Celebrity tattoos are a great way to get inspired for your next ink session, as every tattoo has its own meaning and tells its own unique story.
It hasn’t been long since we shared an article about minimalist tattoo artists in Singapore, but since then, we’ve been secretly going tattoo crazy and have been looking everywhere for new ideas.
So, we’ve compiled our own list of best female celebrity tattoos that we can’t get enough of and hope that you’ll be as in love as we are over these gorgeous tats.
South Korean celebrity tattoos
Due to archaic laws, tattoo artists in South Korea require a medical license to legally operate, but only 10 out of the hundreds of thousand tattoo artists are legal. The stigma against tattoos there can be quite strong.
Yet many South Korean celebrities have gotten inked up, and we love them for standing up for themselves and going against the status quo.
Bae Suzy
Although tattoo artists recommend back placements for bigger pieces, we really dig this delicate and simple tattoo Bae Suzy has. We’re sure that if she wants to, she could expand further, but this little tattoo is perfect on its own.
We’re unsure about the meaning of the tattoo as she has not come forward about it, but it features a mini cross stuck into a small heart.
BoA
BoA has one tattoo that is well-known to the public. The letter ‘B’ is situated in the middle of her back, likely to represent herself.
Curiously, there are also two angels peeking through the holes of the letter, almost in a playful fashion.
Chaeyoung
A member of the group TWICE since its debut in 2015, Chaeyoung has at least 10 tattoos known to fans. One of them is this pierced heart which was first spotted at Incheon Airport in 2019.
Fan theories say that this shot through the heart tattoo could be about another member, Sana, who was involved in writing the song Shot thru the heart.
Gong Hyo-jin
Among one of the few Korean actresses who openly show their tattoos, Gong Hyo-jin’s most visible celebrity tattoo is on her shoulder. It features a cross and ribbon with the words ‘laurel’, ‘lubere’ (which means ‘to be pleasing’ in Latin), and ‘money’.
She has proudly flaunted her tattoos on magazine covers like Harper’s Bazaar Korea, Maire Claire Korea, and W Korea, and we’re so proud of her for doing that.
Han So Hee
Before her acting career debut, Han So Hee was a model with tattoos up and down her arms. But after her debut, she has since removed them.
Although we mourn for her erased tattoos, we respect her decision to become tattoo-free. However, we still really like the elegant sprig that used to be on her arm.
Han Ye-Seul
On 16 November 2019, Han Ye-Seul proudly showed off her new tattoo on Instagram, but was met with mixed reactions.
One of our favourite celebrity tattoos, this one supposedly represents strength, courage, and protection.
Hyorin
Hyorin from the girl group Sistar has a cross tattoo across her abdomen to cover up surgical scarring from suffering from congenital biliary atresia.
Her self-consciousness about the scars prevented her from wearing ‘pretty’ clothes, but now that she has the tattoo, she is able to show off her body confidently.
Hyuna
Wonder Girls star Hyuna has multiple tattoos on her body, like the four smiley tattoos on her arm which we adore.
We love how they’re all in different expressions and colours. If you have these cuties on your arm, you surely don’t need a wrist accessory.
Jung Ryeo Won
Australia-raised actress Jung Ryeo Won has many tattoos, including this arm tattoo that says ‘epignosis’. It means ‘what your head knows, the mind and spirit knows’.
We really love the deep meaning behind this word and the beautiful script it’s written in. It makes us wish we had a special word that means a lot to us too.
Lee Hyori
Lee Hyori’s shoulder mandala tattoo is totally gorgeous. A mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols and generally represents the spiritual journey, starting from outside to the inner core, through layers.
We think it may signify her journey as a person and artist, from her early days with girl group Fin.K.L. to today’s award-wining solo artist.
Narsha
Brown Eyed Girls’ Narsha did a bikini photo shoot back in 2018, revealing her lower stomach tattoo. International fans went crazy over it while Korean netizens were not approving.
We kind of dig the placement. If you’ve got that flat, toned stomach like Narsha, why not accentuate it with a strong, multi-coloured tattoo?
Taeyeon
Taeyeon from Girls’ Generation fame has multiple small, cute tattoos on different parts of her body, but by far the most special is the UV tattoo on her index finger.
This tattoo only shows up under black light, so it is mostly invisible to the naked eye. This unique celebrity tattoo is giving us a lot of cool ideas.
Tiffany Young
Did you know that former Girls’ Generation member is a tattoo artist herself? It was her dream job for a long time, and she has used fellow tattoo artist Jonathan Valena as her test subject.
A tattoo we love on her is the minimalist rose on her finger, which leaves also look like a heart. While it’s a simple design, it fits her personality well.
Western celebrity tattoos
Celebrity tattoos have always been well accepted and followed in the west, especially in the United States, but have been trending even more lately with male rappers sporting face and finger tattoos.
Other than our list here, we’re always excited to scroll through our Instagram feed to see the newest ink from these stars.
Angelina Jolie
Mega superstar Angelina Jolie has lots of detailed tattoos, with the most prominent one being on her back. If you look closely, her back tattoo is actually comprised of several different smaller tattoos.
We like the one in the very centre, which features a Buddhist temple design that reminds the wearer to have mercy on oneself and others.
