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Harry Styles reportedly has more than sixty tattoos on his body and the tattoos of swallows on opposite sides of his upper chest area are some of his popular ones. The As It Was crooner has swallow tattoos as they symbolize his active traveling lifestyle as a former One Direction member.
The 30-year-old singer is considered among the most successful solo artists to emerge from a band and is popular for his fashion choices. He expresses his creativity, feelings, and thoughts through music, eccentric fashion, and tattoos.
The tattoos on Styles' body represent significant moments in his life, tributes to family members, and some random designs. The former One Direction member got his first tattoo in 2012, at age 18, and has continued to use his body as an artistic canvas.
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Disclaimer: This article reflects the writer's opinion only and is ranked in no particular order.
Harry Styles’ 6 best tattoos explored
- The swallow tattoo on his upper chest
- The eagle on his right forearm
- The pirate ship on his left bicep
- The butterfly tattoo on his middle chest
- The years 1957 and 1967 on his shoulders
- The anchor tattoo
1) The swallow tattoo on his upper chest
According to US Weekly, Styles got the classic sailor tattoo, a pair of swallows facing each other inked on his chest area in 2012 because he liked that particular style. The swallow tattoos are some of the singer’s most popular ones and stand out prominently. The two birds symbolise traveling which the artist frequently does.
A classic sailor tattoo is done by tattooing one swallow before sailing and the other upon one’s return home. It is believed that if the sailor drowns, the swallows take their soul to heaven.
2) The eagle on his right forearm
In 2012, the Golden crooner got a tattoo on his right forearm that read, “Things I can.” In 2014, he covered the tattoo with a classic eagle. There have been speculations that the bird is representative of Styles’ solo career taking off at the time.
While others have countered that it was a tribute to his ex-girlfriend, Kendall Jenner after they attended the Eagles concert together.
3) The pirate ship on his left bicep
The Pirate ship tattoo is one of the largest tattoos on the singer’s body and depicts a traditional English ship. Harry Styles was accompanied by Taylor Swift, his ex-girlfriend in 2012, to get the tattoo, leading fans to wonder if the ship tattoo had a deeper meaning.
Freddy Negrete, the tattoo artist who inked Styles, told The Daily Star that the singer was shown a book of English ship paintings and he opted for the design because, even though he was always on the road, his heart was home-bound.
4) The butterfly tattoo on his middle chest
The former One Direction star revealed the butterfly tattoo on his stomach and chest area when he shared photos on Instagram in March 2013. The butterfly tattoo is situated in the middle of the singer’s chest, although fans can’t seem to agree on whether it’s a butterfly or a moth. The singer hasn't confirmed the meaning behind the tattoo.
5) The years 1957 and 1967 on his shoulders
Styles has the years 1957 and 1967 tattooed on opposite sides of his shoulders, representing his biological parents’ birth years. His father, Des Styles, and his mother, Anne Twist, divorced when he was seven years old, but the tattoo shows his connection with them.
The singer and performer also has some other tattoos for the parental figures in his life. He has an R tattoo for his stepfather, Robin Twist, who married his mother in 2013 but sadly passed away in 2017 from cancer.
6) The anchor tattoo on his left wrist
The Watermelon Sugar singer has a tattoo of a ship anchor on his left wrist. The tattoo was originally a phrase that read, “I can’t change.” The singer covered the former tattoo with the image of an anchor.
While it is unclear what the anchor tattoo means to Harry Styles, it matches the other sea-themed tattoos on his body, which explore themes of his active traveling lifestyle and his home-bound mindset.
Some of Styles' other tattoos include a pair of birds tattooed on his bicep, a rose tattoo on his forearm, a Green Bay Packers logo on his left bicep, and a cross tattoo on his hand.
