Tattoo Designs and Meanings

The Hidden Meaning in Those Tattoo Designs

It’s not just a declaration of personality or an indication of strength and masculinity. Tattoos nowadays take a new form, and that form entails a deeper, complex, and more purposeful meaning. Tattoos are now able to convey messages about a person’s life, personality, views, perceptions, and even motifs, and these symbols do not always bear negativities such as drugs and violence. Let’s take a look on the tattoo-machine creations and the different meanings they convey.

1. The Teardrops

Stereotypically, the teardrop tattoo symbolizes death and imprisonment. The teardrop design is probably well known due to the Kiaran Stapleton case. Kiaran Stapleton was accused of murdering of Indian student Anuj Bidve. Two days after the shooting, Stapleton visited a tattoo shop and asked to get a teardrop tattoo design. The tattoo shop staff informed Stapleton that the teardrop tattoo below the eye could mean that the wearer had killed someone.

Teardrop tattoos may, indeed, indicate death, but it is now always the case. Unfilled tears usually signify a friend’s death. It could also indicate mourning as in the case of Amy Winehouse, who was said to have mourned her husband’s imprisonment.

1. The Anchor

The anchor, which usually denotes a “retro-romantic” type of notion, shares a significant place in history. During the 1800s, 90 percent of men who served in the British Navy had tattoos. The tattoos were used to identify drowned sailors. According to sociologist Tony Lawrence, the tattoos also show off an individual’s membership to a particular group.

The meanings of the anchor tattoos greatly differ, and they usually depend on the specific ship or era. For example, it could signify the soul of a departed sailor, the crossing of the equator, and hope. Dr. Matt Lodder, an art historian at Reading University, says the anchor has become a tattoo icon, much like the swallow and the broken heart.

1. The Swallow

Swallows are never far from shore so their sighting was a sign that land was near. Thus this bird has become a symbol for achievement and hope for sailors. There are other different interpretations of this design as well. A design of two swallows indicates 10,000 nautical miles of journey, while a swallow with a dagger pierced through its heart signifies a friend lost at sea. Bird designs tattooed on the neck or hand usually signify jailbird.

1. The Dolphin

The dolphin symbolizes prosperity and also duality—dolphins can live in water and also breathe air. Dolphins can also mean that we all live in two worlds simultaneously. Probably the most famous personality exhibiting the dolphin design is Samantha Cameron. Tattoos are not only worn by criminals, whores, adventurers, and soldiers; they are worn by business executives and even a prime minister’s wife.

1. The Cat

Cat tattoo designs may indicate something dark. According to the work of Danzig Baldayev, a prison guard in St. Petersburg, cats can symbolize a thief’s pedigree. Single cats usually indicate that the thief worked alone whereas several cats joined altogether mean a group or gang. Baldayev documented the body art of inmates and collated his observations in his work entitled Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia.

1. Codes that are Hidden

Hidden codes usually indicate something that belongs to a gang or a group who is up to no good. But authorities can be deceived by these. The code AFFA is perceived by authorities as something belonging to the Hell’s Angel group, which is considered as an organized crime syndicate, but the AFFA code means “Angel Forever, Forever Angel.” Codes such as VL might stand for “vida loca” instead of a name of a gang. Hidden codes are definitely quite deceiving, and the meaning depends on the bearer himself or herself.

1. The Butterfly

Butterflies usually symbolizes the soul, and this is true for many cultures in the world. The Greek culture symbolizes the soul in the form of butterflies. But butterflies also signify transformation or change which is very much reflective of the butterfly’s life cycle, as it begins as a worm then transforms into a beautiful winged creature. A lot of people think butterflies are perfect designs for girls, but don’t be fooled; some tough men also sport the butterfly design, and some even choose one of the daintiest butterflies,the small copper.

1. The Dreamcatcher

Famous celebrities such as Miley Cyrus and Zac Efron are seen to sport this tattoo. The dreamcatcher is a symbol derived from native American mythology. Native Americans believe the dreamcatcher can protect infants from having bad dreams by offering a protective cover while letting the good pass through. In the world of Hollywood, we can say this protects them from bad elements such as scandals and stalkers and allow the flow of good matters such as cash and fame.

1. The Spider Web

Traditionally, spider webs placed on shoulders or elbows indicate a person being caught in prison. Other designs related to prison include numbered tombstones, clock faces with no hands, and prison wall bricks falling outward.

1. The Clown Face

The clown face is another design that indicates being caught. According to Canadian Authorities, this design can mean “Laugh now, cry later” or “Play now, pay later,” emotions experienced by people caught in customs with a bag full of illegal goodies.

Does that mean a person with a teardrop tattoo had killed someone, or a person with a spider web tattoo was in prison? Not necessarily, for the real meaning behind the tattoo is in the mind of the creator. Sometimes, as the wearer would just tell you, it simply looks cool.

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