You've heard it ever since you bought your first J-14 magazine: "Stars — they're just like us!" Here's the thing: they're really not. For example, you spend your Sundays standing in line at Trader Joe's, while they walk red carpets and sign autographs (they still do that, right?). By and large, we don't share a lot in common with celebrities. The only exception: tattoos. If anyone loves a trendy and delicate tattoo more than regular people, it's celebrities. Just look at how many memorable celebrity tattoos came out of this year.
It's not as though celebrities have never gotten tattoos before, because they totally have. It's just that in the last year, Hollywood was sick with tattoo fever, heading to local studios and artists almost weekly to add ink to their growing collections. This year alone, Demi Lovato added at least five tattoos to her collection, Ariana Grande got close to 10, and don't even get us started on all the ink Miley Cyrus has accumulated since her split with Liam Hemsworth. Bottom line: there was a lot of unforgettable ink added to the arms, legs, necks, and hands of stars this year, and we've rounded up every single one (at least, the ones we could find).
Check out the most memorable celebrity tattoos from 2019 ahead.
Ariana Grande is no stranger to tattoos, but her first in 2019 was a bit of a surprise. Turns out, the singer is a a Pokémon fan and she even got her favourite, Eevee, tattooed on her upper arm in January. "I've wanted this for so long," she wrote on Instagram, crediting tattoo artist Kane Navasard for the cute design.
Joe Jonas's cool factor skyrocketed this year for three reasons: he married Sophie Turner, he reunited our favourite boy band, and his tattoos. His first of 2019: lyrics to Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra.
Before she was claiming Winterfell as her own, Sansa Stark Sophie Turner was snagging the role of Jean Grey in Dark Phoenix. The movie wasn't a favourite among critics (don't expect a Dark Phoenix sequel any time soon), but Turner's flame tattoo in honour of the gig was definitely lit.
Demi Lovato's dog, Buddy, sadly passed away in 2015. To honour his memory, the singer got the words, "Buddy was here" tattooed on her ankle. In 2019, the singer added a delicate portrait of the late pup, courtesy of Dr. Woo, just above the existing ink.
In late January, Grande enlisted tattoo artist Kane Navasard to ink her latest single, "7 Rings," onto the palm of her hand in celebration of it going number one. Unfortunately, she didn't end up with the correct Japanese translation of the song title. Instead, her tattoo roughly translated to"shichirin," which is a Japanese-style barbecue grill. A couple of days later, Grande amended the ink adding another character and a heart to read, "七輪指♡." To her dismay, the correction wasn't a correction at all. The tattoo still doesn't read "seven rings;" instead, it translates to "Japanese barbecue finger."
You may think that when someone is as tattooed as Zoë Kravitz, you'd never really notice her new ink when she gets it. Then, in February, the Big Little Lies actress added the word "baby" to her neck and a dragonfly to the back of her left shoulder; then, Instagram lost its collective mind. While the delicate script was new, the dragonfly was not. On Instagram, Dr. Woo noted that the shoulder ink was "healed." Turns out, the tattoo was used as a cover-up to Arabic text Kravitz removed in the same spot months prior.
You can learn a lot about a person by the kind of tattoos they get to cover up ones from an old relationship. Case in point: Pete Davidson covered up his
In February, Lady Gaga visited tattoo artist Daniel Winter to get this delicate tattoo inked on her arm. Although the initial design was incorrect, she quickly amended the error and added the fifth line to the musical notes to properly read "G, A, G, A." Some fans still think this is a teaser for LG6, but they shouldn't hold their breath.
Just before she scored her first Academy Award , Gaga added her biggest tattoo yet to her spine: a rose, anchored by the lyrics to the song "La Vie En Rose," as a nod to her character Ally from in A Star Is Born.
Before she became Mrs. Bieber, Hailey Baldwin skipped the Oscars to get this tiny diamond tattoo inked onto the right side of her neck. Of course, the design came courtesy of New York celebrity tattoo artist, JonBoy.
Rose tattoos were huge for celebrities in 2019. After Gaga got hers, Lovato added this tiny floral tattoo to the inside of her finger in March. She revealed the new ink on Instagram with the caption, "Obsessed." Although the singer never revealed the meaning behind the design, fans speculated that the tattoo was a celebration of her six months of sobriety.
