Celebrity tattoos of 2017

By Bryanne Salazar 12:06pm PST, Nov 13, 2017

Celebrities: they give us all our beauty and fashion goals and yes, even ideas for permanently marking our skin with unique body art. Join Wonderwall.com as we celebrate the stars who got new tattoos in 2017… starting with Justin Bieber. On Oct. 21, the Biebs made fans FREAK when he shared this selfie of his new Gothic-inspired torso tattoo that took three days of needle work (ouch!). The design features angels of light and darkness, heavy columns and sun rays that seem to be emanating from his belly button (or heaven, which is basically the same thing). This monster tattoo builds on tats he got earlier in 2017, including that impressive eagle as well as a roaring bear. Fans might be mourning the visual loss of Justin's abs, but he's clearly excited about turning his body into a work of art. Keep reading to see who else sported new ink in 2017…

Justin Bieber's on-again love Selena Gomez added a small new tattoo to her wrist that has a big, big meaning. In April, Selena and two cast members from the popular Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" (which Selena executive produced) got matching semicolon tattoos. The symbol has long been associated with both depression and the movement to give hope to those struggling with mental illness. Actor Tommy Dorfman, who got the tattoo with Selena, wrote, "The ; symbol stands for an end of one thought and a beginning of another. Instead of a period, authors use the semicolon to continue a sentence. For us, it means a beginning of another chapter in life, in lieu of ending your life."

Ed Sheeran has a lot of tattoos (he's got more than 60), but in 2017, he used some fresh ink — on his inner right arm — to play a little prank on his fans. During an April concert, Ed told the audience that he wanted to commemorate the making of his music video for "Galway Girl," starring Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, by getting a sample of her handwriting tattooed on his body. Ed claimed that Saoirse wrote "Galway Grill" instead of "Galway Girl" and by the time he realized, the ink was already drying in his dermis. However, a few days later, Ed admitted the whole thing was a big fib, saying, "It was planned for the video. [Saoirse] didn't play the prank on me. She was meant to write down Galway Girl, and then I was like, 'It's gonna be funny if you write something different,' and then she came up with Galway Grill. And then we had it done."

In September, Beyonce debuted two very sweet (and very small) tattoos on her left-hand ring finger. The first is three seemingly simple dots (seen here), which many believe represent each of her three children. The second tattoo (not shown) sits where her wedding ring goes and appears to be a combination of the Roman numeral four (IV) that looks like a J from the side (for JAY-Z?). Some speculate the new ink is proof Bey has finally forgiven JAY-Z for his alleged infidelity. In 2008, Beyonce and Jay both had the Roman numeral four tattooed in red ink on their ring fingers after their April 4 wedding. However, a few days after Beyonce's sister Solange was seen attacking Jay in an elevator in a leaked video (and rumors surfaced claiming she did it because of his alleged wandering eye), fans noticed Bey's wedding tattoo was noticeably faded. Now that the dust has settled and the couple has grown stronger, it looks like Bey decided to renew her marriage tattoo.

On April 2, singer Zayn Malik shared this image of his newest tattoo on Instagram, which totally confused everyone. Was it a reference to a military member (with the rank of sergeant) or something else? Sleuth-y fans surmised the SGT tattoo actually stood for Zayn's single "Still Got Time," on which he collaborated with PARTYNEXTDOOR. The only problem? The numbers still didn't make sense. Fans couldn't agree on whether 2 4 17 meant Feb. 4, 2017, or if it reflected the European style of date writing (day/month/year) making it April 2, 2017 — which happened to be the date he posted the picture (seems legit). However, the song "Still Got Time" debuted on the radio (in the U.S.) on March 24, 2017, meaning no one but Zayn, his tattoo artist and God knows what those numbers actually mean. In January, Zayn also debuted a new (romantic) tattoo on his right-hand knuckles: the world "love" in cursive (not shown). Some are convinced it's because he and model girlfriend Gigi Hadid (who was spotted wearing a band on her wedding-ring finger) are headed down the aisle sometime soon.

