< Back to front page Text size +

Tattoo you, Netters

Posted by Joshua Glenn  March 17, 2008 11:11 AM
  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.

E-mail this article

Invalid email address
Invalid email address

Sending your article

Your article has been sent.

A few readers emailed to ask whether famous Netters (born between 1974 and 1983) are really as heavily inked as I've claimed. I spent some not entirely unpleasant hours this morning doing research into this question, and have thoroughly vindicated my claim. See below.

PS: I skipped a dozen or more Netter celebs who merely had a couple of tattoos; sorry about that, Orlando, Usher, Anna K., Jessica, and Sarah Michelle! Maybe next time.

jolieta.jpg
Angelina Jolie (1975)

Tattoos: Gothic script "Know Your Rights" between shoulder blades; Buddhist Pali incantation written in Khmer script on left shoulder blade -- covering up previous tatoo; "Strength of Will" Arabic script tattoo on right arm -- covering up previous tattoo; "XIII V MCMXL" (date of famous Winston Churchill speech) on her left underarm; Tennessee Williams quote ("A prayer for the wild at heart, kept in cages") on left arm; cross tattoo and Latin phrase ("Quod me nutrit me destruit", meaning "What nourishes me, destroys me") on stomach -- covering up previous tattoo; rune style tattoo (the letter H) on left wrist; longitudes and latitudes of the locations where her children first entered her life, on upper left arm -- covering up previous tattoo; 12-inch long, 8-inch wide Bengal tiger tattoo on lower back -- covering up two previous tattoos; various removed tattoos, including a tattoo in the pubic area referring to Billy Bob Thornton.

***
tattoo-pink-400a061107.jpg
Pink (1979)

Tattoos: shooting star and angel on back of left shoulder; "What goes around comes around" on right wrist; "tru luv" a little higher up; tattoos on upper left thigh: "Mr. Pink", oriental style dragon; cartoon cat on lower stomach; barcode from album "Missundaztood" just below hairline at back of neck; frog on left foot; kanji for luck/happiness on right ankle; infinity sign on hip; red star on hand; dad and brother's army dog tags on left foot; portrait of her dog Elvis; several others.

***
steveO.jpg
Steve-O (1974)

Tattoos: Over 25 "dumb" tattoos, each one of them intended to get a laugh. They include: parodies of Angelina Jolie's tattoos (including the name "Billy Bob," in Gothic script); the phrase "I have a small weiner," on arm; and a giant self-portrait, complete with signature, on back.

***
50cent-back-tattoo.jpg
50 Cent (1975)

Tattoos: "Love & Hate" on lower stomach; heads of Jesus and Satan on lower stomach; "Beau" (grandmother's name) on neck; axe with "Marquise" (son) and "Warrior" on right biceps; "Sabrina" (mother) and "Ghetto Angel" on right lower arm; angel on shoulder; "50" on left biceps; crucifix and "God understands me" on left lower arm; "G-Unit" on right hand; giant "50" on center of back; "South Side," "Gangsta," "Cold World," and "G-Unit" also on back; others.

***
christina_tatto.jpg
Christina Ricci (1980)

Tattoos: lion on right shoulder blade (a reference to "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"); fairy on the inside of right wrist; praying hands on left hip; a bouquet of sweetpeas on lower back; "Move or Bleed" on the left side of ribcage; "Jack" (a dead pet) on right thigh; a sparrow on right breast; a mermaid on left ankle. Unconfirmed: two red stars, plus "I'm the toughest girl I know" in script, under right breast.

***

[more after jump]

beckstattDM0308_468x400.jpg
David Beckham (1975)

Tattoos: Gothic-style "Brooklyn" (son's name) across lower back; Gothic-style "Romeo" (son) above crucifixion/guardian angel on upper back & "Cruz" (son) underneath; "Victoria" (wife) in Hindi, supposedly misspelled, plus "Ut Amem Et Foveam" ("So that I love and cherish"), lower back; Roman numeral VII (7 was his Man United jersey number), underside right arm; seven-inch image of Victoria, naked, lying on her back surrounded by stars, on left arm; Hebrew text, from the Song of Songs, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"; "Perfectio in Spiritu" ("spiritual perfection"), right forearm; angel, plus "In the face of adversity," right shoulder and bicep; winged cross, back of neck; many others.

***
victoria-beckham-tattoo-neck.jpg
Victoria Beckham (1974)

Tattoos: David Beckham's initials on left wrist; five stars representing herself, her three sons, and her husband, on lower back; Hebrew text, from the Song of Songs, "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine," on neck and upper back; others.

***
christinaaguilera6.jpg
Christina Aguilera (1980)

Tattoos: "Xtina" on back of neck; flower on left wrist; design on inside left forearm; Hebrew text (I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine"), on small of back; unknown tattoo just below bikini line; others.

***
justintimberlake6.jpg
Justin Timberlake (1981)

Tattoos: Initials on ankles; cross on left shoulder; large angel with "Guardian" on back; others.

***
[NO DECENT IMAGE AVAILABLE]
Drew Barrymore (1975)

Tattoos: large cross on ankle; butterfly under belly button; angels on back; blue moon with smile, plus star at tip, on right foot; flowers on left hip bone.

