A Guide to Rihanna's Tattoos and What They Mean
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Rihanna has quite the collection of body art.
The singer has added more than two dozen tattoos over the years, and her inkings have become a signature part of her look. Many of Rihanna's tats come from her close collaboration and friendship with celebrity tattoo artist Keith Scott "Bang Bang" McCurdy, who first inked the Fenty founder when she was just 18 years old and has been behind some of her most iconic tattoos yet.
From her tiny finger tats to her larger inkings, here's a complete guide to Rihanna's growing tattoo collection.
Pisces Symbol
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Rihanna got one of her first tattoos in 2006. In honor of her astrological sign, the singer has the Pisces symbol right below her right ear.
Music Notes
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Later that year, Rihanna got another tattoo: two music notes on her inner right foot. The notes, a treble clef and sixteenth note, have since been covered.
Star
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Another one of the singer's earliest tattoos was the small outline of a star inside her left ear. The tiny ink has faded over the years.
Sanskrit Prayer
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Not long into her body art journey, Rihanna connected with future celebrity tattoo artist Keith Scott "Bang Bang" McCurdy. The singer was Bang Bang's first celeb client, and though the two would go on to collaborate on several more inkings over the years, her first tattoo by the artist features a prayer in Sanskrit inked vertically down her right hip.
The prayer was meant to read "forgiveness, honesty, suppression and control" but was misspelled and translated to "long suffering, truthfulness, self-restraint, inward calm, fear and fearlessness."
"Shhh"
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One of Rihanna's tiniest but most memorable tattoos is the "Shhh..." she got inked on her forefinger in 2008.
A Trail of Stars
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The Grammy-winning singer has a thing or two for stars. The constellation of tiny stars trailing from the nape of her neck to midway down her back was inked by her go-to artist, Bang Bang.
Henna-Style Dragon Claw
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Though it was later covered up, one of the earliest inkings on Rihanna's right hand featured a Henna-like design resembling a dragon claw with hibiscus flower detailing.
Camo Shark
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In 2016, the singer and her then-boyfriend Drake got a camo shark tattoo penned by Bang Bang. Rihanna placed her ink on her left ankle, while Drake had his tatted on his forearm.
Crown
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In 2021, fans noticed that the camo shark had seemingly been covered up by an elaborate crown wrapping around Rihanna's left ankle.
"1988"
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In honor of her birth year, Rihanna inked "1988" across the front side of her right ankle with the help of Bang Bang.
Maori-Inspired Art
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While on the Diamonds tour in 2013, the singer made a pit stop in New Zealand and got a traditional Polynesian design on her hand. Instead of using a needle, the tattoo artist used a mallet and chisel to apply the pigment.
Henna-Inspired Ink
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To build on the Maori-inspired design, Bang Bang worked on Rihanna's hand for 11 hours, resulting in an intricate Henna-like tattoo covering most of her right hand.
Large Cross
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On the underside of Rihanna's wrist, Bang Bang penned an elaborate, large cross design to symbolize the singer's faith.
Goddess Isis
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Arguably one of Rihanna's most iconic tattoos is the Goddess Isis on her ribcage. In 2012, she got the large ink added to pay homage to her late grandmother, who died that July.
Egyptian Queen Nefertiti
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Isis isn't the only goddess Rihanna pays tribute to with her ink. The singer has a portrait of the Egyptian Queen Nefertiti inked on her inner ribcage. Nefertiti is an iconic symbol of feminine beauty and power.
Falcon
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In June 2012, the singer had Bang Bang ink a falcon in the shape of a handgun on her right ankle. She wrote on Twitter about the symbolism, "'Falcon: a light that shines in the darkness! Never close their eyes during sleep."
Tibetan Script
One tattoo from Rihanna's collection that fans rarely see is the Tibetan script she has on her derrière. The ink loosely translates to "lover."
"Thug Life"
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The singer inked a tribute to Tupac's rap group Thug Life by emblazoning it across her knuckles.
"Rebelle Fleur"
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In 2010, Bang Bang penned "rebelle fleur" on the left side of her neck. The tattoo is a French term that translates to "rebel flower."
Arabic Quote
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On the left side of her ribcage, the singer inked an Arabic quote that loosely translates to "freedom in God."
Gun
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Bang Bang shared the story of how Rihanna ended up with a gun tattooed on her rib cage with Stylecaster in 2013.
"The gun, actually, started two years earlier. She was in the shop to get a tattoo on her forearm; she didn't know what she wanted, she just knew she wanted a tattoo. I was like, "Get that gun!" She had a necklace on with a gun on it," he said, adding that he got out of bed in the middle of the night to do the ink.
"Never a Failure, Always a Lesson"
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Rihanna has "never a failure, always a lesson" tattooed just below her collarbone, though as Bang Bang told Stylecaster, it's inked backward so she can read it to herself in the mirror.
The tattoo artist credits this specific inking with helping him realize the influence his and Rihanna's creations have had. "You see girls now walking down the street with tattoos on their collarbones, and that's because of Rihanna!" he explained.
Small Cross
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Just across from her "never a failure, always a lesson" tattoo, the Fenty CEO inked a tiny cross that lays on her left collarbone.
Roman Numerals
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The businesswoman doesn't just pay tribute to herself on her canvas. She has a tattoo of her friend Melissa's birthday on her left shoulder in roman numerals. Rumor has it they did it together, and Melissa got her birthday date — friendship goals.
"Love"
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One of her simpler tattoos is the word love written in cursive on her left middle finger.
Skull and Crossbones
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The singer tends to put her own flare on her body work. Instead of just getting a standard skull and crossbones tattoo on her right angle, Rihanna gave the design a bespoke touch with a pretty red bow.
