Cher's Tattoos

September 07, 2012

Cher's Tattoos

Cher always loved to have a tattoo, but when she was in high school in 1980s the adults didn’t take her seriously and usually laughed at her replies. Cher reveals that at those times people didn’t know that a tattoo might be something different than simply a person’s name.

When Cher was asked why she loves tattoos so much , she replied: " I don't know why I like tattoos so much. I know it's crazy. I can't defend them. I've had some of my tattoos for twenty years. I love getting them."

It has to be noted that Cher was among the first Hollywood celebrities to get their skin inked. Needless to say that the most famous Cher tattoo is the floral ornament covering her butt. This comprises the butterfly and flowers and the decoration was made by Bob Roberts at Sunset Tattoo in 1972 in LA. The concert costumes of 80s showed these tattoos clearly.

Cher quoted as saying then: "For someone who likes tattoos, the most precious thing is bare skin."

In 1991 during one of the David Letterman shows which Cher attended together with her ex colleague and husband Sonny Bono, Letterman was faced with these flowers during the performance of the duo. The music video "If I Could Turn Back Time" shows these tattoos perfectly, as the costume made of mesh lets almost all of her body be visible. So, in the rare case you didn’t notice Cher's tattoos, this video can satisfy your curiosity.

Another one of Cher's tattoos is a large flowing necklace, depicted along her left arm. There are three charms hanging on the necklace: an Egyptian ankh, a cross and a heart. This tattoo was, probably, made by Jill Jordan, a tattoo artist from LA.

There are, also, some smaller ornaments on Cher's body. The sign of strength in kanji covers her right shoulder, there’s a cluster of Art Deco-like crystals adorning her inner right arm, as well as a picture of a black orchid above her right thigh and chrysanthemum ornamenting her left ankle.

According to various media reports, Cher is now in the process of removing the tattoos from her skin. The recent shows’ photos prove that she’s getting rid of the small-sized ornaments, as the pictures where Cher's skin can be seen reveal that there are blank spaces on the spots where the tattoos used to be. In fact, Cher is preparing to go through a course of laser treatments in the following years’ period; laser removal is a very time-consuming process and some of her tattoos are pretty complicated, so it’ll definitely take a lot of time.

Cher admitted about her tattoo removal: "It wasn't a good one. I might take some more off. When I got tattooed, only bad girls did it: me and Janis Joplin and biker chicks. Now it doesn't mean anything. No one's surprised. I got a tattoo right after I left Sonny (Bono) and I was feeling real independent. That was my badge."

If you want more details about Cher's tattoos, take a look below.

1st tattoo: 1972 Both Butt Cheeks

Butterfly amid flowers (symbol of rebellious freedom)
"After Sonny and I were separated, I got my first tattoo. I thought it would be something different, a statement of freedom. "Good" girls didn't have tattoos then, no one was doing it."

2nd tattoo: 1982 Lower Right Arm
For Cher, crystals are her "good luck charms".