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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Beril Naz Hassan

What is Billie Eilish's new back tattoo and what does it mean? Fans left confused

Billie Eilish is known for her eye-catching style choices, velvet-smooth voice, and chart-topping hits.

Recently, the star shared a red-and-black inspired photo dump many interpreted as an extension of her new hairstyle rocking the same two colours.

As a part of the Instagram carousel of photographs, Eilish revealed a new tattoo she adorned her back with, leaving fans wondering what it signifies. 

Here is a look at what Billie Eilish’s back tattoo may mean, alongside the other tattoos she has. 

What does Billie Eilish's back tattoo mean?

Eilish’s back tattoo features a number of swirls and scratch patterns down her spine. 

The design, done by artist Matias Milan, spans from the top of her neck to her lower back.

The intricate series of thin, black lines left the singer’s fans confused about what the design meant. Before long, the theories started rolling in. 

Some Eilish aficionados guessed that the tattoo was a nod to the Stranger Things portal, while others joked that it must have been a design doodled by a child. 

Another social media user joked that it looked like the random lines they would draw in school when they were bored in class. 

The star has neither denied nor confirmed any of these theories as of yet.

What other tattoos does she have?

Eilish is no stranger to adorning her body with intricate designs. 

In 2021, she debuted a tattoo on her hand that depicted three fairies. Sharing it on her Instagram, she revealed that they were her “sweet little guardian angel fairies” from her favourite childhood book Fairyopolis. 

She also has a dragon tattoo on her thigh. She told Rolling Stone that she got in back in November 2020.

However, it wasn’t until her 2021 shoot with British Vogue that fans caught a peak of the design. 

And the singer’s first-ever tattoo is her legal middle name, Eilish, in a gothic font in the middle of her chest. 

The icon, whose full name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, got the tattoo the day after she won five Grammys as a first-time nominee.

Other celebrity tattoos that have caught attention this year

Billie Eilish isn’t the only one who’s made headlines with a new tattoo this year. There were a number of other celebrities who showed off their body art. 

Following the success of his Netflix docuseries, David Beckham revealed that he got “Posh” tattooed on his hand to honour his wife, Victoria Beckham.

Meanwhile, Kate Beckinsale got her second-ever tattoo, which was a depiction of cat eyes as a tribute to her late kitty, Clive. 

Plus, to celebrate their historic reunion and marriage, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got tattoos inspired by their love. While JLo’s was an infinity symbol with the pair’s names and an arrow shooting through it, Affleck opted for two arrows with the initials J and B etched in between. 

Another headline-making tattoo was Travis Barker’s. The musician, who is expecting his first child with reality star Kourtney Kardashian, got his wife’s eyes tattooed onto his thigh.

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