanessa Hudgens has what she describes as a “divine feminine angel.” The design was completed by New York artist Dragon and is one of many tattoos Hudgens has. Some of the other tattoos the former Disney star has include a sunflower on her side boob, a snake, and the number 22.
21. Kat Von D
One of the world’s most famous tattoo artists, Kate Von D rose to fame in 2007 as one of the stars of the reality TV show LA Ink. Like most tattoo artists, Von D is covered in ink, but in a strange twist of fate, the artist and singer has decided to remove many of her tattoos.
She recently began covering many of her old tattoos with black ink, giving her a new look, as seen in the photo above. While some might say black ink shouldn’t be seen as one of the best celebrity tattoos, there is no doubt it creates a distinct look and helps the other tattoos on her legs pop.
While some are unsure about Von D’s choice, she is more than happy with the work, taking to Instagram to let her followers know how she feels. “Just know that I absolutely LOVE it, and it’s extremely refreshing for me to see all the garbage, drunken tattoos I had scribbled all over my leg that I got before I became sober, be covered by sleekness and simplicity.”
22. Joe Jonas
Singer Joe Jonas and his wife, actress Sophie Turner, got matching tattoos of their late dog Waldo Picasso. Apparently, the dog was on a leash in a park with their dog walker when it managed to escape and ran out into the street and was hit by a car. Both Jonas and Turner got tattoos of Waldo with his tongue sticking out in celebration of the dog’s short life.
Posting an image of the tattoo to Instagram, Jonas captioned the photo with the words “R.I.P. my little angel.”
23. Post Malone
Over the course of seven years, Post Malone has gone from underground rapper to worldwide superstar. He has also got a taste for tattoos, going from completely clean-skinned to overflowing with tatts. Almost every part of his body is tattooed, including his face. While he has some crazy designs on his chest and neck, it’s his left arm that is worth mentioning.
It reads like a tribute to his heroes, with portraits of his musical heroes Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Kurt Cobain featuring. He also has a tattoo of Lil Peep.
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