Ariana Grande
Style queen Ariana Grande has won us over with this adorable Pokémon tattoo. The tattoo depicts the Pokémon Eevee and we wonder if she’ll plan to ‘evolve’ it anytime soon.
Do you think she’s a fiery Flareon, or is she someone who could rock the icy Glaceon? Maybe this little brown bushy-tailed Pokémon is already the perfect partner for her.
Billie Ellish
Billie Eilish got inked up when she hit 18. This hand tattoo of hers might be one of our favourite celebrity tattoos. It depicts three fairies together, apparently from one of her favourite childhood books.
Even though we don’t know which book it is from, it really does remind us of traditional fairy tales and could not be more in love with this tattoo. We can’t help but wonder how many beautiful pieces this artist is hiding.
Cara Delevinge
On the back of Cara Delevinge’s neck is a piece inspired by Yantra tattooing, a form of inking with sacred meanings introduced by the Khmer people.
The eyes above the tattoo were later added by artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, and we have to say, they kind of look like they belong together.
Halsey
Singer Halsey sports a minimalist tattoo of two lovers kissing on her thigh. It’s a simple and clean design that seems to tell a story with only a few lines.
We can’t help but be impressed, but we also wonder who could this couple be? Is it of Halsey and one of her partners? Or perhaps it’s a homage to love itself?
Katy Perry
Katy Perry seems to get a tattoo near the end of each touring cycle. For Witness, she actually took the time and effort to fly out Los Angeles-based artist Dr Woo all the way to Sydney, Australia.
Eyes have been a prominent feature in her Witness album, and on her stage costumes and backdrops during the tour, so it’s no surprise that this tattoo is an eye shape as well.
Kendall Jenner
Don’t get a tattoo while you’re drunk as it clouds your judgement. Unfortunately, Kendall Jenner did just that.
The celebrity had the word ‘meow’ tattooed on the inside of her lip, a hidden spot that not many would have noticed had she not posted it online.
Kylie Jenner
Another thing tattoo artists recommend is to not tattoo a significant other’s name as you never know how the relationship might turn out.
Kylie Jenner had a tiny ‘t’ inked on her ankle during her relationship with the rapper Tyga. She has since transformed the ‘t’ into an ‘la’ to signify her hometown of Los Angeles after the breakup.
Lady Gaga
Singer and actress Lady Gaga does not hide the ink of her body and she’s proud of them. The tattoo we’re most in love with is this monster claw tattoo with fierce scales and long fingernails.
It is a tribute to her ‘little monsters’, and we can’t stress how much it matches her personality. We’re obsessed with how well done this tattoo looks, especially the details of the scales.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey has more than a few tattoos on her hands. You can see that she has ‘trust no one’ on her right hand and ‘paradise’ inked on the left, which is referencing her song and EP of the same name.
Lena Dunham
We really like underboob tattoos because of how they complement the shape of the body, so when we saw this tattoo on Girls fame Lena Dunham, we couldn’t help but be a little jealous.
This celebrity tattoo is also done by a female tattoo artist from Oslo called Trine Josefine Grimm. Perhaps if we had the funds, we would fly over to Oslo and get tatted up too!
Lily Collins
Star of Netflix show Emily in Paris, Lily Collins has two tattoos on her upper back between her shoulder blades. She originally had ‘Love Always and Forever’ inked in her own handwriting back in 2012.
It was later that she had a Seoul-based tattoo artist called Tattooist Day to add the tattoo of a girl with her hair up in a bun and sitting on a lily pad to represent herself.
Megan Fox
‘We will all laugh at gilded butterflies’ has become famous because of Megan Fox’s tattoo. The tattoo is inspired by Shakespeare’s play King Lear which is about the mythological Leir of Britain who relinquishes his power and land to two of his daughters.
We heard that this tattoo is portraying Megan’s attitude towards life, and she is often seen flaunting this ink at red carpets and events.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus, the face of Gucci’s new Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum campaign, has this beautiful tattoo of a dreamcatcher on the side of her body – right on her ribs, which is one of the most painful spots to be tattooed.
Traditionally hung over a cradle or bed as protection, a dreamcatcher is a handmade willow hoop. We’re in love with how soft the feathers look among the beads here.
Rihanna
Rihanna has tons of tattoos, and our favourite is her underboob tattoo, which is of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Isis is believed to help the dead enter the afterlife.
The tattoo is in honour of her late grandmother, Gran Gran Dolly, and we can’t help but admire it all the more because of the meaning behind it.
Selena Gomez
You might be surprised to know that Selena Gomez has an ever-growing collection of discrete tattoos. Among one of them is the Arabic text on her back, which means ‘Love Yourself First’.
We think it may be a hint to her hit single Lose You to Love Me. Even if it isn’t, it is a beautiful tattoo with a beautiful meaning.
Sophie Turner
Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner got herself a tattoo to remember the show. ‘The pack survives’ is something that has been said by her character Sansa Stark throughout the series.
The tattoo also has the symbol of a dire wolf, the symbol of House Stark. We can’t help but geek over her gorgeous ink. Maybe you could show some love for your fandoms too?
Featured image credit: Republic World and Jonboytattoo
