Lena Dunham is a young American Actress, Writer, and a director in both film and television. Lena became famous through the HBO television series Girls (2012–2017), for which she also received several Emmy Award nominations. Dunham has been the part of several magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and Rolling Stone. Lena is a huge fan of getting inks on her body. Let’s explore all her inks and the meaning that they hold.
At the time, it was like, “My friend Marina has tattoos, and I’m gonna get one.” I sometimes want to make a book of every tattoo I wanted to get before I actually got a tattoo, because there were so many awful ideas and concepts. But once I did it, it got totally addictive. I’d say I had a very active tattooing period from 17 to 21, and since then, I’ve gotten a few tiny things.
1. ‘Ferdinand the Bull’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a Ferdinand inked on her upper arm.
Meaning: Lena got this tattoo for the love of Children’s book, THE STORY OF FERDINAND, which tells the tale of a bull who prefers to sit and smell the flowers rather than fighting in the wild. The tattoo holds an important lesson for her. She got this ink done at the age of 19 years.
She says, ‘Just be yourself and don’t gore anyone with your horns if you don’t feel like it.”
“I have tattoos from children’s books all over my arms and torso,” she told The New York Times. “The biggest one is of Ferdinand the bull, which Elliott Smith also had, but his was a different page. What a good message that book has! Just be yourself and don’t gore anyone with your horns if you don’t feel like it.”
2. ‘Writing’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLnSpWVFb21
Tattoo: Lena has writing on her back.
Meaning: She shared her tattoo on her Instagram on Sunday, October 15, 2016, which showed The Odeon written on her left butt cheek. She got this in the honour of the famous restaurant in New York City. The new design piece was inked in an orange colour to match the neon logo of the original restaurant.
3. ‘Skater’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLnQ9giFyCp
Tattoo: Lena has a skateboarding girl inked on her stomach. This ink is inspired from the first female skater, Laura Thornhill. She got this ink done to cover the scar she received while the treatment of Endometriosis.
4. ‘Teardrop’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a teardrop inked on her index finger of the left hand.
5. ‘Writing on finger’ Tattoo
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Tattoo: She has another ink which reads HOLLYWOOD FOREVER written across her fingers.
6. ‘Portrait’ Tattoo
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Tattoo: Lena in her Instagram post had revealed this tattoo which shows a little lady.
7. ‘Rose’ Tattoo
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Tattoo: Lena has a huge rose inked on her upper left thigh. In an Instagram revelation post, she had said that all these inks give her sense of control and ownership of her body, which is otherwise beyond her control.
8. ‘Kewpie Dolls’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has Lena Dunham has a tattoo on her right hip of two mermaid-tailed Kewpie dolls who are scooping a bucket of tears. She got this ink done from by Robert Bonhomme in June 2017. It is inspired from the drawings Kewpie illustrator Rose O’Neill.
9. ‘Love Me Heart’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV-2wBSlO7E
10. ‘Ornamental Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: In the year 2017, Lena Dunham decided to cover up the old “Staunch” tattoo on her right wrist and got this done with the ornamental cross-shaped design.
11. ‘Diamond’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena Dunham has a drawing of a diamond on the inside of her middle finger.
12. ‘SICK’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvx7k-GA46J/
Tattoo: In order to embrace the illness that she has been suffering, Lena got SICK permanently inked on the back of her neck.
13. ‘Writing on Elbow’ Tattoo
Tattoo: She has another ink on inside of her left elbow which reads, “Be Yourself”.
14. ‘Dollar Sign’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On her left middle finger, Lena has a dollar sign inked.
15. ‘Too Beautiful to live, Too Wild To Die’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena Dunham has a handwritten tattoo on her right upper arm which reads “Too beautiful to die, Too wild to live. This quote is an inspiration from the 1998 HBO movie Gia which was about the rise and fall of supermodel Gia Carangi, who had died due to AIDS and drug addiction.
16. ‘Rosary’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a rosary inked on her right ankle along with pills inked on her foot.
17. ‘Cat’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has the portrait of her Sphynx cat inked on her left shoulder.
18. ‘Dog’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a tiny dog face inked on the left side of her body.
19. ‘Staunch’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a staunch inked on the right side of her bikini line on her right upper thigh.
20. ‘Symbols’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena’s left forearm consists of five tiny symbols inked all together.
21. ‘Jewelry’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRKS9MHgFoT/
Tattoo: Lena has a jewelry Warrior piece inked under the chest which was done by a female tattoo artist
22. ‘RIP JUDY’ Tattoo
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmf2EorF-lB/
Tattoo: Lena has RIP JUDY inked on her right rib cage.
Meaning: Lena after her decade long struggle with endometriosis, she got a hysterectomy done.
24. ‘Pair of Houses’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has a pair of houses inked on her back.
25. Lena’s Mother’s Name Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has the name of her mother Laurie inked on the middle finger of her right hand.
26. ‘Chest’ Tattoo
27. ‘Thigh’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Lena has the quote ” To the cross, to the prison, to the grave, to sky, inked on her left thigh.
