Justin Bieber knows how to express himself. Whether it's making music, designing his clothing brand DREW House, or coming up with his next tattoo idea, the Biebs is truly a creative mastermind. Justin Bieber's tattoos tell a lot of different stories about his life.
Bieber has been in the spotlight since age 13, so fans have watched his skin go from a blank canvas to a work of art with countless tattoos all over. Bieber has commemorated stages of his life through his ink. He's honored significant people — including ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez — and documented bible verses from head-to-toe. While some of his tattoos are simple reminders, like the owl on his arm that signifies wisdom, others have much deeper meaning.
Bieber got his first tattoo — a seagull inked on his lower stomach — when he was just sixteen years old. He told GQ in February 2016 that it's from a book he read as a kid about “a seagull who wanted to be more than just a seagull.”
Over the years, Bieber has tattooed everything from angel wings on his neck to a photograph of his mom on his forearm. These 20 Justin Bieber tattoos really tell the story of his life.
Bieber first showed off the ink in May 2016. Since he's outspoken about his Christian faith, the design was self-explanatory, but tattoo artist Jonathan "JonBoy" Valena explained it to E! News anyway, sharing, "It was a representation of his faith in Jesus and his journey with finding purpose in God."
Bieber revealed the word "Forever" on his neck in December 2019 on IG. The tattoo seems to be a nod to his wife, Hailey Baldwin, who has "Lover" tattooed on the same part of her neck, which she had gotten done months prior. Both of the tattoos were done by artist Dr. Woo.
Bieber debuted his "Purpose" tattoo above his belly button in October 2015, right around the time he announced his album of the same name.
Just as Bieber has a piece of artwork for his Purpose album, he also has one dedicated to his 2012 record Believe.
"Moms always watching," Bieber shared of his tattoo in July 2013.
Bieber explained the meaning behind this tattoo to Pop Candies TV in May 2015, saying: "It's 'When you're low, lift. Basically, when your head is low, lift it up because you never want to live in shame."
Bieber got one of his most meaningful tattoos in July 2015 in honor of his close friend's daughter Georgia Veach who was born with a rare brain disorder called lissencephaly. "I got that for him just to support him and let him know I have his back," Justin explained to GQ in February 2016.
During Bieber's February 2016 GQ interview, he also spoke about the bold ex on his arm: "X means unknown. They might know the shell of me or the artist, but not necessarily me."
"This is my ex-girlfriend," Bieber told GQ, confirming the speculation the dark-haired angle ink was Gomez. "So I kinda tried to cover her face up with some shading, but people still know."
One of Bieber's back tattoos is lifted right out of the bible: "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
The warrior on Bieber's back is in honor of his grandpa. "My grandfather always took me to the stratford culliton every friday night this is for u Grampa," Bieber wrote in January 2013, referring to a junior ice hockey team in Canada.
Tattoo artist Bang Bang, who did the artwork for Bieber, explained to E! News in October 2017: “We added two angels, one on each side. Below each one, they’re dominating the evil. It’s symbolic of Gothic art and the struggle between the light and dark, the good and the evil, yin and yang. I wanted to make sure we had contrast in subject matter and imagery. The thing that made the most sense to me was a tattoo describing his spirituality. The animals he has, his spirit animals as well as the angels, his guardians. I was trying to make it super meaningful and not scattered.”
Bieber's thigh tattoo means exactly what it says. "I look back at a lot of things in my life, mistakes, insecurities, and although I have felt I've wasted a lot of time it also makes me want to be better faster!" he captioned a picture of the ink in June 2017. "For me personally I want to work everyday to be BETTER AT 70."
The word "Love" is written in Gothic script down Bieber's arm.
No explanation needed, really.
Bieber has his mom, Pattie Mallette's, birthday, April 2, 1975, tattooed on his chest in roman numerals.
Bieber has the words, along with two guns crossing, inked on his bicep.
Some fans believe Bieber's crown is a tribute to Michael Jackson, who was known as the King of Pop.
Most of Bieber's life revolves around music, so it's no surprise he paid tribute to his career and passion with a tattoo.
Bieber has angel wings tattooed on the back of his neck, another nod to his faith.
