Angelina Jolie adds three huge new back tattoos to her collection: tacky or fine?

I’ve always been sort of meh on Angelina Jolie’s tattoos. You would have thought that after the years of laser treatments to remove the “Billy Bob” tattoo, Angelina would be tattoo-shy. But no, she just keeps adding to her collection. Jolie is still in Cambodia, directing a movie. And she was photographed over the weekend in some kind of tank top, thus we get to see that Jolie has added three more massive tattoos to the collection on her back.

Many people are mystified as to the significance of these new tattoos. I swear to God, one of them (about halfway down her back) looks like part of the periodic table. Let’s see… the tattoo on her left shoulder is the one she’s had for years, and it’s a Cambodian prayer. Some of the new tattoos are apparently yantra (sak yant) style, a traditional Buddhist tattoo style. People Magazine’s source says Jolie did get “three new tattoos and that they are Buddhist blessings for peace, love and a prosperous life.”

My favorite of all of Angelina’s tattoos? I have two favorites – I love the latitude/longitude lines of her children’s birth places, and I love her “Whiskey Bravo” tattoo on her thigh for Brad (William Bradley = Whiskey Bravo).

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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112 Responses to “Angelina Jolie adds three huge new back tattoos to her collection: tacky or fine?”

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  1. tifzlan says:

    I never noticed Angelina has stretched ears?! I love her even more now…

    • Esmom says:

      I think that earring creates that illusion, but I don’t think she does.

    • Bros says:

      I don’t think she does. I think that’s a two part earring.

    • M.A.F. says:

      pretty sure they aren’t. More than likely magnet backings.

    • Brittney B. says:

      Magnets or a two-part female/male set… but damn do I want those earrings now!

      (I had a similar pair made out of actual tiny screws, and it really looked like I had screws in my ears. But I lost the backings and am still looking for an illusion earring that works as well as they did. Not trying to masquerade as someone who stretches, though… plugs take discipline.)

  2. Bonnie says:

    I say go for it.

  3. SKF says:

    Who is number 7? Brad?

    I’m not big on tattoos personally but as far as they go these at least have meaning to them and some beauty.

    • Maya says:

      Yep Brad’s birth coordinates

    • Ramona Q. says:

      Yes #7 is Brad. Having watched a lot of Ink Master, I’d say the person tattooing those coordinates is awful at lettering.

      • Wiffie says:

        I could see Angie getting the type of tattoo done by hand, tapping a needle, like they do in Thailand. Which would explain the “poor” lettering that isn’t perfect like a tattoo shop.

      • Wren says:

        The tiger on her lower back was done by hand, so it’s not unlikely that some of her other tattoos were done in the same way. That’s probably exactly why they don’t look as “clean” as studio tattoos.

    • crtb says:

      When AJ was young and drunk she got a tat on her stomach. She hated it and covered it with a big X . (Her story not mine) She never shows it and I always wondered why she didn’t lazer it off.

      • Camille says:

        Maybe she has.

      • Miffy says:

        She’s also 40 (or almost) and has been pregnant twice, once with twins. I’d say that poor old ‘X’ tattoo with the latin phrase will never see the light of day again and I don’t blame her :/ Pregnancy is not sympathetic to tattoos.

    • Camille says:

      I agree. Plus its her body and she can do what she wants to it.

  4. Esmom says:

    I don’t know. At least she’s not sporting full sleeve tats. A few people I know have more ink than skin visible now and it worries me. Seems like it can’t be good for you. My other comment is you can honor your family or loved ones and/or express how much they mean to you in many other ways. Displaying all that on my body just isn’t for me, I guess.

    • Maya says:

      I think lots of people get a tattoo in memory of loved ones because it’s permanent (in the old days anyway).

      Yes there are lots of ways to tell and show your love towards loved ones and you just have to find the way you like best. For some it’s pictures, videos and for others it’s tattoos.

      • Esmom says:

        Agreed. My son and I were talking about how much tattoos have changed from back in the day. My uncle got a tattoo of “mom” with hearts and flowers when he was in Vietnam fighting in the war, feeling like he might never see his family again and wanting to do something significant to express his love for his mom. It seems like soldiers and bikers were the only people who had tattoos back then.

    • V4Real says:

      I don’t necessarily like all her ink but she didn’t get them for my approval. They really don’t look bad on her but the numbers on her upper are not done well. Even if she had it done by tapping a needle they could have done a better job. It almost looks like prison tats. IMO what makes AJ’s tats suits her is that they are one tone: not bright colors.