Just before hitting the road for her Sweetener world tour, Grande enlisted New York tattoo artist Mira Mariah to "evolve" her existing "always" tattoo into this illustrative leaf. Some fans says the the former tattoo was either a Harry Potter reference or a tribute to Davidson.
Constellations galore: Lucy Hale became the next star to get, well, stars tattooed on her body. This time, Hale was inspired by her own zodiac sign, Gemini.
In May, Lovato visited Dr. Woo to get her "most meaningful tattoo" yet. The singer revealed to her 75 million Instagram followers a portrait of her
grandmother on her forearm. "This is for you Mimaw," Lovato captioned the photo. "You at 26 on my arm while I'm 26, and forever. I love you more. Thank you [Dr. Woo] for making her come back to life for me."
During her then-boyfriend Travis Scott's birthday party, Kylie Jenner got a tattoo of her daughter Stormi's named inked onto the back of her right arm. We'd later find out that both her bestie Anastasia "Stassie" Karanikolaou and Scott got the same ink, too.
In June, Lovato added a tiny tattoo of the word "me" onto the palm of her left ring finger. Though it's tiny, the message is a big one: "Can't love anyone unless you love yourself first," Lovato wrote on her Instagram Story. She also posted a photo to her feed of the finished tattoo, co-signed by the caption, "Me first. Thank you [Winter] for my new forever reminder."
Cardi B has a lot of huge tattoos, but her most shocking of 2019 was her husband Offset's name tattooed behind her knee.
21 / 51
Ariana Grande "The Truman Show" Quote
Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur.
Grande is a Jim Carrey superfan and proved her devotion to the actor in June when she got a quote from Carey's1998 film The Truman Show tattooed on the back of her left shoulder. In true Grande fashion, she got the tattoo to match her longtime BFF Courtney Chipolone, but of course while Chipolone got hers inked right side up, Grande got hers inked upside down.
Shawn Mendes has a thing for crowdsourcing tattoo ideas from fans on Twitter. He did it once before with his lightbulb tattoo and in July he did it again with his butterfly tattoo. Although Mendes asked his go-to tattoo artist Livia Tsang to ink the design onto his arm, the artwork was originally created by Chile-based tattoo artist @macdreaper.
Around the time rumours swirled that Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne were engaged, so did this photo of Benson with what appears to be Delevingne's initials inked on her side-boob. Still, when it comes to AB + CD news, nothing really beats The Sex Bench.
Halsey is heavily tatted, but her cheeky kneecap tattoo of a bandage became our immediate favourite when the "Graveyard" singer added it to her collection in July.
In late July, news broke that Jonas and Turner's dog Waldo tragically passed away in a "freak accident." To memorialize the late pet, Jonas visited tattoo artist Dragon (known as @drag_ink on Instagram) to add this detailed portrait of Waldo to his forearm.
In August, Halsey took to Instagram to show off her new knuckle tattoo of the numbers "929." While it might be one of the singer's tiniest tattoos, it's packed with big meaning. The singer co-signed the photo with the caption, "🎂track16 / TRACK2." Fans immediately recognised the set of numbers as a nod to the singer's birthday — Sept. 29 — as well as a subtle teaser to a new track on her upcoming album, Maniac.
On August 21, Cyrus showed off her newest ink — the Visconti coat of arms, now known as the symbol of the city of Milan — on Instagram. Although she never confirmed the inspiration behind the design, it doesn't seem to be a coincidence that Cyrus visited Dr. Woo to tattoo this piece of artwork shortly after her Italian getaway with then-girlfriend Kaitlynn Carter.
Jordyn Woods recovered from her summer of drama (has anyone forgotten those Tristan Thompson rumours yet?) by getting one delicate, albeit very long, script tattoo on her forearm. Upon closer inspection, fans noticed the tattoo is a quote from Arab Muslim writer Al-Shafi'i: "What's meant for me will never miss me."
Before throwing a Notebook-inspired wedding ceremony, Bieber visited Dr. Woo to get these delicate finger tattoos added to her delicate collection of ink.
During the same appointment with Dr. Woo, Bieber added a new neck tattoo of the word "Lover." Jury is still out on whether or not this was inspired by her new husband or Taylor Swift's album. . .
Less than a week after getting the Visconti coat of arms tattooed on her arm, Cyrus revealed yet another tattoo at the MTV Video Music Awards. The quote is a line from the 1990 Pixies song "The Thing." It reads, "My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free."
