When it comes to wing tattoos, there is a whole world to explore and experiment with. Wing tattoos cannot be categorized on a list since they can be drawn by taking inspiration from any winged bird, insect, or even mythical creature. Some of the common examples include butterfly wings, eagle wings, dragon wings, angel wings, and devil wings. Wherever they are inspired from, wing tattoos usually mean freedom and one’s ability to be liberated. They could also be related to spirituality and represent guardian angel that stands for protection. It could also mean transformation or a major change in life and well, who is a better example of constant big changes in life than celebrities? Wing tattoos are extremely popular among celebrities and if you are one to love them, this list of wing tattoos of different celebrities might just be the right way to find your tattoo.
- Justin Bieber’s Wing Tattoo on Neck
Justin Bieber’s wing tattoo became the talk of the town back in 2016 when he posted about his new tattoo on Instagram captioning his picture as “Fly away with me”. Later, in an interview with GQ, he talked about how it was really uncomfortable to get this tattoo. He said, “It took about three and a half hours, almost four hours. It was mad uncomfortable.” He also posted another picture of this tattoo in a suit, captioning it as “New tattoo”, but never talked about what it means to him.
- David Beckham’s Wing Tattoo on the Back
David Beckham is a big-time tattoo enthusiast and we all know that, but we also know that they are not just any random tattoos. All of Beckham’s tattoos are dedicated to someone important in his life. He has a lot of tattoos with wings as a part of them but his most famous one of them all is this ‘Guardian Angel’ tattoo on the back. Originally the tattoo did not have wings and featured a man with his head bowed and his arms outstretched. However, he didn’t want the tattoo to look like the crucifix. “The figure should be diving, representing the idea of a free spirit” and that is why the figure tattooed was bald. Later the majestic wings were added to complete the look.
- Zayn Malik’s Wing tattoo on the Chest
Zayn got a pair of wings added to his tattoo collection in 2013. Accompanying the pair of wings is a rep lip stain tattoo in the center which people inferred as ‘Angel’s lips’ that he got for one of his girlfriends. This was just speculation and nothing was confirmed by the singer himself.
- Machine Gun Kelly’s Wing Tattoo on the Chest
The singer claims that they got a huge guardian angel with wings tattooed when he was 16. According to him, that was the time when he started believing in god. In an interview with ‘The Drop’, he said, “I don’t think my guardian angel is a fucking lady in a fucking robe singing as she falls gracefully from the sky”. So rather than opting for a typical angel figure, Kelly chose an angel in tank tops and baggy jeans.
- Ariana Grande’s Wing Tattoo on the Ear
Ariana’s wing tattoo on the ear came into notice on august 26 for the first time in 2019. This minimal black ink tattoo is definitely one of our favorites. She has never talked about what the tattoo means to her specifically but it sure is one of the most aesthetic of her tattoos.
- Shawn Mendes’s Wing Tattoo on the Shoulder
One of the latest tattoos in Mendes’s collection is a single-wing tattoo right below the neck. The tattoo is only on one side of the neck and came into a highlight in April 2022 when he posted about it on Twitter. The meaning behind the tattoo is still unclear.
- Harry Styles’s Wing Tattoo on the Chest
Styles has a pair of swallows on his chest, facing each other that he got in 2012. He said that it had a very special meaning for him. Swallows are symbolic of love and travel and harry said just the same. During an interview with Us Weekly, he said, “I like that kind of style of tattoos, like the old sailor kind of tattoos. They symbolize traveling, and we travel a lot!”. He also claimed that it really hurt to get that tattoo on the chest and anyone who claims that it doesn’t hurt is lying.
- Johnny Depp’s Wing Tattoo on the Hand
Johnny Depp is one of the stars who mostly love basing his tattoos on the roles he plays in his films. One of his tattoos is a crow tattoo with widespread wings like the crows have when they are in attack mode. The tattoo could be a tribute to the movie ‘The Crow’ and he got tattooed in 2012 to show his love for the movie. It could also be in remembrance of Brandon Lee who died on the set shooting for the movie ‘The Crow’. It can also be seen in the headdress that Depp wears as Tonto in “The Lone Ranger” as the crow theme blends in nicely with the bird imagery of Kirby Sattler’s painting of “I Am Crow. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Depp said, “It just so happened Sattler had painted a bird flying directly behind the warrior’s head,”. “It looked to me like it was sitting on top. I thought: Tonto’s got a bird on his head. It’s his spirit guide in a way. It’s dead to others, but it’s not dead to him. It’s very much alive.”
