I know, I know. Tattoos are the ultimate form of individual expression. You are literally imprinting your self-identity on your body. It's a permanent part of you in an ever-changing world. So who's to say what makes a "good" or "bad" tattoo? At the end of the day, all that matters is that the tattoo-bearer is happy with it — because they're the one that has to live with it for the rest of their lives.
But, that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes make regrettable decisions — including stars who have botched ink or a design that's deeply offensive. Take a look and see what you're into, and what you're not so wild about. Here are 20 of the best and worst celebrity tattoos in Hollywood.
Best: David Beckham's Stick Figure
You may be wondering, What drunk tattoo artist did that? This is actually from a drawing by Beckham's 4-year-old daughter Harper. Awww!
Best: Lady Gaga's Bicep Philosophy
In a world full of clichéd ink, a passage by your favourite German writer that sums up your personal philosophy to you is pretty special. This is a passage by Rainer Maria Rilke that roughly translates to: Confess to yourself in the deepest hour of the night whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. Dig deep into your heart, where the answer spreads its roots in your being, and ask yourself solemnly, Must I write?”
Gaga said, “I had this tattooed on my arm so that every single day I would be reminded that my gift is songwriting and I have to do it. It’s not an option. It’s like breathing.”
Photo: Miguel Villagran/Getty Images.
Best: Selena Gomez's Self-Love
The pop princess got "love yourself first" inked in Arabic below her right shoulder blade. What young girl can't use that advice on the daily?
Photo: Jim Smeal/REX/Shutterstock.
Worst: Hayden Panettiere's Italian Regret
"Live without regrets" is a great motto until you spell it regretfully wrong. The actress got "vivere senza rimipianti" on her back, but she spelled the last word wrong. (It should be “rimpianti.") Thankfully, even mistakes made in permanent ink are reversible with the help of laser correction.
Photo: Jim Smeal/BEI/REX/Shutterstock.
Best: Rita Ora's Tiny Smiley
The Brit's happy face on her right earlobe is small, simple, and really freaking cute. Who doesn't want everlasting joy?
Photo: Via Instagram.
Worst: David Beckham's Hindi Hiccup
The loving husband got his wife's name "Victoria" inscribed on his arm in Hindi script. While his intentions were lovely, his execution was a little off: The tattoo misspells his beloved's name as "Vihctoria." Good thing nobody will notice (except for, you know, the millions of people who speak Hindi.)
Photo: JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP/Getty Images.
Worst: Iggy Azalea's "Live, Love, ASAP"
We're not ones to pick on people whose relationships weren't as permanent as they had hoped, but the singer herself is the first one to disparage her three-finger tat that she got when she was with rapper A$AP Rocky. "Its all fun & games getting dumb shit tatted under the premise youll 'just get it lasered off when im older' untill u actually have to do it [sic]" she tweeted before crossing it out (seen here) and later beginning the laser removal process.
Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images.
Best: Rihanna's Silver-Lining
Rihanna's charcoal-grey collarbone ink reads, "Never a failure, always a lesson — but backwards, so she can read it in the mirror. When the artist asked RiRi about the tattoo, she reportedly said "It’s kind of my motto in life for everything. Instead of considering things to be mistakes, considering them lessons." Words to live by, in our minds.
Photo: Luca Teuchmann/Getty Images.
Best: Drew Barrymore's Kiddie Love
We're all about getting your children's names tattooed — loving your offspring forever is usually a pretty safe bet. And while cryptic, complex tattoos ( It's the date of their birthdays! In a circle! In Sanskrit! Backwards!) are all the rage, we're digging Barrymore's understated and refreshingly not overthought take on it. Olive and Frankie are her daughters, ages 3 and 1. The mum calls it a ""great little lifetime note."
Photo: Via instagram.
Best: Demi Lovato's Warrior Pose
This quote is about how the singer has turned her own struggles into strength — she wrote a song called "Warrior" that echoes the sentiment. "It’s a negative thing turned positive. I’ve been through a lot and I’m really really honest on this album," she told Jimmy Fallon. "[The tattoo] was kind of like a tribute to releasing the album as well as overcoming some really really difficult things in my life."