Most people prepare for an awards show with their glam squad and a facial. Lena Headey, a.k.a. Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, prepped for the Emmys by getting a new tattoo on her hand. Dr. Woo showed off the new ink on Instagram, revealing that the intricate design is of a scarab beetle, an insect that holds a significant role in Egyptian history. The beetle served as a symbol for divine manifestation, development, and growth; a fitting design for Headey at the end of her GoT journey.
In October, Lovato shared the sad news that her friend Thomas Trussell III passed away from an overdose. Soon after, she memorialized the late Trussell with a cursive letter "T" tattooed by artist Rafael Valdez on her arm. "A T for Tommy," Lovato wrote on Instagram. "Love you forever... I'm so grateful for this."
Just a few weeks after paparazzi spotted Cyrus kissing new boyfriend Cody Simpson in October, Cyrus added this bleeding heart tattoo to the back of her right arm.
That same day, Cyrus posted a photo of a new neck tattoo to Instagram. Behind her right ear is the number "92," most likely referring to the year Cyrus was born: 1992.
A week later, Cyrus posted a video to Instagram showing off one of her biggest tattoos, ever: a rose. In true form, Cyrus didn't tease the true meaning behind the ink, but she did offer up an elusive caption. It reads, "When asked if what you say and do is done with purest intentions and only LOVE inside the heart?"
In December 2018, Grande got her first large hand tattoo of a moon and stars. Fast forward a year and the Grammy nominee added a selection of illustrative designs to the same hand, courtesy of Mariah. Among a few leaves and an image of Saturn also sits a sentimental ode to Grande's dog Toulouse.
Looks like dating Shawn Mendes comes with more than one perk for Camila Cabello. Sure, he can serenade her all night long, but he can also encourage her to get her first tattoo, which he apparently did in November. Yes, Cabello got inked with Mendes by her side and now is the proud owner of the quote, "It's a mystery" on the inside of her pinky finger. Apparently, the tiny tattoo was inspired by the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love
While accompanying girlfriend Cabello to her first tattoo appointment, Mendes added a tiny tattoo to the back of his ear: the letter "A." No, this design isn't a secret message to Cabello, but a tribute to sister, Aaliyah Mendes.
43 / 51
Selena Gomez's Arrow Tattooo
Image Source: Instagram/ Selena Gomez.
In early November, Selena Gomez crashed pal Julia Michaels's L.A. show where the two longtime friends got matching arrow tattoos backstage. "It's tatted," Gomez wrote on her Instagram Stories. "My arrow points to you forever."
Later that same month, Gomez returned to the stage for her own solo performance — her first in several years — at the American Music Awards. But before she did, she revealed on Instagram a massive new thigh tattoo of praying hands and rosary beads. Although Gomez never explicitly explained the design, fans know how personal it is for the "Lose You To Love Me" singer who frequently talks about her religious beliefs.
Cyrus closes out her year with — yes, you guessed it — another tattoo. Eerily similar to pal Grande's "Toulouse" tattoo, Cyrus' hand tattoo says "freedom" in a delicate script text. Fans are still unsure about the meaning behind the dainty design, but most people assume it's referencing her newfound freedom
During the same appointment in which she added "freedom" to her knuckles, Cyrus got a new shoulder tattoo: a handwritten note from Yoko Ono. The tattoo reads, "I'm proud of U, Yoko."
Some time earlier this summer, Lipa got a new tattoo on her arm. It wasn't until December that Lipa unveiled the healed design, which revealed the title of the singer's new album Future Nostalgia.
Did Bieber get his neck tattoo to copy wife Hailey? Maybe. To be fair, his is a lot larger and technically involves two designs: a bird and the word "forever." Somehow, this was the only tattoo Bieber got in 2019.
The unexpected spot everyone got a tattoo in 2019 is... the neck? Yes, even Lovato added the word "survivor" to the sensitive area in late December. No word yet on the meaning, but fans know Lovato has never been shy about her struggles with substance abuse and addiction. This tattoo likely serves as a reminder that, forever and always, Lovato is a survivor.
In honour of her successful Sweetener world tour coming to a close, Grande added a tiny "SWT" tattoo onto her finger to celebrate. Considering the fact that Grande didn't plan on touring at all this year — save for maybe a "mini" tour — it's amazing to think about how much the singer has accomplished. Now, she's got over 100 shows under her belt in less than 10 months. As Grande would say: sheesh.