- Ashley Tisdale’s Wing Tattoo on the Arm
Tisdale showed her fearless tattoo with a wing at the People’s Choice awards in 2011. Wing tattoos in general could mean freedom and an ability to liberate oneself. But Ashley adding the word ‘Fearless’ gives it a whole new meaning. It could mean that she is not fearful of taking a risk and spread her wings for a risky flight. These are just a few theories picked from her interviews since the artist hasn’t said anything clearly about the meaning.
- Kendall Jenner’s Wing Tattoo on the Shoulder
Yes, it was a faux tattoo, but Kendall did not miss creating the buzz with this full-sized tattoo of hers. Jenner posted about her tattoo on Instagram captioning it, “if you’re a bird, I’m a bird. @badwoodx does em’ niicceee! #ItsRemovable”. It extended from her shoulder blade to her arms and looked absolutely majestic.
- Demi Lovato’s Wing Tattoo on the Back
The singer got an impressive artistic tattoo on her back in 2019 that shows an angel being carried by doves. She did not comment on her tattoo but her tattoo artist posted a picture of the tattoo explaining its meaning. He captioned the picture, “We created this piece together to represent a rebirth of the spirit,” he wrote. “The dark wings represent the bad times, their fading away is how she moved forward. The light from within represents the inner strength necessary for the change and the doves, pulling her up, symbolize the reach of a higher state of consciousness.”She got the tattoo from Alessandro Capozzi at a private studio in downtown L.A.
- Billie Eilish’s Wing Tattoo on the Hand
Eilish’s hand tattoo first came into the spotlight on 28th September 2021 when she walked the red carpet with her brother and director for the ‘No Time to Die world premiere and the fans noticed a fairy wing. One month after that, she posted about this tattoo on Instagram making it clear that it’s three of the guardian angel fairies, from one of her favorite childhood books, “Fairyopolis” by Cicely Mary Barker. She described the tattoo as “sweet little guardian angel fairies”.
- Pete Davidson’s Wing Tattoo on the Back
Pete got this tattoo on April 21, 2019, featuring a head-covered angel that has a lit-up cigarette in one of its hands. He also had a person in a hoodie on the other side of the angel and it could represent two sides of the personality. Above the angel, eagles are flying with their wings spread wide by another artist. Pete has not specifically commented on the meaning of the tattoos himself.
- Rihanna’s Wing Tattoo under the Chest
The singer got her latest tattoo in London’s Soho area, which shows the Egyptian goddess Isis, who was worshiped as the ideal mother and wife. Ri got this tattoo as a tribute to her grandmother who she was really close to and who recently passed away after battling cancer. Rihanna captioned the picture where she showed the tattoo as “Goddess Isis – Complete Woman – Model for future generations – #GRANGRANDOLLY – always in and on my heart #1love.”
- Nicole Richie’s Wing Tattoo on the Back
Richie is well known for starring with her childhood friend Paris Hilton in the show ‘A Simple Life. She got a pair of angel wings tattooed on her back but they aren’t very huge. They are three to four inches long and colored in various bright hues.
- Rita ora’s Wing Tattoo on the Ankle
This cute and classy version of angel wings is rocked by the British pop star who flaunts them well in heels or Jordans. She got the tattoo around January 2013 and in an interview talked about how they are an art form to her. Her exact words were, “Tattoos to me are really kind of important,”. I think they’re just beautiful. I love tattoos. I think they’re another form of art.”
- Travis Barker’s Wing Tattoo under the Chest
Travis Baker got a pair of angel wings to pay tribute to his divine love for music. That is the reason that the angel is placed right above the boombox. Baker has not talked in particular about it except it represents his dedication to music.
- Adam Levine’s Wing Tattoo on the Arm
Adam Levine has a lot of wing tattoos, one with the mermaid on the back and the other one on the arm. These are a majestic pair of wings but Adam has given no statement on their significance in particular.
- Post Melone’s Wing Tattoo on the Neck
Post Melone has an eagle tattoo on the left side of his neck. Although Melone said that he got most of his tattoos out of insecurities he had growing up, the eagles are representative of courage and power.
- Britney Spears’s Wing Tattoo on the Lower Back
This was one of her first tattoos of Britney in the early 2000s. It was a small fairy that she got on her lower back. Some people speculate that it could be a religious tattoo and others say, it’s just because of her wish to spread her wings and be free, nothing is confirmed.
