From ancient subcultures to pop culture, from defining identity to hotness — “Tattoos” have come a long way, adorning men and women around the world!
Tattoos are always hot, especially when you see one on a woman’s body. From tiny delicate ones to bold in-your-face tattoos — each has a story and inspiration behind it. And as interesting is the phenomena of inking one’s body. The idea to ink your body as a part of your identity has prevailed from ancient times with tribes like Mayans and Incas to famous tattoo artists around the world today. Renowned tattooist Katherine Von Drachenberg, once perfectly summarized the tattoo experience and said, “I am a canvas of my experiences, my story is etched in lines and shading, and you can read it on my arms, my legs, my shoulders, and my stomach.”
17 Heavily Tattooed Women Celebrities reinventing the Physics of Body Ink

So, what used to be part of various subcultures around the globe found its place in pop culture and mainstream media thanks to millions of male and female artists sporting tattoos. The phenomenon gripped us so good that we’ll truly be the future generation of tattooed grandparents.
The word “Tattoo” comes from Polynesian “ta” — meaning to strike — and the Tahitian “tatau” — meaning to mark.
The Psychology Behind Inking: Why Do People Get Tattooed?
Getting a tattoo is the easiest form of body modification. In ancient times, it identified one as part of a specific tribe, group, or having a particular status – like that of a warrior. Today tattoos are an expression of individual identity. While many are simply drawn to the beauty and excitement of getting inked, others have a deeper emotional meaning attached to the permanent ink on their body. Like, Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who accidentally finds himself in the list of few ‘world leaders with tattoos’ or the cast of Marvel Studio’s Avengers – all got matching tattoos to mark the bond they share owing to the superhero franchise. Nonetheless, millions of men and women sport tattoos around the globe for they look cool or hot!
Watch: The History of Tattoos
Practiced since Neolithic times, tattoos were found in every culture. Significance of tattoos have remained the same – as a ‘mode of expression of an individual’s identity.’ Today we see a tax man or boy next door sporting a tattoo as well as our favorite stars. Bringing the tattoos to mainstream media can be attributed to our favorite celebrities from David Beckham to Rihanna, Zayn Malik to Taylor Swift – each generation has its own set of favorite tattooed celebrities!
These Smoking Hot Women Will Make You Fall in Love With ‘Tattoos’! You Are Very Welcome! Here’s The Top 17 Hottest Women Celebrities With Even Hotter Tattoos:—
1/17
Lady Gaga — Tattoos that Define
Long before Lady Gaga rose to fame, she was a struggling singer performing in New York’s dive bars. Since then, Gaga has embraced her body in all its glory. She got her first tattoo at the age of 17. Over the years, she got more than 20 tattoos done, mostly on the left side of her body. Her irresistible collection of tattoos includes her nickname spelt in musical notes on her arm, “La Vie En Rose” cascading down her spine, David Bowie’s face on her ribs, a unicorn on her thighs, a German quote on her arm and more.

Lady Gaga’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 20+
- Most Famous Tattoos: “La Vie En Rose” (Spine), David Bowie’s face (Rib area), Unicorn (Thigh)
Tattoos are a girl’s best friend.
Lady Gaga
2/17
Rihanna — The One hanging out in Tattoo Shops
Bad girl Riri is another fashion icon with a love for tattoos. Rihanna has 25 visible tattoos on her body. They range from an ode to family members to milestones in her life. She got her first tattoo done in 2006, two music notes on her foot. Rihanna has ‘Never a failure Always a lesson’ written on her chest, a tribal design on the back of her hand, very interestingly Goddess Isis on her chest, stars down her neck, and a Sanskrit quote running down from the side of her waist to hip. Rihanna is undoubtedly obssessed with inking her body and admits to it.

Rihanna’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 25+
- Most Famous Tattoos: “Goddess Isis” (Chest), Gun (Neck), Hand tattoos
I am so intrigued by tattoos. It’s an entire culture, and I study it. Sometimes I go with friends, or just by myself. I get bum-rushed, but I don’t care. I don’t take security.
Rihanna
3/17
Scarlett Johansson — Inking Avengers
One of the biggest stars of Hollywood, Scarlett Johansson is one woman with hot tattoos. She has 9 tattoos mostly on her ribcage, arms and legs. She has a massive one on her back too. Johansson was the brain behind the cast of OG Avengers getting the matching tattoos. She and Chris Evans did it first and bullied rest of the Avengers except Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo. Johansson sports her Avenger tattoo on the right arm, she has got a flying owl, LUCKY YOU with a Horseshoe and rose tattooed on her ribs. A massive floral design with a lamb runs down her back. As a sign of hope and optimism, she has a colorful sunrise tattoo inked on the inside of her forearm.

