Flowers are symbols of beauty. They are symbols of life and, sometimes, symbols for death. No matter what you wish your flower tattoo design to symbolize, you should have no problem finding the exact one that you have been envisioning in your mind’s eye. The most common conception of flower tattoos is that they are feminine. But flowers are also masculine! Keep reading for some more great information on flower tattoos and why they may be just the ink you are looking to add to your collection!
Contents
Types of Flower Tattoos
Although most flowers would make great additions to your tattoo garden, some are more popular than others. Following are the eight flowers that tattoo artists receive the most requests for.
The rose
The rose is the number one most popular flower tattoo design ever. (In fact, I have a purple tribal rose tattooed on my lower right leg!) Roses can symbolize many things depending on their color and the number of flowers you get in the design. Roses are something that men can get as well. Black is traditionally used when a man gets a rose tattoo. For instance, the main aspect of the design may be a skull, but it may be holding a black rose in its teeth. Of course, the black rose signifies death, but what about other popular colors? Well, red is the symbol of love. Pink means friendship, and orange means passion, white symbolizes purity, and purple is the color for both love and royalty.
The daisy
Daises make fantastic works of art and symbolize innocence and purity. They also represent romance and love. In days of yore, maidens work these flowers in their hair to show their innocence. Daises can also be a mysterious thing that symbolizes something that is only known and shared by two people, usually a man and a woman, so this is also a tattoo that a man can get.
The lily
There are many types of lilies, and each one has its meaning. For instance, the water lily (white) symbolizes youthful innocence and a pure heart. The tiger lily symbolizes prosperity and wealth. The calla lily, the most delicate of all lilies, embodies modesty, and the yellow lily says the wearer is flirtatious.
The lotus
There are rich traditions behind this beautiful flower, so it makes the top eight of the most popular flower tattoos. It represents many things, including spirituality, strength, luck, honor, respect, and longevity. For some, it symbolizes the clarity of the mind and heart. Those who have gone through significant tribulations and come out on top get this tattoo as a way to show that they made it through a struggle and emerged with more strength than ever.
The hibiscus
This flower is one of Hawaii’s most popular flora. Many tattoo artists use vivid and striking colors when tattooing this flower. It symbolizes love, purity, and long life. In the Hawaiian culture, some women get this flower tattooed to show that they are ready to find someone to marry.
Even though these are the most popular flower tattoo designs, feel free to express yourself by inking your body with your favorite flower – the one that shows your personality.
The sunflower
The sunflower never resists the sun and it constantly turns its head towards the sunlight. They are bright, cheerful, and dominate other flowers in the garden with their height and width and do not cease to brighten anyone’s day.
Clusters of sunflowers make an eye-catching tattoo – you couldn’t go past placing them as a shoulder piece or a full back piece. Sunflowers would also be as lovely – perhaps more feminine- as a small tattoo on the wrist or foot.
There are some magnificent examples of colored sunflower tattoos below and sensational blackwork tattoos, which lend their own interpretation of sunflowers’ meanings.
Regardless of color or not, the sunflower is definitely worth consideration, reminding the wearer to always ‘look on the bright side’, in the words of Monty Python! Guaranteed to draw attention and to bring cheer, there really isn’t a happier tattoo.
The cherry blossom
If you look around at the tattoos that women are getting today, I am pretty sure you will glimpse at least one of the many cherry blossom tattoos. This design has gained a massive amount of popularity over the last few years, which many women getting one as their very first piece of body art. The cherry blossom is a beautiful flower by itself, but it has special meanings behind it in Japan and China, making it even more attractive to women tat lovers.
In the Chinese world, cherry blossoms represent power; in this case, it symbolizes feminine power. If you search for the right tattoo for you and are a powerful woman with a need to feel your liberty and freedom, a cherry blossom tattoo is the best choice. An alternate meaning in the Chinese culture is the end of a difficult or emotionally challenging relationship. This is something that most of us can identify with!
The Japanese and Chinese meanings behind cherry blossom tattoos are very different. The Japanese people view cherry blossoms as something deeper. With this beautiful flower, a specific connection has been made between three things; admiration of the force of life, how short our lives really are, and the pain we feel when someone we love dies. The reason for this seemingly pinpointed connection is that the trees that bear cherry blossoms only live for a short period of time before the blossoms drift to the ground and fade out of existence. In my opinion, the Japanese interpretation is filled with more beauty and meaning.
The dandelion
Dandelion tattoos are very fashionable these days with women. Men will sometimes work a dandelion into a themed tattoo but not too often in a stand-alone piece. Dandelion tattoos are generally inked for delicate beauty. The small white flower is simple compared to other colorful flower types, but most of us remember picking the small flower and blowing the seeds off and watching them float away in amazement when we were young.
Dandelion tattoos are full of symbolic meanings that appeal to many people. One of the most popular reasons is to remind us of how delicate life is and live life to the fullest. More reasons for having a dandelion tattoo are for luck and happiness, or that dreams can come true. Dandelion tattoos also have a meaning of strength; these little flowers stand out in the grass, standing strong and tall.
The Best Place for Flower Tattoos
The places that you can put your flower tattoo designs are endless. They are so versatile that they can go anywhere. Where you choose to put it will depend on the type of flower you get and the design you select.
One of the most popular places for women to place flower tattoos is on the lower back. These are some of the most beautiful areas to place this type of tattoo because the design can be made very elaborate, and the lower back is a sensual place to put a flower tattoo.
For men, small roses with barbed wire circling the bicep are also pretty popular.
Other great places for flower tattoos are the ankle, calf, and shoulder blade. Making a chain of flowers around the wrist in a bracelet’s style is also a great choice.
Add-ons to Flower Tattoos
The great thing about flower tattoos is that so many designs can be added to make the tattoo even more special and give it more personality. Here are some of the most popular flower tattoo add on’s:
- Birds
- Butterflies
- Angels
- Dolphins
- Crosses
- Tribal designs
- Bumblebees
- Dragonflies
Celebrities with Flower Tattoos
Flower tattoos are not just popular for the common man (or women as the case may be). Many celebrities adorn their skin with flower tattoos.
- Drew Barrymore, the poster girl for pure beauty and innocence, has a mixture of flowers in a tattoo on her lower left hipbone.
- Halle Berry, sexy and strong, sports a flower tat somewhere that only someone special can see- her right butt cheek.
- Charlize Theron, a top model, has a tiny flower tattooed on her top right foot.
- Heather Locklear, an angelic beauty in her own right, has a rose tattooed on her right ankle.
- Kelly Clarkston has a flower that was not mentioned in the top five list but still makes the top ten; a sunflower. It can be seen on her ankle.
- Sophie Anderton has a lotus flower on her lower back with an added bird of paradise to top off the look.
After much research, I was unable to find any male celebrities with flower tattoos. But that should not stop you guys from getting one if it feels right to you! Flowers do not have to have to be all girly. If you love a certain flower, I am sure that there is a way to incorporate it into another more masculine tattoo design that will make you look like the manly man you are!
Looking for an elegant heart shaped flower design using my birth flower Violets and my partners birth Flower gladiola all the poppy