Angelina Jolie’s Tattoos, Their Placement Their Meanings
If there’s one thing that we adore in 2024, it’s beautifully done tattoos. we’re all over the Pinterest boards, looking at the beautiful tattoos and colors that people get permanently inked onto their bodies, and we always love it when we see a new tattoo on one of our favorite celebrities. While some celebrities get tattoos of quite random things that they just think look cool, there are also just as many celebrities who only get tattoos that have very special meaning to them. One celebrity who always gets tattoos that are incredibly meaningful to them is Angelina Jolie.
When Jolie came on to the scene as an A-lister, she was known for her edgy tattoos, with her body covered with dragons and homages to her then-husband Billy Bob Thornton. However, fast forward to 2024, and not only is her entire back basically covered in tattoos, but there are tattoos all over her body that represent her struggles, her life, and most importantly, her six beautiful children.
In total, it seems as though Jolie has over 20 tattoos on her body, ranging from small initials to cultural tattoos that take up most of her back. Most recently, at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, Jolie showed off her tatted skin in a totally backless dress.
This new outing got us thinking: do people know all the meanings behind her beautifully done tattoos? Well, get ready for a deep dive, because that’s exactly what we’re going to do. (However, we will not be discussing the tattoos that she covered up and/ or removed because there’s probably a reason why she did that, and we don’t want to hash up old memories.)
In honor of Jolie’s headline-making look, check out all of the tattoos she has on her body, including photos, placements, and meanings; below:
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‘Yant Phutson Sak Yant’ & ‘Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada’ Tattoo
One of Jolie’s biggest tattoos are the Yant Phutson Sak Yant and Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada tattoos along her back and spine. Thai monk Ajarn Noo Kanpai tattooed this on her, per Sak Yant Chiang Mai.
The top one is the Sak Yant Phutson, which is the highest talisman and multi-purpose. It is said to represent in acting with great mercy, along with good luck.
The bottom one is the Yant ViHan Pha Chad Sada is also for protection, but it also seems to represent the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire.
Swallow Bird Tattoo
Jolie debuted a new tattoo at the 77th Annual Tony Awards: a small bird atop her chest. It’s of a swallow, but it’s unknown exactly what the tattoo is paying homage to
Abstract Finger Design
In the summer of 2023, Jolie debuted middle finger tattoos (which you can see if you close-up). It’s actually, reportedly, an homage to her love of blades.
‘Stay Gold’ Tattoo
Earlier in 2024, Jolie debuted a tattoo on the red carpet for the opening night of The Outsiders. The cursive tattoo reads, “Stay Gold,” which pays homage to her time working on The Outsiders. Apparently, one of the characters, Pony Boy says “Stay Golden” in the play.
‘Roman Numerals’ Tattoo
Jolie has two rows of Roman Numerals on her left forearm as well: one that says the number 13 and another that is 13/5/1940. Per Style Craze, while 13 is considered an unlucky number, it seems as though she got it to show rebellion. As for the second row, it’s apparently a tribute to a Winston Churchill moment. Specifically, it honors the “blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech that he spoke on the same day.
‘A PRAYER FOR THE WILD AT HEART KEPT IN CAGES’ Tattoo
Under her elbow, on her left forearm, is the quote, “A PRAYER FOR THE WILD AT HEART KEPT IN CAGES.” Not only is it a subtitle of Tennessee Williams’ 1941 play Stairs to the Roof, but it’s also a prayer.
When Rolling Stone asked her about the ink, she said, “So it’s kind of a prayer for everybody to find their happiness, to break out … Anything that makes us comfortable, those things are cages around us.”
‘Buddhist Swirls’ Tattoo
On her left forearm, Jolie has Buddhist swirls, which, per Body Art Guru, is said to bring protection, blessings, and good luck.
‘W’ Tattoo
Okay, so many wonder about this tattoo. If you look closely enough at this photo, you can see a faint letter, which is either “W” or “M;” but both are homages to her late mother Marcheline Bertrand. However, Jolie confirmed it’s a “W” in an essay for The New York Times, she shared that the “W” on her hand represents the Rolling Stones track “Winter,” which is a song that reminds her of her late mother.
However, when it’s flipped over, it can be an “M,” which is her mother’s first initial.
‘Persian’ Tattoo
This tattoo on her right forearm is a line from Persian poet Rumi, which says, “There exists a field, beyond all notions of right and wrong. I will meet you there.”
‘Yant Kraw Petch (Diamond Armour)’ Tattoo
According to Style Craze, on the right side of Jolie’s back is a diamond armor tattoo, or a Yant Kraw Petch tattoo, which was also done by Ajarn Noo Kanpai. It reportedly represents protection, and/or Buddha’s virtues.
Per Sak Yant Chiang Mai, it also represents luck, virtue, wealth, and success in business.
‘Whiskey Bravo’ Tattoo
In 2010, Jolie got a tattoo on her upper thigh that reads “Whiskey Bravo,” which was in honor of Brad Pitt and her love of aviation.
‘H’ Tattoo
Near her left wrist, she has the letter “H” tattooed on her. Unlike many of her tattoos, we actually don’t know the meaning behind this one. However, she did tell Rolling Stone that “there are two people in my life who have this letter who I’m very close to and who I sort of love and cherish.”
‘Geographical Coordinates’ Tattoo
While many fans remember the iconic dragon tattoo with “Billy Bob” written on top of it, she got that removed soon after the divorce. Now, on her right arm, she has the coordinates of all of her children’s birthplaces and her ex-husband Brad Pitt’s birthplace (However, we don’t know if that will be removed in 2024).
‘Arabic Language’ Tattoo
Years ago, Jolie got the word “determination” in Arabic script, and according to Jolie it means “strength of will.” per Body Art Guru.
‘Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit’ Tattoo
The second tattoo on her abdomen area is the phrase “Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit,” which means “what nourishes me, destroys me,” according to Style Craze.
‘Cross’ Tattoo
Many remember Jolie had a blue dragon tattooed on her midriff, but she later covered it up with two tattoos. One of the tattoos is a blocky cross, which she got in 1995, a day before getting married to Johnny Lee Miller.
‘Khmer Script’ Tattoo
On the left side of her back, by her shoulder, Jolie got a Khmer Script over her Chinese symbol tattoo (which read “death”). This tattoo is actually a prayer tattoo in honor of her son, Maddox. According to Style Craze, this tattoo is supposed to protect him from bad luck. It reportedly means, “May your enemies run far away from you; If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always; Your beauty will be that of Apsara; Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.”
Per Sak Yant Chiang Mai, the five rows have different meanings. The first row prevents unjust punishment, the second is about protection, the third protects from curses, the fourth row symbolises good luck, and the fifth row is to gain charisma.
‘know your rights’ Tattoo
In 2004, she also got a tattoo on the top of her back reading “Know Your Rights,” which is a reference to The Clash song of the same name. (The Clash is her favorite band!)
‘The Bengal Tiger’ Tattoo
One of the first tattoos that Jolie got was of a Bengal Tiger on her back. Per Vanity Fair, she got this tattoo in 2004 to commemorate her Cambodian citizenship (and her commitment to wildlife conservation). It was done by Ajarn Noo Kanpai, who also blessed the tattoo. Plus, this tattoo covered the Ancient Dragon tattoo she had done years prior.