***
lil-wayne.jpg
Lil Wayne (1980)

Tattoos: Couldn't find a description anywhere. I'm not the only one interested. The internets are replete with questions like this one: "what does lil wayne's tat on the left side of his back say??!?! anyone?" Lil Wayne, please let your fans know.

***
tattoo--nicole-richie-400a061107.jpg
Nicole Richie (1981)

Tattoos: rosary beads and cross on ankle and foot; angel wings on shoulder blades; "Richie," plus red bow and ribbon, on back of neck; tiara on hip; red shooting star on right wrist; "Virgin" on left wrist; ballerina slippers on abdomen; cross on lower back; dots on finger; others.

***
britney_spears-tattoosjpg069_191.jpg
Britney Spears (1981)

Tattoos: fairy on lower back; daisy circling second toe on right foot; butterfly leaving a vine on left foot; lower with Chinese symbol for mystery on lower stomach; three Hebrew characters on back of neck; pair of pink dice inside left wrist (changed); small star on right hand; red and pink lips on wrist; black, white, and pink cross on lower hip; others?

***
[NO DECENT IMAGE AVAILABLE]
Tiffani Amber Thiessen (1974)

Tattoos: flower on back; angel on ankle; small green heart on stomach; sunflower just above panty line; possibly others.

***
20070809_amy_winehouse.jpg
Amy Winehouse (1983)

Tattoos: winged ankh on back; feather on left forearm; lightning bolt on right forearm; several pin up girls; "Hello Sailor" plus anchor, on stomach; others.

***
robbie-williams-with-abba.jpg
Robbie Williams (1974)

Tattoos: Maori design on left arm; Celtic cross on right hip; lion with "Born to be Mild" under it, and "Elvis, Grant Me Serenity" above it. on right arm; musical notes and Beatles lyrics on small of back; saint holding cross with name "Jack Farrel" (his grandfather) under it, inside right arm; "Mother" on outside of same arm; "Chacun A Son Gout" on chest; others.

***
1.jpg
Suicide Girls

The whole point of the Suicide Girls -- founded by Netters -- is that they're tattooed.

ALSO: Lindsay Lohan ( a flower and a ladybug on the back of her neck, a Sanskrit character for lotus flower on her wrist, and a bow tattoo on the small of her back); Jessica Alba (a flower and a ladybug on the back of her neck, a Sanskrit character for lotus flower on her wrist, and a bow tattoo on the small of her back); Bam Margera (heart-a-gram symbol on his lower stomach, a large tattoo design on his right side, large portrait on his right shoulder (done by Kat Von D), a large razorblade under his left arm and several others); Travis Barker (a large checkered-flag design on both sides of his neck, a large banner inscribed with "Can I Say" across his collar bones, the outlines of nude women on opposite sides of his upper chest, a large "Boom Box" radio on his stomach, a large design on his mid-lower back, both arms sleeved - meaning that they are covered in tattoo designs for their entire length - (one arm contains a Virgin Mary dedicated to his mother), his left leg has a logo from a Descendents album, many other tattoos); Kelis (a saying on her right wrist, a butterfly on her stomach, a Kanji symbol on her right calf, and a large Japanese inspired design that runs from her buttocks, up her back all the way to the shoulder); many others.

NB: Descriptions of celeb tattoos were adapted from various celeb tattoo sites.

tags tattoos
  • E-mail
  • E-mail this article

    Invalid E-mail address
    Invalid E-mail address

    Sending your article

    Your article has been sent.

About brainiac Brainiac is the daily blog of the Globe's Sunday Ideas section, covering news and delights from the worlds of art, science, literature, history, design, and more. You can follow us on Twitter @GlobeIdeas.
contributors
Leon Neyfakh is the staff writer for Ideas. Amanda Katz is the deputy Ideas editor. Stephen Heuser is the Ideas editor.

Kevin Hartnett is a writer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His last article for Ideas was about choosing Congress by lottery.

Guest blogger Simon Waxman is Managing Editor of Boston Review and has written for WBUR, Alternet, McSweeney's, Jacobin, and others.

Guest blogger Elizabeth Manus is a writer living in New York City. She has been a book review editor at the Boston Phoenix, and a columnist for The New York Observer and Metro.

Guest blogger Sarah Laskow is a freelance writer and editor in New York City. She edits Smithsonian's SmartNews blog and has contributed to Salon, Good, The American Prospect, Bloomberg News, and other publications.

Guest blogger Joshua Glenn is a Boston-based writer, publisher, and freelance semiotician. He was the original Brainiac blogger, and is currently editor of the blog HiLobrow, publisher of a series of Radium Age science fiction novels, and co-author/co-editor of several books, including the story collection "Significant Objects" and the kids' field guide to life "Unbored."

Guest blogger Ruth Graham is a freelance journalist in New Hampshire, and a frequent Ideas contributor. She is a former features editor for the New York Sun, and has written for publications including Slate and the Wall Street Journal.

Joshua Rothman is a graduate student and Teaching Fellow in the Harvard English department, and an Instructor in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He teaches novels and political writing.

archives

browse this blog

by category