It's presumably a tribute to her mother, Mandy Teefey, who was born in 1976 and was just 16 years old when she gave birth to Gomez.
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Music isn’t the only form of art that Selena Gomez uses to express herself. Over the years, the pop star has accumulated a growing collection of tattoos as permanent mementos of dates, events, and people she’s encountered in both her personal and professional life since reaching stardom.
The “Rare” singer has tattoos of quotes, single words, symbols, dates, and more, and they’re all delicately placed on various parts of her body from her neck to her wrist to behind her ear. Most recently, Selena debuted a stunning rose tattoo that she got after paying a visit to Bang Bang Tattoo, a New York City tattoo studio owned by her go-to artist, Keith Scott “Bang Bang” McCurdy. The rose is bright pink with a dripping design and sits in the middle of her back, and it’s one of many matching tattoos that she’s gotten with a few of her friends and fellow celebs.
If you’re hoping to see a photo of every tattoo Selena has, curious about the meaning behind some of them, or if you’re just looking for some tattoo inspiration of your own, read ahead for a very quick guide to all 16 of her tattoos.
- Rose
In December, Selena debuted a brand new tattoo of a rose with a dripping stem in the middle of her back. The rose happens to be a matching tattoo that she got with her close friend and former Victoria’s Secret model Cara Delevingne.
“I was maybe 16 when I met her. She calls me ‘Rosebud.’ So, it’s a nickname,” the Rare Beauty founder said during an appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan. “I’ve always wanted a rose and now I got one and I love it.”
2) Rare
The singer kicked off 2020 with a tattoo of the word “rare” just below her right ear, a nod to her most recent album and now the name of her beauty brand.
3) Cross
In 2021, the singer got a cross tattooed on her collarbone, courtesy of NYC’s Bang Bang Tattoo.
4) Prayer Hands
Selena has a thigh tattoo of praying hands holding rosary beads that she got shortly before the 2019 American Music Awards.
5) Arrow
Along with her close friend, singer Julia Michaels, Selena got an arrow tattoo on her hand. “My arrow points to you forever,” she captioned a photo of the tattoo on her Instagram Story.
6) “1”
Selena has another matching tattoo of the number one that she got with one of her oldest best friends, Courtney Barry.
“The way you handle life’s most confusing moments is indescribable and graceful,” she captioned an Instagram tribute to her friend. “You are moved by the littlest stories to the most heartbreaking ones, you will give someone your perfume if they say you smell nice, you are freaking hilarious and always stand firm in your faith, a loving sister, an amazing friend and a beautiful daughter. You are the definition of FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made baby!”
7) “4”
That same day, the singer got a number four tatted on her forearm along with her four closest friends.
8) Semicolon
After 13 Reasons Why became a breakout show on Netflix, Selena, who executive produced the show, got a semicolon tattoo on her wrist with cast members Alisha Boe and Tommy Dorfman. Semicolon tattoos are a reference to Project Semicolon, a suicide prevention and mental health awareness platform.
9) “LXXVI”
It’s presumably a tribute to her mother, Mandy Teefey, who was born in 1976 and was just 16 years old when she gave birth to Gomez.
10) “Sunshine”
On her right foot is the word “sunshine.” It’s supposedly a nod to her grandmother, who she once called her sunshine in a tweet from 2016. And as Sunshine state of Florida.
Nana is my sunshine pic.twitter.com/cUENYnPuiU
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) March 19, 2016
11) “Love Yourself First”
Selena has a phrase in Arabic on the side of her ribcage. It can be translated to “love yourself first.”
12) “G”
The singer has a lowercase “g” underneath her ear. According to Cosmopolitan, the tat is in reference to her younger sister, Gracie, Gomez, George.
13) Music Note
A tattoo that needs no explanation is her wrist tattoo of a music note. According to Insider, it’s her first tattoo, and explained the story behind it to Access Hollywood in 2012.
“Everybody thought that it was a heart for some reason, but music is a big influence in my life,” she said. “I was named after a singer, I’m a singer and a lot of other personal reasons.”
14) Numbers
Selena has a tattoo just above her right elbow, but because it’s not always visible, it’s never actually been made clear what the design is. Still, some fans suspect the tattoo to be numbers, more specifically numbers making out the date of her kidney transplant.
15) “God Who Strengthens Me”
On her right thigh, Selena has the phrase, “God who strengthens me,” a reference to the Philippians 4:13 bible verse that reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
16) Another Date
If you look closely at Selena’s left hip, you can see a tattoo that appears to read “x31,” which represents the day she met one of her best friends, according to an interview with Refinery 29.
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