What's Going on with Ariana Grande's Tattoos? An Investigation into Her Disappearing — and Reappearing — Ink

I don’t know what keeps you up at night, but the Ariana Grande tattoo situation has been bothering me for months.

The 32-year-old singer and actress started painting herself in 2012 and since then she has amassed a collection of over 60 tattoos, writes Business Insider. Like many people whose tattoo count is in the double digits, Grande has had some mishaps. In 2019, she received a famous Japanese letter that she thought meant “7 rings”, but actually translated as “small charcoal grill”. (Grande later revised the tattoo.)

However, the Nickelodeon alum didn’t recognize one dilemma with the tattoo. I first noticed something was wrong with the butterfly tattoos on Grande’s left arm — which she debuted in 2020 — when she graced the red carpet with Wicked actress Cynthia Erivo at the 2024 Met Gala I was left confused, but not for the reason you might think.

The nature-inspired artwork certainly would have complemented her ethereal Loewe dress (it even had 3D wing-like detailing adorning her eyes), but the tattoo still looked faded. I immediately realized that she was in the process of removing her tattoos, similar to what her ex Pete Davidson had recently done.

After a CIA-level dive into her Instagram feed and public appearances, I realized that the tattoo has displayed varying degrees of pigmentation over the years. Based on my research, it seems it started when she covered up her tattoos for her 2021 wedding to now-ex-husband Dalton Gomez.

It makes perfect sense that someone would want to cover up tattoos on more visible areas like the arms for their wedding. It also makes sense that she should cover them for her role as Glinda in the upcoming film adaptation Wickedon which she has been working for the last two years. Maybe she just wanted to cover it up for the Met Gala.

Such thoughts occurred to me, because I am a rational person, but these explanations generate more questions than answers. Why are the rest of her tattoos left uncovered? All her tattoos are covered Wickedso if one of her IG pictures without the butterfly tattoo was accidentally taken during the day of the shoot, why is the rest of her ink visible?

Plus, if she went the cover-up route, especially for a high-profile red carpet like the Met Gala or a major studio film like Wickedsurely the make-up artist would know how to cover it up completely.

Like any curious person on the internet, I went to Reddit to see if there were any discussions about it. Of course, there is a thread (actually several) on this topic. The same theories are being spun there, but no real conclusions are drawn. I was taken aback.

To get closer to the answer, I’ve laid out a timeline of significant tattoo (or sans tattoo) moments in recent history.

Grammy Awards: January 2020

Ariana Grande at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Getty Images

Grande’s butterfly tattoo made its first appearance on the red carpet at the 2020 Grammy Awards, though it was partially hidden under her opera gloves.

The Voice: June 2021

Blake Shelton and Ariana Grande.

Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

The butterflies are as lively as ever throughout the episode Vote in June 2021.

The Voice: December 2021

Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Blake Shelton, John Legend.

Trae Patton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

But six months later, it’s gone?

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New York City: November 2023

Ariana Grande.

DAMEBK/Bauer-Griffin/GC images

In the dense Wicked movie universe, the tattoo looks faded.

Academy Awards: March 2024

Ariana Grande.

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

At the 2024 Oscars, the butterfly tattoos are completely covered, although her other arm tattoos remain visible.

Met Gala: May 2024

Ariana Grande.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

Both butterfly tattoos look faded at the Met Gala in May.

New York City: July 2024

Ariana Grande.

Gotham/GC images

In the summer of 2024, tattoos appeared to be covered with makeup.

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WSJ. Innovator Magazine Awards: October 2024

Ariana Grande.

Taylor Hill/Getty

On the red carpet in October, the tattoos appear so pale even though her arm tattoos are as clear as day. In fact, she revealed that she’s added to her arm tattoo collection – a design in honor of her character Glinda – during the September 2023 makeup video. Vogue.

Will we ever have answers? Will Ari come up with a gritty song to finally address it? Will David Fincher eventually direct a thriller about this terrifying phenomenon under the title A girl with (or without) a butterfly tattoo? Everything remains as unclear as Ari’s fading ink.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education