20+ Tattoos With Backstories That Make Them More Than Just Random Body Art

Generally speaking, there are 2 types of people: those who like tattoos and those who don’t. The first ones decorate their bodies with various pictures, while the second ones skeptically look at this process and say, “You’ll regret it later.”

There is one thing we at Bright Side are sure of: there are tattoos that hide so much meaning and feeling that their right to exist won’t likely be contended by those who are opposed to tattoos.

“My first tattoo. I think my dog approves.”

“My first tattoo, the sun is my fiancé.”

“Matching tattoos with my siblings. No matter the circumstances we have each other for life.”

“Memorial for my son.”

“Tattoo commemorating my mom using my favorite picture of us. She passed 2 weeks ago, unexpectedly, at only 46.”

“A dedication to my grandma...she was my best friend.”

“A few weeks after I got back from taking care of her affairs, I found a voicemail on my phone from her. It said ‘Hi, it’s me. I’m fine, no need to call me back okay? Okay, I love you. Bye-bye.’ I talked to her every day, sometimes twice a day. She checked to make sure I got to work safely, and I’d call her on my way home. Last night, I had my grandma’s voicemail put on my arm. ’I’m fine...I love you.’”

“Loved my cat so much I did this.”

“I’ve been dreaming about getting this tattoo since I was 20. I felt good when I did it. People smile and even change their look when they read it.”

“Got my first tattoo today! My mom is battling cancer and wanted to get matching tattoos.”

“My half of the lucky ticket, my husband has the other half.”

“I got the ticket with a mirror number when my husband proposed to me. We decided to do tattoos instead of wedding rings because we don’t wear them due to professional nuances.”

“When I was 17 I got into a horrible accident.”

“2 big scars were left on my arm. Everyone kept staring at them and I felt shy about it. Here is how I covered them up.”

“Since I’m deaf in one ear, I thought this was a friendly way to tell the world to not talk to me from the left.”

“My husband is the sun, I am the moon. Sometimes vice versa. But we complement each other and try to be one.”

“I’m Irish, my ‘wife’ is Russian, and our son is half and half, hence the tattoo.”

“Had gotten a ‘Kiwi’ tattoo with my chihuahua’s footprint in it, great concept but horrible work. Recently got it covered by a wonderful artist.”

“My white rabbit tattoo for the birth of my daughter Alice.”

“We celebrated a decade of friendship with matching tattoos, one side of the square for each of us.”

“Got this tattoo since my wife and I are going to be apart for the next while. She has a matching one.”

“My friend got a tattoo of her best friend and he approves.”

“My ex got the same tattoo as me so I found a way to cover it up.”

“This tattoo is almost 2 years old and it means a lot to me. It’s my mom’s initials in Braille — she passed away when I was 13.”

“I just wanted to share my very simple yet meaningful tattoo.”

“It’s a semi-truck outline with an eagle. My dad was a trucker since he was about 18 years old and absolutely loved eagles.”

What stories are hiding behind your tattoos?