Photo: Via bang bang nyc's instagram.
Worst: Ed Westwick's Trashy Bicep
“It’s a topless lady. My mother hates it,” the actor said. We have to agree with Mrs. Westwick on this one.
In case you're wondering, the illuminating text above it reads, "She's A Pin-Up." Fascinating.
Photo: Via instagram.
Best: Lea Michele's Grandmotherly Love
The queen of tiny tattoos bursting with meaning got this one for her grandmother who died earlier this year. "I lost my beautiful grandma this week," she wrote on Instagram. "She wasn't your typical grandma. She gave me my first cup of coffee when I was 8 years old. She said something inappropriate to every boyfriend I've ever had. She never made pie or knit me a sweater. But she was my grandma and I loved her... More than anything.. I love you Grandma. ❤️."
Photo: Via instagram.
Worst: RiRi's Hand Henna
The Barbadian singer has a lot of tattoos, and they're not all equally awesome. Is this one beautiful? Yes, but it's problematic too. Henna art has a real cultural (and sometimes religious) significance in India, as well as elsewhere in South Asia and the Middle East. On the pop star's arm, it's just a pretty decoration.
Photo: David Fisher /REX/Shutterstock.
Best: Cara Delevingne's Meditative Memos
The supermodel's delicately scripted tattoos are beautiful and brilliant. We could all use aesthetically pleasing reminders to do two little things we forget to all the time: Take a deep breath, and shut the fuck up. Plus, we love that unusual white lettering.
Photo: Via Instagram.
Worst: Justin Bieber's Mascot Mistake
The sad truth is that we could literally devote a 100-page slideshow to all of the examples of cultural appropriation inked on famous people. But Bieber's shoulder blade illustration of a Native American Warrior is a little more misguided than your average flub. It was supposed to be in memory of his grandfather, who often took him to Stratford Cullitons (formerly Warriors) ice hockey games when the little Biebs was growing up in Ontario. However, there's that whole issue of it being offensive to appropriate images of indigenous people as a mascot for your sports team.
Image: Via instagram.
Best: Lea Michele's Tiny Tribute
What does the number five mean to the actress? It was the jersey number of Finn, the football player that Michele's late boyfriend Cory Monteith played alongside her on Glee. She took the actual jersey home right after filming wrapped for good, and then gave herself a permanent reminder this year. She wrote on Instagram, "for my Quarterback..#5 ❤."
Photo: Via Instagram.
Best: Kylie Jenner's Touching Tribute
The younger Jenner sister got this small red tattoo to celebrate her grandparents. "Mary Jo" is her grandmother's name — and it's inked in her grandfather's handwriting. Very unique and very sweet.
Image: Via Instagram.
Worst: Chris Brown's Neck Nonsense
The rapper has his entire neck and throat (ow) inked out, but the one we take special issue with is that banged up woman's face on his right side. People think it looks an awful lot like the face of a battered woman. The artist defended his work, calling it a total misinterpretation. The singer's rep insists it was inspired by Mexican sugar skulls and a MAC cosmetics design. Either way, it just reminds us of his history of domestic violence — not a good look.
Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic.
Best: Kendall Jenner & Hailey Baldwin's BFF Stamps
These teeny tiny hearts are better than best-friend-forever jewellery. Kylie's is the one in white, while her bestie Hailey got it in red. Why we're huge fans: They're incredibly adorable, subtle, and hidden in that "just for us" way — and best of all, they'll never lose them. Best friends forever.
Photo: Courtesy of Kendall Jenner.
Best: Ellie Goulding's Geometric Gold
The British singer has hella tattoos, but her most recent is maybe our favourite. We love the intricate design of concentric circles and squares. It looks like a flower-compass-blueprint. And we're not even going to pretend to know what it symbolises. We just know it's really awesome looking.
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