      And I agree that a lot of people get ink that has special meanings or dedicated to a loved one. Then again some people get a lot of ink because tattoos can be addictive. I know people and have friends who get tats just because they loved being inked. I have a couple myself and was fighting not to get more. My eyebrows are even tattooed on.

    • Goodnight says:

      How can it be bad for you? The layer of ink sits under several layers of skin. These days there’s hypoallergenic ink. People have been getting tattooed since the dawn of civilisation, and even back then when it wasn’t as safe it didn’t cause many problems. It’s safer than ever now that we know so much about hygiene and how to create inks that are in no way harmful.

      • Tessy says:

        I’ve heard that the skin of people with lots of tats stinks because it can’t breathe.

      • Neonscream says:

        Tessy, basic biology should tell you that what you’ve heard is nonsense. For a start skin doesn’t breathe. Body stank comes from sweat, ink doesn’t block sweat glands = tattoos have no bearing on stink.

    • Lisa says:

      Im always fascinated about how phenomenally judgemental and ill informed people can be when it comes to tattoos and also what other people do with their own skin/body. Like “I don’t mind if someone does a small butterfly on their shoulder but a dragon across their whole arm???” Pfff. I have been stuck in an immigration queue in Thailand with a white guy and his Japanese gf, and they were talking in Japanese, about my tattoos. I have full sleeves, yes, both arms. I also have 3 kids, and I happen to know Japanese even if I don’t look the part. At some point I said, real loud in english to my husband, “Boy, sometimes people can be so rude, like they think others are less intellegent than them and they make assumptions that in turn make them look stupid”. That shit petered down to whispers. My husband has both arms tattooed, he’s the kind of guy who has never done drugs in his life, he doesn’t drink, he’s in aviation…I own my own jewellery business, fine jewellery…we have three kids in international schools, we dive, we do MMA, we are pretty frikken normal, we just love our tattoos too. How is it so hard for people to comprehend that it really isn’t about someone else liking it? Lol. Ive even had people I know ask me, “Wow, does your husband approve?” when I first started on my first full sleeve…and I said, “Why? Should he?” I mean, he’s my husband, he knows me…and this is my body, not his. People who have opinions on tattoos generally don’t have any themselves or they are the kind of people who fear changing their mind on a daily basis and cant imagine others who arent the same way.

  5. GlimmerBunny says:

    They are not my cup of tee (don’t like big tattoos) but they look great on her. She has so many large ones, why not a couple more?

    • Aussie girl says:

      Yes that’s my thoughts as well. They really do look good on her. She has some really unique pieces.

    • Brittney B. says:

      Yes, they always look good on her, and they’re always unique. And she gets tattoos that you can add to later; these may have even been done by the same person who did the top left one, a protection prayer for Maddox. Cambodia changed her life and started her family, it makes sense!

      Hers inspired me to stick to black-and-white and only get one-of-a-kind pieces with personal meaning… but as tattoos get more and more popular, all my “unique” ideas have been taken by at least one other person. Only managed three so far.

    • Elisa the I. says:

      +1, they look good on her.

    • Lisa says:

      Plus, she has the traditional work, likely done with bamboo and these take many sittings or at least several hours upon hours of patient pain. I have a friend who had a similar one done in Thailand, he said it hurt like HELL but he has it across his chest, he’s English, but he’s a Muay Thai fighter…these prayer tattoos have great symbolism and power in them…I would love to get them but my tattoo style is leaning more towards my heritage and so I have mostly Japanese imagry 😀

  6. M.A.F. says:

    Eh. Her back, her tattoos.

    • tracking says:

      +1

    • AntiSocialButterfly says:

      Same. Not for me, but to each her own.

    • Yup, Me says:

      Exactly.

      Reminds me of Cher’s comment regarding plastic surgery “If I want to put my tits on my back, it’s nobody’s business but my own.”

      That quote reminds me of how much I love Cher. *sigh*

      • Nancy says:

        True. But when one is in the public eye such as Cher and Angie, they are targets for opinions good or bad. Comes with the profession they chose.

  7. Pinky says:

    Tacky

    -TheRealPinky

  8. Jag says:

    I like them, and even if I didn’t, it’s her body.

    What I don’t like is that earring. lol

  9. Maya says:

    Not a fan of tattoos but Angelina’s always looks great. I especially love her birth coordinates and ending with Brad’s coordinates – that should tell the gossip people that Angelina and Brad have no wish to adopt more children.

    And I hate it when people call others with tattoos tacky and trashy – it says more about the people judging someone based on tattoos than anything else. Tattoos may not mean anything to anyone else but it sure means something to the person who has them.

