The history of tattoos goes back hundreds of years. First, it was just symbols for warriors or charms to protect yourself from evil spirits. But later, tattoos took on a totally different meaning. Now, they are a way to store important memories about really emotional life moments.
We at Bright Side really loved the deep meanings these tattoo owners put into their images.
1. ’’I got a tattoo of my dad’s laugh. I have his smile and joy wherever I go now.’’
2. “Ginkgo leaves — they were my great-grandmother’s favorite, and her love for them was passed down through the strong, enduring, hopeful women in my family.”
3. “This is my first tattoo in honor of my grandfather (he liked sunflowers and pink flamingos, thus the feather).”
4. “My first tattoo in honor of my chemist grandmother”
5. “Got a tattoo in honor of Kiko today, she was 9 when she passed.”
6. “I finally did it... I got the tattoo in honor of my dad. It’s just before the year anniversary of his passing. He did stage magic as a hobby and this prop was my favorite of his tricks.”
7. “I love cycling, I own a bike, and I got my first tattoo at the age of 50.”
8. “’I can’ for when I beat thyroid cancer...”
9. “I got 2 tattoos on my wrists to honor my sons. They were born on the same day, 15 years apart. August 2, both Leos.”
10. “I was worried my sons’ birthdays would be on the same day. When April 23 ended, I relaxed and gave birth the next day.”
11. “It’s my kitty heading off to the other side — my first proper tattoo in memory of my kitty, Ziggy.”
12. “In honor of my new son, I got a tattoo of Vegeta and Trunks.”
13. “Got my first Beatles tattoo yesterday in memory of John. I’m planning on getting a half-sleeve of Beatles references.”
14. “A weirwood tree and dire wolf tattoo in honor of my dog, Ghost”
15. “A new tattoo in honor of my recovery after a broken back”
16. “This is my actual heartbeat, it’s irregular.”
“’STRENGTH’ is in my mom’s handwriting. It’s close to my heart, literally. A reminder that though she died of heart disease and I inherited it, I also inherited her STRENGTH. The hand is my big bro who honors my mom and me.”
17. "I got this in honor of my lost baby. The people at the tattoo shop laughed at it because they didn’t know its meaning.’’
“When I went to a tattoo shop in town and showed them the picture of what I wanted, they laughed at it. I suppose because it seemed to them like a basic tattoo and they didn’t know the meaning behind it.”
18. Simple but meaningful
“A semicolon is used when an author could have ended a sentence but chose not to. You are the author and the sentence is your life. About 3 years ago my oldest was having a hard time, we didn’t think we would get through but he’s fine now and we got matching tattoos.”
19. “My mom got a memorial tattoo for my younger brother.”
20. “My first tattoo is a memorial for my dad who recently passed away.”
21. “My husband and I got matching tattoos. All the moons represent a different day in our relationship: (bottom) first kiss, (middle) proposal, (top) wedding day.”
22. ’’My mom’s favorite saying to me in her handwriting!’’
23. ’’My tattoo, her birthmark.’’
What do you think about using tattoos to keep the memory of important life moments alive?
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Please note: This article was updated in June 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.
