Miley Cyrus shared photos from one of her tattoo sessions on Instagram Tuesday night, and one piece of body art has the internet especially captivated. According to a video shared by Bang Bang Tattoo, a highly-coveted studio in NYC, the singer got the word 'pussy' inked in cursive on her left ankle.
Cyrus' fans say she got the tattoo last summer at the New York studio led by Keith 'Bang Bang' McCurdy, who's worked with other tatted celebs including Rihanna and Justin Bieber.
That apparently wasn't the only new body art Miley got during her Bang Bang visit. One image she shared implied she also got new ink on her left arm. That's just the latest addition to Cyrus' wide variety of tattoos, which include a Theodore Roosevelt quote, pictures of her dogs, a Vegemite jar, an avocado, an assortment of smaller symbols on her fingers, and many more.
Miley previously opened up about getting her first tattoo—'Just Breathe' in her mother's handwriting placed under her heart—in Harper's BAZAAR's February 2010 issue. The ink was inspired by one of her best friends, who died of cystic fibrosis in 2007, and her two grandfathers, who died from lung cancer.
'It reminds me not to take things for granted. I mean, breathing—that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing,' she said at the time. 'And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be.'
As for the pain from the tattoo needles, Miley added: 'It really doesn't hurt if you're thinking about the meaning. I could never get a meaningless tattoo, but I think that if you're doing something that's important, that's significant in your life, it takes some of the pain away.'
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
