Rihanna’s New Tattoo Was ‘Designed by Her Babies’
Just days after the Met Gala, it looks like Rihanna took some cues from the exhibition celebrating the body as art, with a chaotic scribble by her three children inked on her leg.
Reported by Vogue.
Rihanna has approximately 25 known tattoos, and her latest addition might be the most meaningful one yet — not because of some deep spiritual symbolism, but because it was drawn by her kids. Celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang (Keith McCurdy) documented the session on Instagram on May 8th, confirming the new ink was "designed by her babies" — RZA, 3, Riot, 2, and seven-month-old Rocki Irish. The result: a freeform scribble in purple, red, yellow, green, and blue, now permanently etched into the back of Rihanna's left upper leg. Abstract expressionism, toddler edition.
The original "artwork" Bang Bang worked from was a piece of paper covered in Paw Patrol stickers — which Rihanna, wisely, did not ask to be replicated on her body. In video clips from the session, she appears in an oversized hoodie and wraparound sunglasses, fully herself: "Make sure my ass looks good in the main shots," she instructs. The timing is notable, according to Vogue — the session came just days after her Met Gala appearance in a Margiela couture gown with sculptural hair. Clearly, art was having a moment for her.
A Body of Work, Literally
Bang Bang is responsible for at least nine of Rihanna's tattoos, including the cascading stars down her neck and back — her most recognizable piece — as well as "rebelle fleur" on her neck and the ankle shark from 2016, which has since been covered by a crown. Her full collection spans everything from a music note and a pistol to the wingspan of Egyptian goddess Isis across her chest, a tribute to her late grandmother Dolly. Some have faded — "thug life" across her knuckles, "shhh" on her finger — and some carry the kind of weight that doesn't need explaining. Her partner A$AP Rocky has his own extensive collection of meaningful ink, and the two share matching "1988" tattoos from 2024: hers on her ankle, his on his spine.
What makes the children's drawing tattoo feel so distinctly Rihanna is that it doesn't perform sentimentality — it just is it. No clean lines, no elegant script, no polished tribute. Just a chaotic, colorful scribble made by small hands that belong to people she loves, now permanent. That's the whole story, and it's enough.
In a career built on doing exactly what she wants with her body, her brand, and her image, getting a toddler's doodle tattooed on her thigh is, somehow, the most on-brand thing she's ever done.
Read the original at Vogue.
