Shawn Mendes' tattoos and their meanings: A complete guide

There’s nothing holding Shawn Mendes back from adding to his collection of ink.

After debuting a bright red line down the back of his neck in March 2022, the “In My Blood” singer now has more than a dozen tattoos. The designs are often influenced by significant people in his life — whether honoring his family or taking inspiration from fan art. It’s clear that whatever Mendes chooses to ink for life, he always picks something extremely personal and meaningful.

Here’s everything to know about all of his tattoos and their meanings.

• Red line

  

  While the meaning behind this thin red line tattooed down the back of Mendes’ neck is unclear, the design bears a striking resemblance to one Machine Gun Kelly got in April 2021. Could the pair have a collaboration in the works?

• "Good Boy"

  

  Mendes visited Kane Navasgard for two new tattoos in May 2021 — including this one below his elbow, believed to be a tribute to his dog, Tarzan.

• "fe"

  

  He also got the Portuguese word for “faith” tattooed on his shoulder.

• Tribute to then-girlfriend Camila Cabello

  

  Was Camila Cabello Mendes’ “little sunflower?” Fans certainly thought so. When Navasard posted a picture of the ink in October 2020, speculation swirled that the design was actually a tribute to the star’s then-girlfriend, since sunflowers are reportedly her favorite floral.

• His sister's name

  

  Inked in July 2020, this design honors Mendes’ 16-year-old sister, Aaliyah Maria. Though the singer has yet to speak out about the design, which is located on his collarbone, Navasard posted a close-up shot on Instagram.

• Showing love for his sister

  

  Prior to inking his sister Aaliyah’s full name, Mendes enlisted Navasard to tattoo the letter “A” behind his ear in November 2019. This particular trip to the tattoo shop was extra special, as Shawn accompanied then-girlfriend Camila Cabello as she got her first-ever tattoo — a quote from 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” on her pinky — during the same session.

• Fan art come to life

  

  After a fan Photoshopped a butterfly tattoo filled with flowers on the singer’s arm, Mendes was so impressed that he decided to bring the vision to life in July 2019 — with the help of Chilean tattoo artist Christ TATTXX, who inspired the fan’s original idea.

• Lightbulb

  Celebrating his second album, "Illuminate"

  

  Mendes got this tattoo of a lightbulb filled with roots and blue flowers in Oslo during his 2017 “Illuminate” tour. He shed some light on the meaning during an interview with Teen Vogue in 2019, saying, “I wanted something to really remember this time in my life.”

• Meditation

  Celebrating a pastime

  

  While the singer hasn’t officially revealed the meaning behind this meditating figure on his wrist, he and ex Cabello were passionate about their own meditation practice.

• "8"

  His birthday and favorite number

  

  Fans suspect this numerical tattoo represents both Mendes’ birthday (August 8, 1998) and his lucky number. He admitted to W Magazine in 2018 that he got the tiny ink with his friend and then-rumored girlfriend, model Hailey Baldwin.

• Sparrow

  

  Mendes is no stranger to asking his fans for a little help with his ink. In 2017, he crowd-sourced ideas on Twitter and revealed this hand tattoo of a sparrow shortly after. Sparrows were once commonly used in sailor tattoos as a symbol of traveling long distances.

• Elephant

  Matching with his mom

  

  In another homage to his family, Mendes convinced his mom, who he said is “obsessed with elephants,” to get tiny matching finger tattoos of the animal.

• Guitar

  His first tattoo

  

  The Canadian artist got his first tattoo in 2016 from artist Livia Tsang. The tree-filled guitar’s meaning is more complicated than meets the eye; the instrument’s neck represents the skyline of Mendes’ native Toronto, including the famous CN Tower, and includes a sound wave of his parents and sister saying, “I love you.” The body of the guitar is made up of trees and their reflection in water.