Miley Cyrus likes animals as much as she likes ink. In July, Miley celebrated her love for both with a tattoo on her inner arm proclaiming her commitment to veganism. The sunflower has a V shape at the base with a single flower growing from the center, meant to be the symbol for the vegan movement. Miley also has other tattoos (actually, she has around 36 different tats on her body), which she later joked about, saying, "Bumper stickers all over dis bentley." In March, Miley got another tattoo, this time in honor of her father, country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus. The small tattoo on the side of her right foot simply reads "DAD." Billy Ray later commented, "This may be the best tattoo I've ever seen."

We were so excited in February when Lady Gaga shared an Instagram pic of what appeared to be a new massive back tattoo of a furry moth (paying tribute to her then-upcoming "Moth Into Flame" Grammy duet with Metallica, perhaps?). However, it turns out the tattoo wasn't, in fact, real. Yep, Gaga — who's no stranger to actual tattoos (she's believed to have at least 19) — fooled us all with her giant, temporary back tat.

If you look closely, you can just barely see Kylie Jenner's new-ish ankle tattoo, which was first spotted in July. Originally, when Kylie was still with Tyga, she had a small lowercase "t" in the area, but after the couple broke up, she replaced his initial with "la," presumably a nod to her native city of Los Angeles. The new ink might have been done in June when Kylie and her new man, rapper Travis Scott, got matching tiny butterfly tattoos on their lower legs.

Paris Jackson unveiled several new tattoos in 2017 and we can't get enough of them. One of our favorites is this September ink featuring seven major chakras down the center of her chest. While we can't decipher the exact reason Paris chose the tattoos, we do know they are (from top to bottom) the crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and root chakras, which represent energy centers of the body. Over the last few years, Paris has expressed an enthusiasm for Eastern philosophy and religion, which seems to fit perfectly with these gorgeous tattoos.

In March, Michael Jackson's son Prince Jackson also got new ink that he proudly shared on Instagram. The tattoo honored his late father, showing him in his most iconic '90s style with angelic wings fully extended. It was one of several tattoos Prince got this year: Others include a large golden ankh with red light beaming from the center and matching yin and yang tattoos with little sis Paris Jackson to honor their lifelong bond.

Model Bella Hadid debuted the tiniest of tattoos in August — a small rose above her elbow. Her work was done by Jon Boy, a New York tattoo artist to the stars who's known for his extremely small, highly detailed designs. The rose follows Bella's first-ever tattoos in January: a dainty set of wings on her ankles to commemorate her gig as one of the newest Victoria's Secret Angels.

In April, newly single singer Demi Lovato (seen here in an October Instagram selfie) showed off her impressive new lion's head tattoo that covers the back of her left hand — bringing her grand total to more than 20 pieces of unique body art. Perhaps the songbird was inspired by her 2015 track "Lionheart"?

In April, Victoria Beckham and David Beckham's 18-year-old son, Brooklyn Beckham, got into some hot water after sharing this Instagram pic of his first-ever tattoo: a Native American Great Plains chief wearing a headdress. The tattoo was slammed as "disrespectful," "ignorant" and "meaningless" by critics who posted comments like, "We are not fictional characters from some far away time. We are not sensationalised and generalised images for you to tattoo onto your privileged white arm." However, it was later revealed that Brooklyn's tattoo was meant to honor his dad, who has a similar tattoo on his chest. Still, for many, the tattoo was nothing short of cultural appropriation. Brooklyn followed the tattoo with a second one — a camera — above his elbow, which is likely inspired by his passion for photography. He didn't stop there, either. Within three months, he got two more tattoos: one of a large compass on his inner forearm and an eagle on his hand. In August, Brooklyn even got the word "seven" tattooed on his wrist, which is likely in honor of his dad's old Manchester United jersey number (or little sister Harper Beckham's middle name). At this rate, he might soon have as many tats as his famously inked father!

Speaking of David Beckham, the father of four and known lover of body ink sported several new tattoos in 2017 including a neck tat he got in July that says "Dadda." It wasn't his first tattoo of the year, either. In April, David showed off a gorgeous shin tattoo of what appears to be a geisha playing the flute while her robes swirl around her. In October, he added the word "seven" on his left index finger, which could be an homage to his former Manchester United jersey number (or a way to honor daughter Harper Beckham, whose middle name is Seven). It matches the wrist tattoo eldest son Brooklyn Beckham got in August. David has well over 40 tattoos.

Some husbands surprise their wives with flowers, others with tickets to a show. But in May, "Hamilton" playwright and star Lin-Manuel Miranda showed his appreciation for his wife of seven years, Vanessa Nadal, with a small "V" tattoo on his ring finger.

