Tattoos serve as a profound means of self-expression, but they can also be powerful reminders to cherish and nurture our relationship with ourselves.
While many tattoos pay tribute to love for others, why not consider getting inked as a testament to the love you hold for yourself? In a world that encourages us to be on the go all the time and be constantly busy, creating space for your own emotional and mental well-being can be a challenge.
Obtaining a self-love tattoo can symbolize a commitment to never taking yourself for granted and to consistently prioritize personal well-being. It’s a tangible promise etched onto your skin, a reminder to embrace and nurture the most important relationship of all – the one you have with yourself.
What Signifies Self-Love?
According to Psychology Today, there are four aspects to self-love:
1. Self-awareness
To develop emotional intelligence, you need to have a clear picture of yourself. This includes understanding your strengths, weaknesses, values, and beliefs. When you’re clear about these four aspects of yourself, you have a greater sense of self-awareness.
2. Self-worth
Self-worth refers to knowing your intrinsic value as a human being. When you know this, you can set boundaries that take your needs and wants into account.
3. Self-esteem
Confidence! You’ve got to advocate for yourself. Self-esteem is your ability to see your strengths and know that you can take on challenges.
4. Self-care
Self-care refers to the activities that you do for your well-being. Doing this can help you manage stress levels, reduce your risk of illness, and increase your energy.
Working on the above four points can help you develop self-love.
How Do I Find The Best Tattoo For Myself?
Now that you know you want a tattoo to represent your self-love journey, what are the next steps to take in order to choose the right tattoo design?
Where do you want your tattoo?
Tattoo placement is an important aspect of body art to consider. If you want your tattoo to be visible, consider placements like your hands, fingers, wrist, forearm, and ankle.
Need to cover up your tattoo regularly? Then you’ll need to consider placements that are covered with clothing, like the chest, bicep, hip, and thigh.
How big do you want your tattoo to be?
The placement you choose will depend on how big your love yourself tattoo is. Bigger designs generally need a larger surface area to incorporate the details.
What tattoo style do you prefer?
There are many self-love tattoo designs to choose from. If you love more subtle tattoos, you might prefer a minimalist tattoo design. For more detail or color, you could opt for hyperrealism tattoos or a watercolor design.
- Full Guide to Tattoo Styles
- Minimalist Tattoos – the Essence of Modern Style
- Hyper Realism Tattoos: 7 Things You Should Know Before Getting Inked
- 5 Mini Watercolor Tattoo Ideas
What Is The Self-Love Tattoo Symbol?
Many tattoos act as symbols of self-love. So, you can really explore different designs that match your unique personality and self-love journey.
Flowers
There are so many different species of flowers that each has their own meaning. Some flowers that represent love include roses, dahlias, forget-me-nots, and jasmine. For your self-love tattoo, you could design an inked bouquet for yourself!
- A Short Introduction to Flower Tattoos
- 12 Flower Tattoos According To Your Star Sign
- Style and Charm: The Timelessness of Rose Tattoos
Heart
Of course, the symbol that is most associated with love is the heart! For a self-love minimalist tattoo, you could opt for a simple heart outline tattoo. If you’re a more analytical person and have a love for realism, a realistic heart tattoo could be right up your alley.
Mandala
“In Buddhism, mandalas symbolize the balance of body and mind…As tattoos, mandalas can be representative of so many things: your internal balance, your soul and eternity, or something unique,”
Byrdie
A mandala tattoo can be a symbol of your dedication to yourself and your growth.
Lettering
A simple word or sentence can often make a huge difference. What word has significance to you? Some examples of self-love word tattoos include:
- ‘Enough’ to remind yourself that you are enough.
- ‘Breath’ as a reminder to take a step back from the chaos and relax.
- ‘Je m’aime’ meaning ‘I love myself’.
- 6 Non-Cliché One Word Tattoos
- How To Pick The Right Font For Your Word Tattoo
- Ink that Speaks Volumes: Word Tattoos
Hug
Sometimes you’ve just got to hug yourself! Embracing yourself can increase self-compassion and improve your mood. So, a hug tattoo can be a perfect representation of self-love.
Popular hug tattoos are often minimalist in style with fine lines.
5 Self-Love Tattoo Ideas
“I Am Enough”
This simple sentence is a minimalist script tattoo along the elbow ditch. It’s in a visible placement, ideal if you want to see your ink often.
Fine line tattoos can tend to fade and blur, so it’s important to look after your fresh tat by washing and moisturizing it, and, when it’s healed, put sunscreen on to protect it from damaging UVA and UVB rays.
Traditional Heart Tattoo
This heart tattoo takes inspiration from old school sailor body art. You can see the elements of the style through the bold lines and saturated colors.
Before getting a red ink tattoo, do a patch test. The ingredients in red tattoo ink can cause the area to be itchy and even trigger an allergic reaction.
Hug Tattoo
This stunning take on a self-love tattoo features graceful fine lines and is taken to the next level with the incorporation of flowers.
An important aspect of getting a tattoo you love is choosing a great tattoo artist with whom you get along. Take your time to look through portfolios and choose an artist who is well-versed in the type of tattoo you want.
‘Self Love’ Ribcage Tattoo
The above is a bold take on a lettering tattoo, partly due to the placement choice. The rib area is one of the more painful places to get inked. This pain is because the skin in this placement is thin and there is little fat and muscle to cushion the tattoo needle.
“…every time you breathe, you move your rib cage and the skin above it, which can make the feeling of being tattooed here much more intense,”
Healthline
Flower Self-Love Tattoo
This is an interesting take on a flower self-love tattoo. It can serve as a reminder to pay attention to your mindset and ensure you’re cultivating a beautiful garden. Paying attention to your thoughts is a huge part of self-love.
Self-acceptance and loving yourself is often a lifelong journey. Remember, it’s not a race and there is no finish line. Look back and recognize how far you’ve come in your self-love journey and be proud of yourself – and perhaps get a tattoo to remind yourself of this.
