Rebelle Fleur
An adorable 15: Rihanna's tattoo fetish sets her apart from boring pop stars
Rihanna's new ink reads "rebelle fleur" or rebellious flower
I remember in high school when my clique thought anyone with a tattoo was trashy. Then we decided one was OK, as long as it was kept to the oh-so-classy lower back or ankle. Then two was OK. Then three.
Now we just draw the line at looking like Bombshell McGee.
Even so, when I hear that Rihanna is newly showing off her 15th tattoo — two delicate words on her neck reading "rebelle fleur" or "rebellious flower", which may be grammatically incorrect — it's hard to imagine a conventionally pretty pop star with so much ink.
But all tattoos are not created equal. Would we be less surprised (and judgemental) if she had just one big statement work across her back? Some tattoos will always read cheesy (Chinese characters on non-Asians, barbed wire) or trashy (confederate flags, any character with huge boobs). But while I generally think tattoos are in the eye of the beholder, it is surprising that a mainstream pop starlet can get away with it.
But Rihanna hasn't been your typical teen queen in years. After her first two albums, she chopped off her long locks for an edgy bob, dropping the bronze Barbie look for something more high-fashion and sexy, and really committed her image to the "Good Girl Gone Bad" title. A dozen singles and five No. 1 hits later, it seems like it's going pretty well.
Rihanna's tats are generally small, and though some have sparked controversy — particularly the guns under her arms, others have started trends — including the "Shh..." tattooed on the side of her index finger, which was copied by Lily Allen and Lindsay Lohan. A scan of her tattoos — British tabloid Sun has thoughtfully catalogued each one — shows the vast majority of the 15 are tiny and, dare I say it, adorable.
So whether it's an addiction (as Rihanna has been known to call it) or just another way to make her look her own, everyone should probably get used to it. Compared to the other Hollywood addictions, this one seems pretty tame.
After all, when Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber have tats you know there's no stopping it.