Scarlett Johansson’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 9
- Most Famous Tattoos: Lamb with a Massive Floral Design (Back), Sunrise (Hand), Rose (Ribs)
I’m all about fashion, cheeseburgers and bright-red lipstick.
Scarlett Johansson
4/17
Cardi B — Beauty with Bona-fide Tattoos
Another woman with love for hot tattoos is Cardi B. The hip-hop sensation is well known for her massive peacock design tattoo which extends from her right hip all the way down to her knee. The singer got inked earlier in her life and retouched it recently. “So, after 10 years I gave my peacock tattoo a makeover,” she said on Instagram. She has about 10 tattoos on her body that include a hand sign for ‘love’ behind her ear, “Loyalty Over Royalty” written on her bicep. On the other bicep, she has her sister’s name ‘Hennessy’ tattooed with some roses. Cardi B’s got the name of ex Tommy G on one of her wrists and a tattoo on the neck spelt, ‘Samuel’ which is now covered up. Though Cardi never confirmed its an ex, she did admit on a talk show that she has more than one ex’s name on her body!

Cardi B’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 8+
- Most Famous Tattoos: Massive Peacock Design (Hip to Knee)
I have like three different men tattooed on me; you know what I’m saying? They gotta go!
Cardi B
5/17
Cheryl Cole — Small life deserves Big tattoos
English music sensation Cheryl Cole easily makes the case for impressive tattoos. The artist sported up to 9 tattoos over the years but most notably she has a HUGE floral tattoo covering her entire lower back and buttocks. Her each tattoo has a meaning behind it – she got a ‘Mrs C’ tattoo on the nape after her wedding to footballer Ashley Cole. The tattoo is still very much in place even after the couple split years ago. The pop star also has a ‘Tribal Pattern’ tattoo on her right hand, a cleavage tattoo, tiny heart on her middle finger and more.
Cheryl Cole’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 9
- Most Famous Tattoos: Roses tattoo (Lower back to buttocks)
Life’s too short and I wanted a big tattoo.
Cheryl Cole
Watch: Cheryl Cole Shows Off New Bum Tattoo – The Graham Norton Show
Related: The PWI Most Beautiful Women In The World Awards 2020 — Timeless Icons
6/17
Halle Berry — Regrets to Regeneration
Academy Award winner Halle Berry broke the internet when she posted a bareback picture with a vine tattoo going all the way up from her lower back to her neck. She captioned the image, “who says I’m not a mermaid.” However, the actor later clarified it was temporary ink in preparation for her character.
Berry is known to sport temporary tattoos for her several characters. Nonetheless, the Catwoman actor got a sunflower tattooed on her butt which covers up the name of her first husband, pro baseball player David Justice. While Berry regrets the decision of tattooing the name, she chose sunflower for it signifies regeneration.
Halle Berry’s Most Famous Tattoo
- Total Tattoo Count: 1
- Most Famous Tattoos: Sunflower (Lower back)
I chose a sunflower because when darkness descends, they close up to regenerate.
Halle Berry
7/17
Angelina Jolie — Tattoos of Significance
A book can be written about the significance of each tattoo Angelina Jolie has! The Hollywood actor sports 17 tattoos and is an inspiration for woman tattoos. Jolie has a ‘Royal Bengal Tiger’ tattooed on her lower back, ‘Know Your Rights’ says the tattoo below her neck. On her left arm, Jolie got coordinates of the birthplaces of her children and ex-husband Brad Pitt inked. On her back, she has a massive Buddhist Yantra tattoo and on her left forearm is a ‘Buddhist Swirls’ tattoo. Didn’t we say, one can write a book?

Angelina Jolie’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 17
- Most Famous Tattoos: Bengal Tiger (Lower Back), Buddhist Yantra (Back)
Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit – That which nourishes me destroys me.
Reads the tattoo on Angelina Jolie’s Waistline
8/17
Megan Fox — Beauty accentuated with tattoos
Megan Fox is one beautiful woman with hot tattoos. She had a collection of 9 tattoos out of which one remains removed. Fox, early in her life, got the face of yesteryear star Marilyn Monroe tattooed on her left forearm that she later removed. Apart from it, she has a star and crescent moon, a Yin Yang inked on her hand. However, she is highly influenced by English writers and has many quotes on her back and ribs. “There once was a little girl who never knew love until a boy broke her HEART,” reads one of her tattoos. Fox got ‘Shakespeare’s Quote’ tattoo on the right side of her back and the Chinese symbol for strength on her neck.