    PS: Angelina looks like she is gaining weight and looks beautiful – the tan makes her skin glow.

    • Brittney B. says:

      You’re right, she has some of that old glow back. She has always genuinely loved being there; the country inspired her humanitarian work, so it’s understandable she’d pay tribute in her favorite way.

    • Goo says:

      “And I hate it when people call others with tattoos tacky and trashy – it says more about the people judging someone based on tattoos than anything else. Tattoos may not mean anything to anyone else but it sure means something to the person who has them. ” Maya, you are doing just that, judging others, who think they are tacky and trashy…. And tan, she is still just as pasty white as she always has been. Healthy is not a word I would use in any sentence with Jolie.

      .
      To each their own… But why would anyone want to put bumper stickers on a Bentley? Nasty, IMO!

    • Tiki says:

      “And I hate it when people call others with tattoos tacky and trashy – it says more about the people judging someone based on tattoos than anything else.”

      This. My thoughts, exactly.

    • Tarsha says:

      I thought she looks like she has gained weight, too. Her arms look full in those photos.

    • Zwella Ingrid says:

      I don’t like tattoos or gauged ears, (even though we are pretty sure these are just magnetic earrings). Hers suit her better than most, and I think it’s cool that they have special meaning to her, but I still don’t care for them.

    • crtb says:

      I think there are people who have tacky and trashy tats. Whole websites dedicated to them. Isn’t a reflection of me. Some people made poor choices.

  10. D says:

    A friend of mine always says – “The only difference between tattooed people and non tattooed people is that tattooed people dont care if you are not tattooed.”

    • Maya says:

      Well said – tattooed people don’t judge people without tattoos so why are untattood people judging them?

      • Zwella Ingrid says:

        I don’t know that I’m judging necessarily, just because I don’t like them. I will confess that I back off of someone who has tattoos on their face, so I guess I do judge them pretty quickly.

    • Wren says:

      Haha that’s awesome! So true. I’m always amazed why tattoos matter so much to some people. It’s just ink, and one of the oldest forms of human expression through ornimantation. I don’t criticize your hairstyle or clothing, or how you decorate your house, so why is it suddenly okay for you to say you don’t like my tattoos and I’d “look better without them”? Well you’d look better keeping your opinions to yourself.

      • V4Real says:

        I get what you guys are saying, I like tats as well as have some. But it’s just opinions, that’s all. The same opinions that we read on this site that says I don’t like this celeb with blonde hair she looks better as a brunette. She looks better with a little weight or she looks so good now that she lost a few pounds. I don’t like her new nose, she looked better with her old nose. She has a really nice boob job or that boob job doesn’t look good on her. He looks better with a beard, he looks awful with that beard. Long hair looks good on him, he needs to cut that hair.

        Some of us may not like it when other people call tattoos tacky or classless but yet we don’t have a problem with them calling people tacky or classless for the way they dress. And perhaps we should all keep our opinions to ourselves but if we did then we probably wouldn’t be on this gossip site.

      • Wren says:

        I will postulate that it isn’t so much people voicing their opinions here, which is indeed the whole point of this place, but that we have encountered such voicing of opinions in real life.

        I’ve had people tell me all these things to my face, as I’m sure others with tattoos have experienced. THAT is what bothers me so much, not that people have opinions on the internet, but that at least in this case people carry over their vocal judgement to real life.

  11. Holmes says:

    To me, tattoos are similar to a fashion statement piece: you have to wear it, you can’t let it wear you. Her tattoos might well look tacky on someone else, but she pulls them off.

    • Marty says:

      Yep! Different tattoos look good on different people.

    • lucy2 says:

      That’s a good way to look at it.
      Some people’s I barely notice, others are very distracting, especially when someone is in a very fancy dress or something.

    • Wren says:

      Excellent way to put it. I love tattoos but often you see people whose tattoos are clearly wearing them and it’s not a good look. I’ve always loved Angelina’s tattoos, but I also realize that they (or something like them) would look terrible on me. I don’t look good with big bold jewelry, so big bold tattoos are right out. Mine are small and just simple lines, which wouldn’t necessarily look good on someone else.

    • Elisa the I. says:

      you nailed it.

  12. Naya says:

    Has there ever been a confirmed sighting of Whiskey Bravo? Coz I keep hearing it repeated sans pic evidence. Or is she the one who disclosed it?

  13. CornyBlue says:

    She looks amazing. She is amazing. Let her live.

  14. Grant says:

    Tacky, but her hair looks lovely. Also, she was dreadful in By the Sea. DREADFUL.

