Angelina Jolie is a world-famous actress. Known for being one of the most beautiful women in the world, many people were surprised when she first started getting big and bold tattoos. Credited for starting the trend in Hollywood to get love quotes inked on to declare love interests permanent, her body art spring-boarded a major media story published on May 31st, 2012 about other star celebs who (like her) have colorful tales to share about being tattooed.
In a new story titled, “Inked In Infamy“, writer Ira Kantor of the Boston Herald reminisced, “The original girl with the dragon tattoo inked an homage to her then-husband, actor Billy Bob Thornton, only to remove the dragon once the pair split. Apparently Jolie, who now experiences domestic bliss with Brad Pitt and their brood of young ones, neglected to consult Johnny Depp when getting this tat.” According to the major media news source, her co-star in “The Tourist” had professed his eternal love for Winona Ryder on his right arm. When the celebrity couple split, he had the tattoo changed from “Winona Forever” to (funny enough) “Wino Forever”.
Other celebrities known for their body art that were mentioned in the article were Cher (who got wings tattooed on), Jackass Steve-O (who had an enormous self-portrait done on his back), Mark Wahlberg (getting his own initials and name put on his shoulder when he wanted to stop being called Marky Mark), Mike Tyson (for his tribal tattoo on his face), and poor Tom Arnold. Getting a Roseanne Barr tatt is never a good idea it seems…
But who got what tattoo done is not as important as the memories these art pieces symbolize.
Oddly enough, when Depp (a former “21 Jump Street” co-star with Brad Pitt) and Jolie hooked up to talk about filming the tourist, they chatted over what they say was a bottle — or a few bottles — of red wine. To that end, his wino tattoo might have been a more fitting quote than the name of a girl no matter who he happens to be dating. [He’s romantically involved with Vanessa Pardis but they never married; Jolie is engaged to Pitt but won’t set a wedding date.] Since both big name Hollywood celebrities have tattoos and each had tattoo quotes inked that had to be changed or removed over time, one has to wonder if tatts ever came up in their getting-to-know-you discussion during their bohemian sipping time.
But Jolie being compared to other Hollywood success stories for her failures on the body art front seemed less of a critique and more like an expose of her impact on pop culture. You see, when Depp tattooed Winona Ryder’s name on his arm, he was popular but not a superstar. He also was not known for being the most handsome star of all or for representing an aesthetic ideal in beauty. When he got a tattooed, no one really cared. What’s more, when he changed it, most people who happened to read about it (for the most part) laughed and thought he was a bit of an idiot.
But when she got the artwork, everything related to tattoo folklore was suddenly different. People started paying attention and everyone looked for pictures.
When Angelina Jolie began ritualistically marking her body with tatts, she was very clear that with each trip to the tattoo parlor, she had artwork done with great purpose. Inspiring other stars to thoughtfully reflect on pieces they wanted to get as symbolic art, she started a trend in Hollywood that has made tattoos more popular as a fashion statement in nearly every industrialized nation right now.
So, while stars like David Beckham are getting praised by European news organizations like the Daily Mail UK for him being a family man and showing off his fashionable tattoos on holiday while visiting his mum in London on May 30th, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were being chided by the less forgiving [more judgmental] American media. [Even Posh Spice (celebrity mom Victoria Beckham, the pop music singer turned Armani fashion model) has tattoos now by the way.]
Should the news writer have given the actress more credit for making the trend to have pictures drawn permanently on picture perfect bodies more acceptable or panned her like he did for botching her arm up in the Billy Bob tattoo debacle?
The answer to that question more than likely depends on whether or not you are an Angelina Jolie fan.
Like Angie’s tattoos? Hate her taste in body art? Let other readers know your thoughts in the comments section below. Follow @celebritycouple for more news about the hottest celebrity couples in Hollywood.