Her Tattoos
- music notes on her foot
- pisces sign behind her ear
- star inside her ear
- sanskrit on her hip
- skull on her ankle
- Love on her finger
- Shhh on her finger
- roman numeral on her chest
- stars down her back
- tribal design on the back of her hand
- gun on her side
- Never a failure Always a lesson on her chest
- arabic, writing on her side
- rebelle fleur on her neck
- nefertiti on her side
- Thug Life on her knuckles
- tibetan on her butt
- cross on her chest
- falcon on her ankle
- Goddess Isis on her chest
- chevron, lines on the back of her hand
- henna design on the back of her hand
- cross on her wrist
- 1988 on her ankle
- shark on her ankle
1. MUSIC NOTES ON HER FOOT
"Rihanna’s first tattoo is two music notes on the inside of her right foot. The notes are a treble clef and sixteenth note."[1]
2. PISCES SIGN BEHIND HER EAR
"ONE OF RIHANNA’S FIRST TATTOOS IS A PISCES SIGN BEHIND HER RIGHT EAR. IT WAS DONE ALONG WITH THE MUSIC NOTES ON HER FOOT IN 2006. THE TATTOO WAS DONE BY A FAMOUS BRAZILIAN ARTIST WHO MAKES HIS CLIENTS BOOK THREE YEARS IN ADVANCE, BUT LUCKILY, RIHANNA WAS IN TOKYO AT THE SAME TIME AS HIM AND GOT IT DONE."[1]
3. STAR INSIDE HER EAR
"In August 2006, Rihanna got a tattoo of a star outline inside of her left ear. According to reports Rihanna said:
'My best friend from Barbados was here so we had to do something crazy. She got one too.' " [1]
'My best friend from Barbados was here so we had to do something crazy. She got one too.' " [1]
4. SANSKRIT ON HER HIP
"In 2007, Rihanna got a Sanskrit prayer inked going down her hip. The tattoo was supposed to translate to “forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control”, a quote from the Sanatana Dharma. Unfortunately, the tattoo was misspelled and translated to “long suffering, truthfulness, self-restraint, inward calm, fear and fearlessness” instead. In addition to the incorrect translation, the her tattoo is also missing the rest of the original prayer, which reads “pleasure, pain, birth, death.” "[1]
5. SKULL ON HER ANKLE
"Rihanna added a tattoo of a skull during her stay in Miami in 2008. It’s her only tattoo with colored ink and also her seventh tattoo. A skull and crossbones usually means danger, but it is neutralized by the pink hair bow the skull is wearing." [1]
6. LOVE ON HER FINGER
"Not a lot is known about this tattoo, or when she got it. The tattoo is of “Love” written in a simple cursive font on her right middle finger. The tattoo is placed so it doesn’t get shown unless she sticks up her middle finger or holds a microphone. She got it in Los Angeles from one of the artists she used before." [1]
7. SHHH ON HER FINGER
"In June 2008, Rihanna got another finger tattoo. This one is the most copied of her tattoos. It was copied by Lindsay Lohan and Lily Allen, who were unaware at the time that she had it, Cher Lloyd, and many of Rihanna’s fans has also decided to get one exactly like Rihanna’s. The premise is that the tattoo will be revealed when you hold your finger to your lips to shush someone.
Artist Bang Bang shared a picture of the tattoo in 2015 and wrote:
'The “Shhh” tattoo is many years old- done in one shot, no touch up needed. If you’re thinking of getting you’re finger tattooed and have heard they “fade” or “fall out” I’ll say, Yes, they can fade during the healing process- though if done properly, they can be great, and last a lifetime😊'
(Tattoo Artist: Bang Bang)" [1]
Artist Bang Bang shared a picture of the tattoo in 2015 and wrote:
'The “Shhh” tattoo is many years old- done in one shot, no touch up needed. If you’re thinking of getting you’re finger tattooed and have heard they “fade” or “fall out” I’ll say, Yes, they can fade during the healing process- though if done properly, they can be great, and last a lifetime😊'
(Tattoo Artist: Bang Bang)" [1]
8. ROMAN NUMERAL ON HER CHEST
"In June 2008, Rihanna got the date “11-4-86” in Roman numerals (XI-IV-LXXXVI) inked on her left shoulder. It’s her best friend and assistant Melissa’s birth date, and Melissa got the same tattoo with Rihanna’s birth date as well." [1]
9. STARS DOWN HER BACK
"One of Rihanna’s most visible and famous tattoos was inked in 2008. It was started by a tattoo artist in L.A, then finished in New York by her favorite tattoo artist Bang Bang. The stars match former boyfriend Chris Brown’s trio of stars behind his ear." [1]
10. TRIBAL DESIGN ON THE BACK OF HER HAND
"Rihanna’s hand tattoo is a henna-style tribal dragon claw, which she got on her right hand while in New Zealand on her November 2008 tour. It matches her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown’s tattoo on the same hand. The design is of a geometric dragon claw with small hibiscus that go up to her wrist. Her tattoo was done in the traditional style of the Maori people in New Zealand. This method of tattooing makes the skin appear raised and rough, rather than smooth. She said to reporters:
“It’s tribal. It represents strength and love….It’s their traditional way of tattooing. I always wanted [one]. It hurt like hell! "[1]
“It’s tribal. It represents strength and love….It’s their traditional way of tattooing. I always wanted [one]. It hurt like hell! "[1]
11. GUN ON HER SIDE
"In March 2009, Rihanna got a gun tattooed below her right armpit. She wanted to give a tattoo as a birthday gift to her friend, but at the same time decided to get one for herself. "[1]
