Justin Bieber's Tattoos and Meanings
A Closer Look at Justin Bieber's 70+ Tattoo Collection
13
In 2012, Bieber got a small crown tattooed below his left collarbone. Though the singer has yet to disclose the inspiration behind this piece of ink, many fans believe it was a tribute to Michael Jackson, popularly known as the "King of Pop."
In keeping with his religious body art, there's a huge cross in the middle of Bieber's chest. The outline of the cross sits on his sternum and echoes his Christianity. "The cross in the middle of my chest is a symbol of my faith and a reminder of what Jesus endured to rectify all that was broken," shared Bieber with Vogue in 2021.
Bieber dedicated a sweet ink to her mother, Patricia Mallette, by getting her year of birth inked on his chest in Roman numerals. The piece is positioned below his right collarbone and reads: "I IX VII V," which stands for 1975.
The singer got a Chinese word inked on his left peck, which roughly translates to "follow your heart." Although, soon after getting the ink, fans pointed out that the spacing (or the lack thereof) between the two characters might have rendered the tattoo with a whole other meaning. The singer probably took the faux pas into account when he later covered the piece up with the lion ink.
In March 2017, during a break amidst his "Purpose" world tour, Bieber stopped by Bang Bang's tattoo parlor in NYC to get a lion portrait on the left side of his chest. "Lion heart," the tattooist captioned his Instagram post, debuting Bieber's fresh ink at the time, possibly conveying the tattoo's meaning. Bieber also opened up about the symbolism behind the tattoo in a 2021 Vogue story. "The lion I got done by the tattoo artist Bang Bang, and it represents having a heart of a lion," he said, adding, "'Being bold, courageous, strong!'"
In 2017, Bieber added another of his spirit animals, a hyper-realistic grizzly growling bear face, to his massive ink collection. Done by Bang Bang, the piece sits on his right peck and is a reminder for the singer to slow down and take much-needed breaks now and then. "The bear, which I got in New Zealand, represents rest," Bieber told Vogue in a March 2021 interview. "As tough and resilient as a bear is, it always hibernates, which is so important. We as humans go, go, and go without resting, and it can leave us exhausted and drained."