Billie Eilish [1]'s tattoo collection hasn't always been up for conversation. She didn't show off her tattoos for a long time and even said in an interview that fans would never see her first design — a script tattoo [2] on her chest. That all changed, though, with her June 2021 British Vogue [3] cover. When the photos of the print issue were released in May 2021, fans got their first glimpse at one of Eilish's previously hidden tattoos [4]: a dragon tattoo slithering up her thigh. The singer revealed the design once again on 25 May, 2023, wearing low-rise jeans and a cropped T-shirt in a video she shared on Instagram [5].
When it comes to showing off her ink, she really likes to make a splash. Since the British Vogue cover's debut, Eilish has added one confirmed new tattoo to her collection (although, given her ability to keep a secret, who knows how many designs she really has) — and it was received with almost as much fanfare. It's a small fairy tattoo on her hand that she debuted at the world premiere of "No Time to Die" in London on 28 Sept., 2021. Both the dragon and fairy designs have left us wondering: what do they mean? While Eilish has only shared the significance behind her latest body art, the meaning is quite special.
Ahead, get a closer look at Eilish's three tattoos and their potential meanings.
Billie Eilish's Fairy Hand Tattoo
On 28 Sept. 2021, at the world premiere of "No Time to Die" in London, a movie for which Eilish performed and cowrote the theme song, eagle-eyed fans spotted a new tattoo on her hand. The design includes two fairies huddled close together, which she revealed had a very personal meaning for her.
"I just got this a few weeks ago, which is some fairies that are from a book that I had growing up — a little fairy book called "Fairyopolis"," Eilish told Vanity Fair [7] in her 2021 holiday interview. "They're like my little guardian angel fairies."
The all-black design is by celebrity-loved tattooist Dragon Ink [8] of Bang Bang NYC [9].
Eilish frequently uses the fairy emoji on social media, which fans believe could have been a hint to her plans for a permanent design. On Instagram Stories, the star shared the meaning behind the tattoo when a fan asked which one was her favourite. "My most recent one," she wrote. "My sweet little guardian angel fairies, from my favourite childhood book." It's clear that the singer has a love for mythical creatures.
Billie Eilish's Dragon Leg Tattoo
On the cover of June 2021's British Vogue, Eilish's large leg tattoo was visible for the first time. It's hard to tell exactly what the black-ink design is, but fans believe it to be a dragon climbing from the top of her thigh to her stomach. The artist of the ink is unknown.
Though Eilish has never spoken about the meaning behind the tattoo, dragons often symbolise power, wisdom, and strength. We got a second glimpse at the design in September 2021 when Eilish stepped out at the Met Gala afterparty in a wine-coloured Oscar de la Renta cape dress.
Billie Eilish's "Eilish" Script Chest Tattoo
Eilish got her first tattoo in January 2020 after winning six Grammy Awards that year. The tattoo is of her middle name, Eilish. Due to its placement in the centre of her chest, she once told Insider [10] that fans "won't ever see it." The design is supposedly in a gothic script font in all black ink.