12. NEVER A FAILURE ALWAYS A LESSON ON HER CHEST
[1]"In December 2009, Rihanna got her personal motto “Never a failure, Always a lesson” tattooed along the right side of her chest. It’s written backwards so she can read it in the mirror. Artist Bang Bang said:
“I asked her why she wanted that and she said, ‘It’s kind of my motto in life for everything.’ Instead of considering things to be mistakes, considering them lessons…. She said that she wanted to do it in gray, rather than black, because she wanted it to be more subtle…. She didn’t want it to draw too much attention.” "[1]
“I asked her why she wanted that and she said, ‘It’s kind of my motto in life for everything.’ Instead of considering things to be mistakes, considering them lessons…. She said that she wanted to do it in gray, rather than black, because she wanted it to be more subtle…. She didn’t want it to draw too much attention.” "[1]
13. ARABIC, WRITING ON HER SIDE
"Rihanna has an Arabic tattoo on the left side of her ribcage which says “Al Hurria fi Al Maseeh.” It translates to “Freedom in God.” "[1]
14. REBELLE FLEUR ON HER NECK
"In August 2010, Rihanna got a tattoo of the text “rebelle fleur” written in script on the left side of her neck. The tattoo translates to “rebel flower”. Many people claimed since the adjective usually comes before the noun in French, the phrase should say “fleur rebelle.” However Rihanna stands by the tattoo and swears it’s not a mistake. In a text message to the artist Bang Bang, she said:
“Rebelle Fleur translates to rebel flower, NOT rebelious flower, its 2 nouns so in that case fleur does not HAVE to be first! Fyi, cuz they will ask”." [1]
“Rebelle Fleur translates to rebel flower, NOT rebelious flower, its 2 nouns so in that case fleur does not HAVE to be first! Fyi, cuz they will ask”." [1]
15. NEFERTITI ON HER SIDE
"In January 2012, Rihanna showed off her new tattoo in a photoshoot with Terry Richardson – a bust of the ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti. The meaning to Rihanna is unknown, but the tattoo is private and hardly ever seen due to it’s placement. Queen Nefertiti was an icon of beauty and had many titles including Hereditary Princess; Great of Praises; Lady of Grace and Sweet of Love." [1]
16. THUG LIFE ON HER KNUCKLES
"In January 2012, Rihanna got “Thug Life” tattooed across her knuckles as a tribute to legendary rapper Tupac Shakur. The tattoo was done by artist Mark Mahoney with semi-permanent white ink. Rihanna showed off the new tattoo in a picture on her Twitter. It can be seen faintly in a few photos from the following weeks, but after that it disappeared completely." [1]
17. TIBETAN ON HER BUTT
"Rihanna got a tattoo saying “lover” in Tibetan on her left hip, just above her butt in March 2012. " [1]
18. CROSS ON HER CHEST
" In March 2012, Rihanna got a small and simple cross tattooed on her left collarbone. Artist Bang Bang cut the ink with water to make the tattoo light, the same technique that he used for the “Rebelle Fleur” tattoo on her neck. Rihanna chose this placement on her neck so that she can easily hide it with a necklace when she wants to, but she can also show it off. " [1]
19. FALCON ON HER ANKLE
20. GODDESS ISIS ON HER CHEST
"In September 2012, Rihanna got a new, very large tattoo as a tribute to her late grandmother. Alongside the picture of her new ink, she tweeted:
“Goddess Isis – Complete Woman – Model for future generations – #GRANGRANDOLLY – always in and on my heart.”
The tattoo is of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was depicted as the ideal mother and wife." [1]
“Goddess Isis – Complete Woman – Model for future generations – #GRANGRANDOLLY – always in and on my heart.”
The tattoo is of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was depicted as the ideal mother and wife." [1]
21. CHEVRON, LINES ON THE BACK OF HER HAND
"Rihanna expanded her hand tattoo in two sessions in October 2013. First she added these chevrons and lines all over her fingers, hand, and wrist. These lines are still visible through the finished tattoo. " [1]
22. HENNA DESIGN ON THE BACK OF HER HAND
"Rihanna added the final piece to her hand tattoo in October 2013, incorporating both the Maori tribal design near her thumb and the chevron lines. It is an abstract design inspired by Indian henna art. Artists Bang Bang and Cally-Jo worked together on both the design and the implementation of this tattoo. The duo got out their needles and worked on different sections at the same time. “@callyjoart and I spent hours and hours drawing on different designs, we finally found one that worked! So proud we made it pretty,” Bang Bang wrote. " [1]
23. CROSS ON HER WRIST
"In January 2014, artist Bang Bang gave Rihanna this tattoo of a cross on the inside of her right wrist. The intricate cross design is made from negative space and is surrounded by black ink. Rihanna also expanded the henna designs — which has previously only been on the back of her arm — all the way up to edges of the cross, making it one cohesive piece. "[1]
24. 1988 ON HER ANKLE
"Rihanna added new ink to her collection in August 2015. This time she gets the year 1988 tattooed on her right ankle at the Bang Bang Tattoo Parlor in NYC. Rihanna was born on February 20, 1988. " [1]
25. SHARK ON HER ANKLE
"Rihanna’s latest tattoo is a camouflage print shark on her left ankle. The tattoo was done by artist Bang Bang at his New York City studio on September 2016." [1]