In Case You Didn't Know, Celebrities Really Love Lion Tattoos

By Erin Lukas
Updated May 21, 2017 @ 12:00 pm
Credit: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; Steve Granitz/WireImage

Tigers in Tinder profile pictures are what lions are to celebrity tattoos. From Demi Lovato’s recent lion portrait on her right hand, to Justin Bieber’s chest piece, you’re not imagining it if it seems like more and more stars are getting the jungle animal inked on them. The obvious reason for these stars’ tattoos is that they’re a nod to their astrological signs, but Google their birthdays and see that only Demi and Rumer Willis are actually Leos.

Along with serving as the astrological sign’s symbol, lions also represent strength and courage, which if you’re in the public eye, you’re going to need—a lot. So, their tattoos could be a permanent reminder of ignoring negative press and social media commenters.

Enough speculating: We’ve rounded up all of the celebrities with lion tattoos for your viewing pleasure.

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Rumer Willis 

Credit: ruelarue/Instagram

As one of the few celebs with lion tattoos that are actually leos, it's a good guess that Rumer got her bicep tattoo in the name of her sign. 

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Demi Lovato

Credit: bangbangnyc/Instagram

Demi turned to New York's Bang Bang tattoo parlor for the latest addition to her growing tattoo collection. The singer got a black-and-white lion's head on the back of her hand. 

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Ed Sheeran

Credit: teddysphotos/Instagram

Ed's mid-tattoo Instagram of his lion chest piece sparked a great debate over whether or not it was real. The singer confirmed that the tattoo was permanent during an appearance on The Ellen Show in 2015. He told Ellen that the ink had a dual meaning. Ed's colorful lion commemorates the time he sold out three shows at London's Wembley Stadium, and it's England's national emblem.

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Cara Delevingne

Credit: caradelevingne/Instagram

If you follow Cara on Instagram you know she loves lions from the photos she's posted to her feed. In 2013 she made things official with her favorite animal by enlisting New York's celebrity-favorite tattoo artist Bang Bang for a portrait on her right index finger. 

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Liam Payne 

Credit: liampayne/Instagram (2)

Liam Payne liked his lion crest bicep tattoo so much he debated getting a second one inked on the back of his left hand. After taking the fake tattoo of the animal’s face for a test drive, he opted to go with black-and-white rosebuds instead. However, the crest on his left arm is, in fact, the real deal.

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Mena Suvari 

Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage; Gisela Schober/Getty

Mena has been rocking a large lion on the back of her neck with the words "word, sound, power" below it since 2010. In 2012 the actress updated her tat with more script above the original piece.

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Justin Bieber 

Credit: justinbieber/Instagram

The meaning behind most of Justin's tattoos and his no-chill approach to Instagram remains unknown, so we're not even going to try to guess why he got a lion's head wearing a crown on his chest. Just admire the piece done by New York tattoo artist Bang Bang. 

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By Erin Lukas