Selena Gomez Tattoos: A Guide To The Singer And Actor's Body Art
Including the star's brand new inking on her shoulder
Though it might not seem like it on first glance, over the years, Selena Gomez has built up a penchant for tattoos.
By our best estimate, the star now has 15 tattoos. They are found on her neck, back, hands, arms and thighs. In 2015, when Gomez had just 17, she spoke about getting one tattoo (the musical note on her wrist) before catching the bug for more. 'I wanted something small to test the waters, now I'm addicted,' she told Refinery 29.
Many of Gomez's tattoos have significant meaning ranging from tributes to family members to symbols of her Christianity. Several are also matching tattoos she's had with friends over the year to permanently inky a memory together.
Here's a guide to Selena Gomez's tattoos...
Selena Gomez Shoulder Tattoo: Cross
On April 15 2021, celebrity tattoo favourite Bang Bang New York shared his latest A-list client with fans: Selena Gomez.
The star popped into the studio and came out with a small cross, representing her Christian faith, inked on her left shoulder blade.
Selena Gomez Neck Tattoo: 'Rare'
In January 2020, Gomez added another tattoo to her collection courtesy of Bang Bang New York, this time paying homage to her third studio album (and name of her beauty line), Rare.
Selena Gomez Neck Tattoo: 'G'
Behind her right ear, Gomez has the initial 'G' tatttooed, which according to Page Six is in honour of her little sister Gracie.
Selena Gomez Neck Tattoo: Roman Numerals
On the back of her neck, Gomez has roman numerals, LXXVI inscribed, also at the hands of Bang Bang NYC. The tattoo artist told the Daily Mail at the time that the artwork was a tribute to a family member 'who means a lot to her'. Given that the numerals translate to the '76', some fans have interpreted the tattoo to be a tribute to her mother Mandy Teefey who was born in 1976.
Selena Gomez Back Tattoo: Arabic Phrase
Bang Bang also etched a phrase in Arabic onto Gomez's back in 2014 which translates to 'Love Yourself First'. The tattoo artist explained to E! News at the time: 'Selena already had it written out how she wanted. The tattoo is about 4 inches, and didn't take too long, probably about 30-45 minutes. The longest part is laying it out. We played with it a bit laying it out, until we found the perfect spot.'
Selena Gomez Ribcage Tattoo: '1'
On the same day, Gomez got '4' tattooed on her arm (more below) she also go the number '1' inked on her ribcage, as did her best friend Courtney Barry in homage to each other and their friendship.
Selena Gomez Thigh Tattoo: Prayer
One of the 'Lose You To Love Me' singers biggest tattoos is on her left hipbone and is an intricate drawing of two hands in prayer.
Above the prayer hands, Gomez has another tattoo on her left hip, a date which represents the day she met one of her best friends, reports Refinery 29.
Selena Gomez Thigh Tattoo: 'God Strengthens Me'
Meanwhile on her right hip, Gomez has some writing inked down her thigh which reads 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,' according to Refinery 29 which reportedly alludes to one of the 28-year-old's favourite Bible passages.
Selena Gomez Arm Tattoo: 4
To celebrate her best friend turning 26, Gomez and three of her friends got matching tattoos of the number '4' in the summer of 2018.
Explaining the sentiment behind the tattoos on Instagram, Gomez wrote: '4 because you are my 4 for the rest of my life'.
Selena Gomez Arm Tattoo: Kidney Transplant Date
Fans noticed another tattoo on Gomez's right arm in 2020, which on closer inspection spells out the date June 19, 2017 which was the date the singer - who has been open about suffering from the autoimmune condition Lupus - underwent a kidney transplant donated by her friend Francia Raisa.
Selena Gomez Wrist Tattoo: Semi-Colon
On her right wrist, Gomez has a semi-colon tattooed which is a nod to promoting mental health support and suicide prevention. Gomez, who has been open about her own struggles with her mental health in the past, got the tattoo with two other friends while working on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, which deals with teenage suicide. The semi-colon refers to the a suicide prevention movement called Project SemiColon.
Selena Gomez Hand Tattoo: Musical Note
This was the first tattoo Gomez got, a small musical note to commemorate her career.
Selena Gomez Hand Tattoo: Arrow
Another matching tattoo Gomez has is an arrow on her left hand, which her friend and songwriting partner Julia Michaels also has. When Michaels and Gomez hold hands, the arrows point together, symbolising their friendship.
Selena Gomez Foot Tattoo: 'Sunshine'
Gomez has one tattoo on her foot which spells out 'sunshine'.
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