Meghan Fox’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 8
- Most Famous Tattoos: “We will all laugh at gilded butterflies” (Back)
And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.
Says, Meghan Fox’s side tattoo
9/17
Jaimie Alexander — Beneath all that Tattoo
Actor Jaimie Alexander is quite popular for her part in Blindspot. Her character Jane Doe is covered in over 200 tattoos applied by three different artists before the shoot. However, there are some real ones: For example, letters ES on her left wrist and a Tibetan text tattoo on her right wrist. She is also fond of initials and has AM engraved on her right side, BDCM on her right arm.

Jaimie Alexandar’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 7
- Most Famous Tattoos: Tibetan text (Arm), Butterfly (Lower Abdomen)
For me, it’s just one of those things that remind me to be childlike and sort of look at the world through innocent eyes and just to be open-minded.
Jaimie Alexander about her ‘ES’ tattoo
10/17
Bella Thorne — Cat tattoos and hearts
American actress, model, and singer Thorne rose to fame with her role as Margaux Darling in the series Dirty Sexy Money. Bella Thorne has a collection of 12 tattoos on her body. Thorne has a penchant for cat tattoos, having one behind her ear and whiskers on her finger! She has got a heart each on her collar bone and palm along with writings and numbers on her calf and forearm respectively.

Bella Thorne’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 12
- Most Famous Tattoos: Tattoo sleeves
11/17
Miley Cyrus — Girl with the Golden Tattoos
Miley Cyrus has a vast collection of 30+ tattoos. From minimal designs to bold engravings, she has a plethora of meaningful inks on her body. The popstar’s first tattoo was on her rib which says, ‘Just Breathe’. On the right side, she has a massive dreamcatcher. The actor also got a famous quote from former US President Theodore Roosevelt done on her left forearm. Among her several tiny hot tattoos are a heart on her knuckle, equal sign, cross, peace sign and writing on her finger. Cyrus also has textual tattoos inside her ear, on a bicep and a forearm.

Miley Cyrus’ Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 30+
- Most Famous Tattoos: Dreamcatcher (Right side ribs), ‘Just Breathe’ (Ribs)
I’ve got a tattoo of Johnny Cash’s autograph that he gave me when I was a little girl that says, ‘I’m in your corner.
Miley Cyrus
12/17
Rita Ora — The Smiling Pinkie
The British singer and songwriter is an avid tattoo lover having 25 tattoos embracing cute to bold designs. Rita Ora’s most noticeable tattoo is a pin-up girl on her side, inspired by the original work of incredible illustrator, Alberto Vargas. Covering her right shoulder blade and neck is a tattoo of a flying dove. She has a geometrical “Tree of Life” tattoo on her back. A black Smiley Face, a triangle, heart outline, wishbone, a feather tattoo, a Ballerina, wings and couple of quotes complete her body art collection.

Rita Ora’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 25+
- Most Famous Tattoos: Alberto Vargas’ Pin-up Girl (Side Ribs), Flying Dove (Right Shoulder), Ballerina (Arm)
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
Inked on the left side of Rita Ora’s rib cage
13/17
Kehlani Parrish — A Reminder to the Soul
American singer-songwriter Kehlani is visibly covered in tattoos. The singer easily has over 20 tattoos and there is no subtlety about them. She is from the league of few celebrities who have face tattoos. Her face tattoo collection has got a queen of hearts symbol on her temple, four dots around her eyes and an accompanying paper plane. She has the Spanish quote Espíritu Libre (Free Spirit) on her other temple. The singer has another Spanish engraving on her neck “Perdida y Encontrada” which translates to “Lost and Found.” In fact, she has an entire tattoo sleeve on her right arm and a big bright sunflower on her left shoulder. She also has tiny tattoos on her knuckles and fingers and then there are more!

Kehlani Parrish’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 20+
- Most Famous Tattoos: Dots (Face), Paperplane (Face), “Perdida y Encontrada” (Neck)
I think it’s a reminder if I do get lost again, I can always find myself.
Kehlani Parrish
14/17
Audrina Patridge — Of Temptations & Destiny
The American TV presenter has got one giant tattoo and it’s all things meaningful. Audrina Patridge has a massive tattoo on the back of her neck. At first glance, it looks like the interpretation of the classic Adam and Eve story with apple and the snake. However, her biblical body art has a personal twist “My tattoo is a heart with four chambers that turns into an apple with a snake around it,” wrote Audrina on Instagram. Later she got another tattoo on rib dedicated to her daughter.