    • kay says:

      disagree, grant. i found both of them to be really great actors in their parts, and i was surprised. not only did i enjoy the movie, but man did i ever hate her character. she really, in my opinion, did a wonderful job portraying such a broken and numbed person. and i am still kind of blown away by how well brad acted. i did not know he was so good. it was a really pleasant surprise, to me.

      • V4Real says:

        “but man did i ever hate her character. she really, in my opinion, did a wonderful job portraying such a broken and numbed person.

        She really annoyed the hell out of me in that role. I guess that was what she was supposed to do. I couldn’t feel for her. Overall I didn’t like the movie. I will be honest and admit that if it wasn’t Brad and Angie I never would have watched it.

  15. Priya says:

    Looks good to me. Good for her.

  16. Kym says:

    Maybe it’s something she feels she needs right now to get her through some difficult times..or she just wants them. Whatever works, really 🙂
    Although always pretty, these recent pictures shows (to me) that she is looking a bit healthier. That is good news.

  17. Nikki says:

    I don’t think tacky is the right word: it’s more is it your thing, or not. (I laughed out loud at Kaiser saying they looked like the periodic table; I could’ve used one of those instead of getting my “D” in chemistry!). But when any woman gets this much ink, a glance at her back focuses on all the tats, rather than a graceful curve of skin. So it does send a statement of self ownership in a way, and she is a strong enough personality to own it. I don’t think it’s attractive, but I don’t think Angelina cares what anyone thinks, and that self possession is attractive!

    • Elsie Otter says:

      I agree that tacky isn’t the right word. Just because something is “alternative” does not mean it is tacky.

  18. Rainbow says:

    These earrings are everything.
    I like her hair lighter (as seen in the two last pictures) btw. They suit her more than the black. This color is lovely.

    • Maya says:

      I think black hair suits her when she has a tan and glows – after she gave birth to the twins and was promoting Changeling and Curious Case with Brad season.

      Lighter hair suits her when she is pale.

  19. Nancy says:

    Let’s go have lunch at Angie’s. She left the map to her house on her back. And what’s with the earrings. She has always traveled to the beat of a different drummer and it seems age isn’t going to change that fact. Somehow I can’t imagine little Viviane inked up, she’s so feminine, but definitely see them in Shiloh’s future. As I always say to each their own. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all the like clichés that may apply.

    • Ennie says:

      I think she wore those earring to a Maleficent Premiere?
      she wore the earring (I think it was one big earring and a smaller one) along a spiky bracelet. Very Rock&Roll.
      She chooses beautiful tattoos, but I think her back looked sexier with one side clear of them, and the tiger peeking up.
      Anyway, as someone said, it is her back.

  20. LadyJane says:

    Her back looks like a newspaper. In saying that, she can do no wrong in my eyes. But she does look like she feel asleep on a newspaper.

  21. serena says:

    Who cares, it’s her body and she can do whatever she wants. Also, they’re not tacky at all.

  22. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    So, so ugly. It’s her body, but you did ask.

  23. Pants says:

    I think they flow well together. I love tattoos. Have 8 myself.

  24. Desertrose says:

    Tacky, but it’s her skin.

  25. minime says:

    Where in Cambodia is she?? I’ll be there in a few weeks and as much as I like AJ it would be a bummer to not be able to see some of the beautiful temples because some movie is being shot in there :/

    Edited: Never mind, I just figured out…Angkor Wat obviously…pff..I hope it doesn’t interfere much with the normal atmosphere.

  26. FingerBinger says:

    Tattoos imo are fine as long as they can be covered. Face ,neck and hand tattoos are a negative for me.

    • mayamae says:

      I personally dislike tattoos and can’t imagine a situation in which I’d get one, but my cousin (a breast cancer survivor) has the distinctive pink ribbon tattooed on her hand. Her sixteen year old accompanied her, and honored her by getting the same thing.

  27. Colette says:

    She has another tattoo on her arm under Brad’s coordinates.I saw it a couple of days ago on IG,but I can’t find it now.Brad has two more tattoos one on his chest(Bob Dylan lyrics) and one on his stomach.

    • CLINIQUA says:

      @Collette

      The one on Brad’s stomach is Angelina’s birth date in Khmer (Cambodian language). 🙂

  28. platypus says:

    Are those tattoos really considered “massive”? I guess the trend of teeny tiny symbol tattoos must have changed people’s perceptions…

  29. Embee says:

    Very pretty. I love how they look.

