Life

17 Emoji Tattoos That Might Inspire Your Next Ink

by Catie Keck

Whether or not you’re overly concerned with the trappings of today's youth culture, they are ubiquitous regardless.They’re flooding your social media feeds with selfies, they’re formulating a new lexicon, and now, they’re becoming permanent fixtures via emoji tattoos on Drake and millennials everywhere. We are, for better or for worse, fully entrenched in a culture reliant on miniature pictures to convey our deepest human emotions [insert disappointed emoji expression here].

Last fall that the Internet’s favorite meme of emotion, sometimes referred to by his stage name Drake, tattooed himself with one of the most hotly debated emoji of its relatively small dictionary of shapes: the prayer hands. But hold up, because before you correct me, I’m about to clarify a couple of points of contention. One seems to be that a significant number of emoji users seem to think that it represents a high five. I’m not here to argue with anyone’s designated emoji faith, so continue believing whatever you wish. Though consider, briefly, that the hands lost their miraculous beams recently with Apple’s iOS 8.3 update, helping the debate over the emoji’s actual meaning reach new heights of insanity.

But we’re not gathered here today to argue the nuance of various emoji jargon. Because whether or not you use them, read them, live them, people are tattooing these tiny pictures on their body in commemoration of this particular moment in time. The various faces of emoji emotion make appearances, as do those adorable baby animals. Here are some of the best in all of their permanent glory:

1. "Not My Problem" Emoji

My personal favorite. May this woman forever live a life of blissful indifference.

2. BFF Cow and Alien Emoji

3. Monkey Who Poops Love Emoji

4. Heart Eyes Cat Emoji

"Close enough."

5. Nail Polish Emoji

6. Crystal Ball Emoji

This one got a notable retrograde makeover.

7. Strawberry Shortcake Emoji

8. Umbrella With Rain Drops Emoji

9. Sparkling Heart Emoji

10. A Whole Fistful of Emoji

11. Heart Eyes Emoji

12. Dancing Woman Without Hands Emoji

13. Raising Hands Emoji

15. Baby Animals Emoji

16. Smiling Moon Emoji

17. Dancing Girls Emoji

May we forever emoji.

Image: beanieseagull/Instagram