Things Lady Gaga loves: her fans, her music, her fiancé Michael Polansky, and from the looks of it, tattoos. As far we know, Gaga’s tattoo collection includes 24 unique designs—though she hasn’t publicly debuted one since getting her giant spine tattoo in February 2019. This means she could very well have some secret ones that the public doesn’t know about.
While Gaga’s massive net worth has gone towards many meaningful causes over the years, she’s also dropped a decent chunk of her dough on body ink. Her tats includes four tributes to family members, several nods to her fans, and lots of pieces celebrating her favorite icons, collaborators, and friends...as well as (possibly) an ex or two. From the dainty back tat she got with a fake ID at 17 to the massive shoulder piece she once considered her favorite, we’ve rounded up all of Lady Gaga’s tattoos and their meanings below. Here’s everything we know about her two dozen works of art.
The Cherub Tattoo
Back in 2012, during her Fame fragrance launch at the Guggenheim, Gaga got this cherub done on the back of her neck in front of thousands of fans, because why not? Tattoo artist Mark Mahoney later said the Renaissance-era angel was chosen as “a nod to her Italian heritage.”
The "Rio" Tattoo
The cherub isn’t the only ink Gaga has on her neck. She also has a tribute to Rio de Janeiro on the left side, with the "i" replaced by a cross. After she got the piece in 2012, she shared a pic on Twitter, writing, “R†O. Monsters, all over the world you continue to inspire me every day, you're like an endless ocean of possibilities.” She also added a tweet explaining how the tattoo came to be: “The font was derived out of the signatures of three fans, all from different neighborhoods and ages. Represents how music brings us 2gether.”
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The Monster Paw Tattoo
Because Gaga loves her fans so much, she got a giant “monster paw” on the left side of her back while visiting Hamburg in 2014. The singer later revealed it was her fave tattoo to date during a Reddit AMA. “It’s the Monster Paw, the symbol of my fans as they have held their paws high in the crowd every night since we became a community,” she told a fan who asked about her favorite tat. “I cherish it for its meaning, the loyalty, devotion, and strength we share. I wanted it engraved on me forever.”
The “Mother Monster” Tattoo
Gaga also has the words “Mother Monster” tatted on her ribcage in lace detailing, which she had done in 2014. She got this tat while in Manchester, but she decided to fly in LA-based tattoo artist Eric Gonzalez (who also did her monster paw) to do the honors.
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The “Little Monsters” Tattoo
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To complete her trio of fan tats, we have her “Little Monsters” tattoo. As a tribute to her fans in 2010, Gaga got the words “Little Monsters” inked in calligraphy near the inside of her left elbow, right by her Rainer Maria Rilke quote (more on that in a moment). On Twitter, she shared a picture of the tattoo with the words, “Look what i did last night. little monsters forever, on the arm that holds my mic.”
The Rainer Maria Rilke Quote Tattoo and “12-18-1974”
Back to the Rilke quote. While in Japan in 2009, Gaga got a quote from Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet inked on the inside of her left arm in a curling German script. As she told Interview, the quote translates to: “In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself that you would die if you were forbidden to write. And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer, and ask yourself, must I write?”
But wait, there's more! If you look veeeery closely, you can see the date “12-18-1974” written in the middle of Gaga's Rilke quote. The date honors her aunt, Joanne Stefani Germanotta, who died from lupus on that date at the age of 19 (and this is the same aunt that inspired Gaga’s Joanne album).
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The Joanne Tattoo
In 2016, Gaga got a second tattoo honoring her late aunt. After releasing her fifth studio album of the same name, Gaga got her aunt’s signature permanently inked on her left forearm. “Got Joanne tattooed on my arm in her actual signature,” Gaga wrote in her IG caption showing off the new ink. “My dad got one too. With an angel on his shoulder.”
The “Dad” Tattoo
While we’re on the topic of Gaga’s dad, let's talk about that heart tattoo on her shoulder. Back in 2009, Gaga inked the word "Dad" inside of a heart as a tribute to her pops, Joe Germanotta, after he had life-saving open-heart surgery.
