Self-expression comes in many forms— some choose to narrate their stories through the clothes they wear, others with the colour of their hair and some with the inked art on the canvas of their skin. Tattoos are more than just cool designs, they’re a sneak peek into the person’s personality. Other than its permanency, what makes inked art so impactful is the meaning it holds to the person and the backstory it comes with. From Selena Gomez’s new back tattoo to Hailey and Justin’s matching peach tattoos— 2021 saw A LOT of celebrities get new body art, here are our favourites:
Drake
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Drake paid tribute to the late Louis Vuitton and Off-White designer Virgil Abloh with a realistic tattoo that references a famous photo of Abloh launching a kite onto the catwalk at the Louis Vuitton menswear show in 2018.
Justin Bieber
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To celebrate his hit song ‘Peaches’ from his new album Justice, Justin Bieber got a peach tattooed on the side of his neck on March 29 by LA’s most sought-after tattooist, Dr. Woo.
Hailey Bieber
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Hailey Bieber got two new tattoos this year— A matching peach tattoo with her husband on the inside of her arm during the same tattoo visit back in March and a delicate ‘New York’ written in lower-case, cursive font on the side of her neck which is the exact spot that she has asked Justin Bieber not to get tattoos on anymore.
Selena Gomez
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Bang Bang Tattoo studio posted a picture of Selena Gomez’s new back tattoo on Dec 15 that shows off the star’s biggest ink job to date. Fans have been requesting a closer look since it’s hard to make out what the design is from the mysterious black and white shot.
Billie Eilish
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Fans were quick to spot Billie Eilish’s magical new hand tattoo during the premiere of No Time to Die in London on Sept 28. Eilish later revealed the meaning behind the three fairies stating that they are her guardian angels fairies from her favourite childhood book.
Adele
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Even though Adele’s Saturn tattoo was first spotted in 2019, it was only this year that she gave us a closer look and revealed that the meaning behind it has to do with her ‘Saturn Return’ which is an astrological event that occurs every 27 to 30 years when the planet returns to the exact position it was in the sky when you were born. It’s known to shake things up and turn a person’s life upside down.
Chrissy Teigen
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Just like Hailey, Chrissy Teigen also got two tattoos this year— a sexy cursive ‘ooh laa’ spine tattoo on Jan 12 referencing John Legend’s song which he wrote for her and a butterfly tattoo on her forearm on June 15 replicating her daughter’s art. “Luna drew this butterfly on me today and it seemed fitting to make permanent,” Chrissy wrote in her Instagram caption.
Lili Reinart
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Lili Reinhart showed off a new tattoo on her inner forearm on April 25 depicting an eye connected to an upside-down rose with twinkling stars on either side.
Cara Delevingne and Paris Jackson
Adding to their extensive tattoo collections, Cara Delevingne and Paris Jackson debuted matching fine-line rose tattoos in red ink on their forearms before heading off to the Oscars 2021 afterparty together.
Ashley Tisdale
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Ashley Tisdale added a delicate cursive tattoo of her newborn daughter Jupiter’s name on the side of her neck on Nov 16.
Demi Lovato
Celebrating their 29th birthday in August, Demi Lovato debuted their new hand tattoo featuring song lyrics from ‘Infinite Universe’ by Beautiful Chorus. “Love will live forever in the infinite universe,” the tattoo says.
Olivia Wilde
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Olivia Wilde got the names of her two kids Otis and Daisy tattooed on her forearms by Dr Woo in a delicate cursive font on Dec 9.
