Melanie Jayne Chisholm, known professionally as Melanie C or Mel C is an English songwriter, singer, dancer, entrepreneur, actress, and fitness model. She is also one of the Spice Girls and known as Sporty Spice. Over her career, she has earned a large number of awards and accolades.
Melanie is also a fan of getting inked and has a number of tattoos on her body. Let us take a look at them and the meanings behind them.
1. Band Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a band tattoo on Melanie’s right upper arm.
Meaning: Melanie’s band tattoo is a symbol of allegiance to one’s tribe. It is also the first tattoo that she got. She explained, “The first one I ever got was the band around my arm, it’s just so very 90s, it just looks really dated.” She continued to share her feelings about her tattoos, “When I saw myself photographed and they were airbrushed out, it just looked so odd, they’re very much a part of me so I’ve grown to love them”
2. ‘Japanese Characters’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There are two Japanese characters tattooed on her right shoulder.
Meaning: The Japanese characters, “女力” is pronounced as “On’nadjikara” and translate to, “Female Power” in English.
3. Feather Tattoo
Tattoo: Melanie’s right bicep has a tattoo of a feather on it.
Meaning: The tattoo of the feather adds a bit of spice to her band tattoo and represents freedom and courage.
4. Hand Tattoo
Tattoo: The singer’s right hand has a star tattooed on it near her thumb. There is another star tattooed on her body as you will soon find out.
5. Writing Tattoo
Tattoo: The inside of both of Melanie’s wrists has some words tattooed on it in the Tibetan language.
Meaning: The word on her right one represents Happiness and the one on her left represents Love.
6. ‘Star’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is another star tattooed on the inside of Melanie’s left forearm.
Meaning: The tattoo of the star on her forearm represents the name of her first solo album, Northern Star, and she got it as she thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate her debut solo work.
7. Cross Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a tattoo of a Celtic Cross tattooed on the left upper arm of the singer.
Meaning: The Celtic Cross on her arm represents her religious views and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to save humanity. The Celtic Cross design first emerged in Ireland, France, and Britain in the Early Middle Ages and is also the symbol of the natives that represents strength and compassion.
8. ‘Bird’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Melanie’s back has a tattoo of a bird flying upwards. There are flames seen on the bird’s body as well.
Meaning: The tattoo of the bird on her back is a tattoo of a Phoenix. The phoenix is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and resurrection as it is a bird that rises from its own ashes. Melanie’s phoenix tattoo represents her rebirth and career after she left the Spice Girls and pursued her solo career. She said, “That symbolizes a new beginning for me with my solo album and a feeling of independence. I’ll always be Sporty and stick with the band, but I’m now also doing something that’s just about me as well – so that tattoo is special”
9. ‘Flower’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a symbol tattooed on Melanie’s back, on her waistline along with a Lotus flower below it.
Meaning: The tattoo of the symbol on her back is another Tibetan writing that represents being Grounded. The Lotus along with the symbol on represents purity and personal growth as it is a flower that even blooms in mud.
10. ‘Angel’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The word, “ANGEL” is tattooed on Melanie’s stomach.
Meaning: The tattoo of the word, “Angel” on her stomach represents her grandparents, whom she considers her guardian angels. Melanie talked about her tattoo and revealed that her Grandparents had died and she had to go with the Spice Girls and had to sacrifice her family and mourning for her career. She said, “Sometimes, it could be quite magical because even though I’d be on stage with a whole host of other people, I was still able to feel a kind of solitude up there. You can be singing a little verse in front of tens of thousands of people, but you can still feel alone. I knew my granddad loved ‘Viva Forever’ and sometimes, when we sang it on stage, I felt he was there and I was singing it just for him. Both my grandparents had been ill with cancer for a long time, so we knew we were going to lose them, but it was still really sad. It was awful to be away from home, but luckily the girls were there. They really looked after me.” She added, “I always feel like they’re my guardian angels looking after me, so I wanted something to signify that I still think about them.”
11. ‘Dragon’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a tattoo of a large traditional Chinese Dragon on the side of her right leg, a little above her ankle.
Meaning: The tattoo of the dragon on her leg represents the male and also symbolizes power, wisdom, and brings good luck. Melanie talked about her dragon tattoo and revealed, “In the Chinese tradition, the Phoenix(on her back) represents the female and the Dragon represents the male because before I was a little out of balance”