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The Mouse Tattoo
Oh, and that mouse above Gaga’s left elbow? That’s a tribute to her younger sister, Natali Germanotta, whose nickname growing up was “Mouse.” The tat (which she got done in 2013) shows a cartoon mouse holding a sewing needle and thread as a nod to Natali’s career as a fashion designer.
The “Haus” Tattoo
Three years after getting that mouse, Gaga gave it an update in 2016 by adding the word “Haus” above it. The reason: to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Haus of Gaga (the team that’s helped bring her signature looks to life for years). It’s also the namesake of her beauty brand, Haus Labs.See AlsoThe Ultimate Review Of Tattly Temporary Tattoos - ExpertBeacon
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The “Tokyo Love” Tattoo
Along with their “Haus” tattoos, Gaga and her team also have matching tats that say “Toyko Love.” Gaga got hers on her left shoulder after collaborating with Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki on a bondage-themed photoshoot in 2009. As she explained to Interview, “I was honored to be the first American woman he’s photographed, and only the second pop artist, in the company of Björk. He signed the Polaroids ‘Tokyo Love,’ and the Haus got tattoos of his marking in celebration.”
The Daisies Tattoo
Right below her “Tokyo Love” tattoo: a cluster of three daisies, which Gaga has never explained the meaning behind.
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The Sexual Assault Survivor Symbol Tattoo
Next to her daisies and below her “Dad” heart, Gaga has a symbol that looks like a rose on fire. She got this one in 2015 after co-writing the song “’Til It Happens to You” for the 2015 documentary The Hunting Ground. The symbol was actually designed by one of the sexual assault survivors who joined Gaga onstage at the Oscars, Jackie Lin. About two dozen of the survivors got the symbol tattooed on their bodies before the Oscars, and Gaga joined them as a show of solidarity.
The Anchor Tattoo
Moving on to her ribcage. See that tiny anchor below her “Mother Monster” tat? She got that one done in 2012 while in Amsterdam during her Born This Way tour. She later tweeted pics of her new ink, writing, “New Tat. Stamp of His Mermaid.” At the time, fans floated the theory that the anchor was a tribute to her then-boyfriend Taylor Kinney, who she met when he appeared in her video for “You And I” (since she played a mermaid in the visual), but she never confirmed this.
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The David Bowie Tattoo
Below that anchor, Gaga has a portrait of David Bowie, which she got done just one month after he passed away in 2016 (and just one day before she performed a tribute to Bowie at the 2016 Grammys). “This was the image that changed my life,” she wrote on Snapchat, referring to Bowie’s Aladdin Sane album cover.
The Roses Tattoo
And below David Bowie: a cluster of roses, which also extend over to Gaga’s lower back. In 2008, before she made it big, Gaga got these roses—which were designed by Kat Von D—in order to blend in/kinda cover up another tattoo.
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The Treble Clef Tattoo
If you look very closely, you can see Lady Gaga’s first-ever tattoo: a treble clef on her lower back, which she got with a fake ID when she was 17. Apparently, her family did not react well. As Gaga explained to Kat Von D when she got her roses ink, “When I got the first one they had a heart attack. Then I had a heart attack because I felt bad for not telling them I was going to do it. We’re really close.”
The Peace Sign Tattoo
Gaga’s second-ever tattoo was a peace sign on her left wrist, which she got in 2006 after being inspired by the late John Lennon. During her acceptance speech for the LennonOno Grant for Peace in 2012, Gaga explained, “When I turned 19, I got [a peace sign] tattoo to remind me that if ever I was to gain the attention of the critical mass, even in an exponentially smaller way than John had, that I would commit myself to breeding compassion from my voice.”
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The Unicorn Tattoo
Long before getting her Joanne tattoo, Gaga celebrated her second album, Born This Way, with a unicorn on her left thigh, along with lyrics from her title track. During a radio interview with the Big Top 40 Show, Gaga said the tattoo was inspired by her childhood love of My Little Ponies. “I was obsessed with the idea of a creature that was born with something magical that sort of made them the misfit in the world of the stallion,” she said.
The ARTPOP Tattoo
Gaga also has an ode to her fourth album, ARTPOP, on her wrist—and, in fact, the tattoo was how she revealed the name of the album. She debuted the tat on Instagram in 2012 with the caption, “New ink new album.”
From: Cosmopolitan US