Audrina Patridge’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 2
- Most Famous Tattoos: Biblical representation of Snake and Apple (Neck)
It symbolizes the story of Adam and Eve…and also temptation and destiny.
Audrina Patridge
15/17
Chloë Grace Moretz — Engraving experiences
Chloë Grace Moretz has grown up in Hollywood. From a child artist to a fulltime actor with 60 films and TV shows under her belt, she has had an illustrious career. The actor has 6 tattoos in total. Her latest tattoo, under her boob, was revealed to say, ‘it gets better than this’. Seems like Moretz is a fan of writings and initials. She has a C in white ink engraved on her ankle. On her hip, she has numbers 4 4 1 9 surrounded by four circles and dotted lines that include the cardinal points. On her side, Moretz got a picture of a rose along with two little feet and the name “Memom” in fond memory of her grandmother. On her thighs, she has initials of her family members ‘TBTKCE’.
Chloe G Moretz’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 6
- Most Famous Tattoos: Cardinal Points (Hip), ‘It gets better than this’ (Under boob)
The journey is the destination.
Dr Woo, Moretz’s tattoo artist wrote on Instagram debuting her 4419 tattoo.
16/17
Demi Lovato — More tattoos than you can Count
Music sensation Demi Lovato has tattoos as cool as her music. She is one of the “hottest women with tattoos”. Just like Miley Cyrus, she sports a huge dreamcatcher on her side. However, the design evolved with time. It started with lyrics “you make me beautiful” from the Bethany Dillon song “Beautiful”. Then she got feathers beneath it and in time the design has translated into the beautiful dreamcatcher. She also has a massive rose tattoo on her arm, a smiley face on her pinkie finger, a tribute to her dog Buddy and roman numerals for her family’s birthdate on her other side. ‘I am a warrior’ is written on her shoulder and very recently she got “Free” written on her finger to mark her relapse after years of sobriety. Lovato’s friends got a matching tattoo to show their support.

Demi Lovato’s Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 20+
- Most Famous Tattoos: Dreamcatcher (Side Ribs), Stay Strong (Arms), “You make me Beautiful” (Neck)
Cause life’s too short not to tattoo your pinky.
Demi Lovato
17/17
Vanessa Hudgens — Queen of Hot Minimalistic Tattoos
Vanessa Hudgens is the queen of minimalistic tattoos. She recently debuted a sunflower tattoo on the edge of her boob and got an angel symbol for divine feminine on the other side. Although her most noticeable tattoo is on her neck – a colorful butterfly. She very thoughtfully got a tattoo of “Om” split on both her little fingers which comes together when she folds hands in meditation. Overall, Hudgens has 5 tattoos.

Vanessa Hudgnes’ Most Famous Tattoos
- Total Tattoo Count: 5
- Most Famous Tattoos: Sun Flower (Side Boob), Angel (Ribs)
Divine feminine angel not me…. my tat. But you can call me that, if you want to.
Vanessa Hudgens
Tattoo Etiquettes 101
And before I let you go, here are some Tattoo Do’s & Don’ts, should you plan to get inked and sport a hot tattoo of your own.
Do’s | Don’ts |
Study Your Design & Have It Ready | Override Artist’s Suggestions |
Collaborate With Your Tattooist | Get Inked Drunk Or Intoxicated |
Follow Aftercare Instructions | Be Afraid To Enquire About The Process |
Observe Proper Hygiene | Bring A Group Of Friends For Advice |
Watch: Everything You Need to Know Before Your First Tattoo | Dos and Don’ts
As hot as they look, permanent tattoos are for life. This makes getting inked a very serious and crucial decision. There are many things one needs to keep in mind and the best guide to a good tattoo is undeniably the tattooist you go for. Always speak to your tattoo artist extensively about the tattooing and healing process.
Tattoo FAQ’s
Nothing more than a minor trauma on the skin, tattoos are completely safe if you are diligent. The trick is to find a reputed tattoo artist. Always discuss any pre-existing medical conditions. Make sure you follow whatever advice they give.
Tattooing is a process that involves pain. However, people experience pain based on the body parts getting inked and their own body’s pain threshold. Having said that, tattooing is a pleasurable experience for millions around the globe.
The significance of the first tattoo can not be underlined. For tattoo virgins bracing their apprehensions, the experience and the mark have to be memorable. Our advice is: get something personal or close to your heart. You can also ask your tattooist for help to figure out a good spot and to personalize a concept design. The first tattoos top the list of tattoo removals. So choose wisely.
Happy Inking!