It's hard to read actress Keke Palmer's delicate new tattoo, but there's a cool story that goes with the quote on her arm. The former "Scream Queens" star and current "Berlin Station" cast member shared that her forearm tattoo reads, "Nobody gets it right on the first try." According to Keke, it was something an ex-boyfriend once said to her that resonated so intensely, she never forgot it, even after she dumped him. "But the gag is he was right," she said. "I didn't get it right on my first try… which is why I'm done with his a–."

On Sept. 1, singer Kesha took to Instagram to unveil her newest tattoos featuring the words "live" on the fingers of her right hand and "free" on the fingers of her left hand. In addition to the motivating words, Kesha also got a tiny moon above the "r" in "free" (not seen) and a tiny smiley face above the "i" in "live." After a difficult few years that included a devastating legal battle, Kesha's meaningful tattoos show she's in a better place and feeling more empowered in her life.

On March 13, Neil Patrick Harris shared a pic of his first tattoo in celebration of the news that his Netflix show, "A Series of Unfortunate Events," had been renewed for a second season. The married father of two, who plays Count Olaf on the show, got the fresh ink on his ankle (he called it a "scampstamp"). It matches his character's tattoo of an eye with the symbol for the Volunteer Fire Department — something that fans will recognize from the series.

"Girls" creator and star Lena Dunham debuted a new tattoo in March 2017 — a chandelier that was inspired by Rihanna's torso tattoo of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Lena shared the pic of her new ink on Instagram, telling everyone it was her "first original piece by a female tattoo artist." Just a few months later in June, Lena added to her collection with a large black rose on her upper thigh and an image of two Kewpie dolls scooping water from a bucket with a ladle that reads "tears." Lena said the tattoos gave her "a sense of control and ownership" over her body, especially amid her long battle with endometriosis.

Model-actress Amber Rose debuted two new tats in 2017 beginning with the Hollywood sign across her forearm in February. The large tattoo is likely an homage to the city that made her a star, but the second tattoo was more about erasing an unhappy reminder of her past. In August, Amber had a tattoo of ex-husband Wiz Khalifa's face transformed into an image of another man's mug. Some have suggested the updated tattoo is of Slash — the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses.

Canadian singer Shawn Mendes is notoriously close with his mom, Karen Mendes, and to prove it, they got matching tattoos in September. Shortly after getting inked, he showed off his tiny new tattoo on his Instagram story on Sept. 15, but didn't reveal the meaning behind it. Finally, a few days later, Shawn told GQ, "I was trying to convince her to get a tattoo for a while and this is really the only thing that she would do because she's obsessed with elephants." Not only does he get the cutest tattoo award, but he's also in the running for best son ever.

Former "Pretty Little Liars" star Lucy Hale sported new ink in July courtesy of celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo. The tattoo, located above her left elbow, is of a small light bulb. She got it shortly before the end of "PLL," leading us to believe the glowing bulb could be a reminder to keep lighting the way for new opportunities.

Since retirement, NBA star Kobe Bryant has remained active on social media, where he shares special moments of his life with his fans. In July, he posted a pic of his updated forearm tattoo featuring his daughters' names — showing that it now includes the most recent addition to his family, baby Bianka Bella, who was born on Dec. 5, 2016. Her name now appears atop her older sisters' names on their dad's arm — Gianna Maria-Onore and Natalia Diamante.

Bella Thorne got a few new tattoos in 2017, beginning with the number 93 on her forearm, which confused a whole bunch of her fans. It's not the year she was born (Bella's a 1997 baby), but it is the year her big sis, Dani Thorne, was born. Bella is notoriously close with her sister. In September, Bella and Dani got matching feet tattoos with the phrase "if lost, find twin" (seen here) — proving their bond is so tight, they don't even consider their four-year age gap a real thing.

The rapper Swae Lee (who's one-half of the hip-hop team Rae Sremmurd) unveiled his newest tattoo on Oct. 19 via Instagram, calling it "the galaxy." The two neck tats seem to be a combination of a red whirlpool and an interstellar vortex (perhaps a black hole?). They're Swae's latest ink since September, when he showed off a flash of orange flames he added to complement an older tattoo of a single rose on his upper arm.