  30. Jib says:

    I don’t like tattoos, my own kids are in their 20s, one’s an artist, and I guess my dislike rubbed off, because none of them have tattoos. My artist daughter has the most beautiful, glowing skin and I’ve always told her I’d hate for her to cover that skin with tattoos and if you want to be unique nowadays, don’t get a tattoo because you’ll be the only person without one.

    Actually, that is not true. My son went to an Ivy League school and most of the girls he went to school with either didn’t have a tattoo at all, or had a very small one. I do think it’s a socioeconomic thing. I teach high school and only a couple of the girls or guys in my AP class have tattoos, but most of the other students do. I hadn’t thought about that before.

    If asked by my students, I do advise them to wait until they are older. Very few people marry the guy they are dating at 17 or 18. Jolie is an adult, she can make a rational decision for herself, but most teens will go through so many changes and getting rid of a tattoo is a big deal, so I think they should wait.

    • V4Real says:

      Well please advise them to never tat a boyfriend’s or girlfriend name on their body. Even married people shouldn’t do it. Forever isn’t promised.

      • Jib says:

        I have already!!! That’s what I was really telling them. I never told a kid to not get a symbol that is meaningful to him or her!!

  31. Tarsha says:

    I’m not a tattoo fan, and would never ever have one, but to each his/her own. They look good on her.

  32. mkyarwood says:

    Can’t wait til number two is weaned and I can commit my body to tattoo experimentation. It will annoy my mother, and confuse my children ‘cos I’m kind of a no nonsense mom.

    • Lambda says:

      Pfft, my own mom is the other way around, she wants me to get tatted, maybe because she’d like me to be cooler. Anyway, I read the headline and I expected some large blocky affair, but I like Angie’s tattoos very much, they look like embroidery.

  33. Jen says:

    Seriously, we’re still being asked if tattoos are “tacky or fine?” And always specifically on women? FFS, they’re on her body and are her choice, which makes them FINE. Good lord.

  34. sdfsdf says:

    I think Angelina Jolie gets away with having tattoos like no one else. Which makes sense she does things and lives such a bad ass life that has no other comparison.

    • Yepisaidit says:

      Tom Hardy too. I wish they’d make a movie together. 😜 I wonder if they would get along 🤔

  35. Yepisaidit says:

    Her tattoos are neat. Brad’s are stupid but I bet you like his “tacky” tattoos. Lol

    My fav is the tiger but these are cool too. They are not supposed to look pretty. They have some meaning to them and think the monks actually choose which tattoos they get to give you based on your life. Something like that. I read about them but not too much.

  36. BrandyAlexander says:

    Generally speaking, I don’t mind tattoos. I even have one. Her’s specifically – I like the old ones, but not the new ones. Or maybe it’s the placement? I feel like they are too cluttered together now, but that’s just a matter of taste. However, I do love that they all seem to have a deep meaning to her, and it’s her body, she is the only one that needs to be happy with them.

  37. celtlady says:

    My husband was a war veteran, and a biker. He had many tats, and each one had special meaning. He also had the kindest & most giving heart, and did amazing things to help other veterans, and the homeless, and old people. He died tragically at age 45, (a year ago), and I am sad that we have no up close and clear photos of his tats. He got one while serving in the war, another was a Rose that he got on the day that my Mom died, he had one for his Dad who also died young. He often got ‘those’ looks because of his tattoos and being a biker, and it really pissed me off that people judged him without knowing a damned thing about him. I have no ink whatsoever, but I refuse to judge people who are inked. It’s nobody’s business but their own.

  38. ZombieRick says:

    So ugly but if she likes them then that’s fine.

  39. raincoaster says:

    At a certain point, if YOU were Angelina Jolie, would you not think “Prosperity prayer? Hmmm, no, I think I got this.”

  40. Laura says:

    I love her tattoos. I love her hair. I love her body. I love her face. I love HER.
    *sigh*
    Angelina Jolie forever has a little piece of my heart!

  41. Mew says:

    Those are “spells” or “prayers” for good luck, wisdom and safety. She obviously believes in them. Of course she’d erase Billy Bob after they got separates, why on earth would she have kept it? She didn’t erase other tattoos so why wouldn’t she take more? Those tattoos balance her back nicely.

  42. Minxx says:

    Ugh… another one…

  43. Brava says:

    Looks finished finally.

  44. Alexi says:

    She’s just always gorgeous…..what an amazing life and looks – alhough I would love to know how much surgery she’s had. I love ink….although I do not have any myself. She looks breathtaking. HOT!!!!

  45. Tredd says:

    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz *rolling my eyes* One more thing to keep Bougie Jolie from eating anything zzzzzzzzzzzzz