It's official - face tattoos are a thing right now. Celebrities of all sorts are getting small (and not-so-small) tats on their famous faces...and we're not sure how to feel about it.
Celebrity tattooist JonBoy (who's inked Kendall Jenner, Zayn Malik, and two other celebs on this list) understands the seriousness of getting a face tattoo when fame depends on people knowing your face. He's actually experienced hate from fans after tattooing stars in uber-visible spots.
"I got death threats like, 'What did you do to my husband’s beautiful face!?' I was like, 'I made him like more bada**!'" He told The Standard that the whole celeb face-tattooing experience is "nerve-wrecking" for him. "This is a handsome young man right here! I don’t wanna f**k this up!"
Face tattoos are definitely high risk, but they can also be high reward. The right ink will add some edge to an otherwise sweet image, or give some glam to a performer who is known for pushing the envelope. That's why some celebrities cheat the system and fake their own face tattoos.
To find out which real and fake face-tatted stars we're talking about, read on.
20 Aaron Carter (Real)
Aaron Carter is having a hard time. His brother Nick (the Backstreet Boys one) filed a restraining order against him in October 2019 and they still aren't speaking. In the midst of this drama, Aaron got a 'Medusa' face tattoo.
"Medusa is my protector," he told ET. "If you want to come at me with some negativity, my Medusa will stare you in the eye and turn you into stone."
19 Kehlani (Real)
Kehlani actually has a couple of completely real face tattoos. The first one she got is a paper airplane on her left cheekbone. According to Refinery29, that tattoo reminds her to "stay above" the drama.
The second is some script on her right temple that reads "espiritu libre" - this means "free spirit" in Spanish. These bring Kehlani's total tattoo count up to at least 18.
18 FKA Twigs (Fake)
FKA Twigs is a musical artist who is known for pushing boundaries in terms of music and image. She's been spotted wearing face tattoos onstage at some of her concerts, and we're into this look! The lines and dots are designed to wash off, though...this look is not permanent.
She told Style.com that she was inspired to try fake face tats after watching an old John Galliano runway show from 1996.
17 Presley Gerber (Real)
Cindy Crawford's son has an entire career based on his image. It seems like a risky move to scribble the word "misunderstood" on the precious real estate that is his right cheek, but that's exactly what he did in February 2020.
When he debuted this bold new ink on IG, the response was largely critical. In response, he told his 29.7K followers "You don't know how I feel." Fair enough.
16 Amber Rose (Real)
We wish it wasn't, but Amber Rose's forehead tattoo is 100% real. It reads "Bash" and "Slash" but she's not promoting violence...those are her kids' names. The Daily Mail got Amber’s unexpected explanation: "After Kobe died... it made me reflect on my life. And I don't want people to be like 'Oh Kobe died and you went and got a tattoo.' But it was kind of like that." Erg.
15 Gucci Mane (Real)
In Gucci Mane's case, his face might have been the only space left on his body to tattoo. This man is COVERED. The ice cream cone on his cheek has been part of his image since 2017. As Gucci Mane's spokesperson told Rolling Stone: "It's a reminder to fans of how he chooses to live his life. Cool as ice. As in 'I’m so icy, I’ll make ya say Brr.'"
14 Ugly Worldwide (Fake)
Although she often sports them on her IG, and in campaigns for major fashion brands, model Ugly Worldwide (aka Jazzelle Zanaughtti) doesn’t have face tattoos. She might make one of the temps permanent one day, though.
Her views on pushing beauty boundaries are pretty clear: "Never conform. Society doesn’t make the rules, you do," she told Refinery29. "It’s your body, it’s your life, so do what you want with it!"
13 Amanda Bynes (Real)
Amanda Bynes shocked IG when she posted this selfie in December 2019. It showed a thin wobbly outline of a heart on her left cheek and was captioned with the alien emoji. Since then, she's posted more pics and been caught running errands by paparazzi. These pics seem to prove that this tattoo is here to stay.
It isn't the only bizarre choice she's made in recent years, so are you really surprised?
12 Trace Cyrus (Real)
Trace outdoes his siblings when it comes to tattoos. Even Miley (who has about 50 tattoos, according to Seventeen.com) doesn't outnumber her half-brother here. Trace is covered head-to-toe, including 7 on his face. Believe it or not, he regrets them!
"So sad I ruined my body with all these stupid tattoos," he tweeted in September 2019. "I'm going to look so stupid when I'm old. I'm such an idiot."
11 21 Savage (Real)
This tattoo caused some confusion when the public first caught a glimpse of it. Why? Well, it's because 21 Savage isn’t religious, but it looks so much like a cross. It wouldn’t be too unusual if it WAS a cross - cross tattoos are pretty popular (right, Biebs?). It’s actually a dagger on 21 Savage’s forehead, though.
Thefader.com reports that he got it in memory of his brother, who had the same tattoo.
