Doja Cat has covered her entire body in tattoos

She’s in her ‘tattoo era’

BEAUTYcrew Beauty Editor / May 08 2023

Doja Cat is constantly shocking us.

She shaved her eyebrows off during an Instagram Live. 

She frequently works with makeup artists that push the boundaries of what we think is beautiful (her head-to-toe Swarovski crystal Schiaparelli look still blows our minds). 

And she’s left us gobsmacked multiple times in 2023, amassing armfuls of tattoos in just a few short months.

On February 5th she announced to the world she got her first tattoos — a mere few hours before she was meant to walk the Grammys red carpet.

Her fans waited with bated breath to catch a glimpse of Doja’s fresh ink on the red carpet, but the pop singer cheekily chose to wear a set of Versace vinyl evening gloves that covered the full length of her arms. 

During the awards show she quick-changed into a tarnished leather gown, baring arms and revealing her new tattoos for the cameras.

Doja Cat’s new tattoos

Her first tattoo — a tiny demon cat on her bicep — made the list as one of the most popular animal tattoos of the last year. 

@dojacat

The second — a gothic spider on her forearm — is another popular pick as far as celebrity tattoos are concerned; Demi Lovato has two arachnids inked on her body.

@dojacat

Doja got her third tattoo (a slightly scary and macabre antelope skull) a month later — the handiwork of celebrity tattoo artist Brian Wu. 

Image credit: @dojacat

But it wasn’t until we saw the massive bat skeleton inked across her back that we realised there was a spooky theme emerging. 

She shared a highlighted passage of text which explained the symbolism behind the bat. “Bats often represent death in the sense of letting go of the old, and bringing in the new,” it read. “They are symbols of transition, of initiation, and the start of a new beginning.”

Over the past week she’s also revealed close-ups of her arms, which are now covered in fresh tattoos. 

She bared her arms in her 2023 Met Gala gown and subsequently showed off a tattoo of a naked figure with the body of a human and the head of an elephant. Meanwhile, another illustration depicts a person with multiple limbs resembling the legs of a spider. 

The symbol for Hinduism on her right wrist serves as a nod to her religious upbringing in the Los Angeles-based Shanti Anantam ashram, where she was mentored by jazz musician and Swamini Alice Coltrane. 

Her spider tattoo has also been updated, there’s another bat skeleton on her inner bicep, and there's a key with a quote tattooed above it that reads: “S​o, children, please, beware of gifts. Beware of those that offer them. And beware of those who are only too happy to take them”.

Considering Doja is said to be releasing a new album later this year, and she’s not shy of a bit of musical experimentation on her new projects, we think it’s safe to assume she’s going to be exploring a new direction with her music. 

Unfortunately, not all celebrities are as bold as Doja Cat. Remember when Kim Kardashian said getting a tattoo is like putting “a bumper sticker on a Bentley”? Judging by her microscopic tattoos, sister Kendall Jenner clearly took that to heart. 

Main image credit: @ernestocasillas

Briar Clark got her start in the media industry in 2017, as an intern for Marie Claire and InStyle. Since then, her keen interest in fashion and beauty has landed her gigs as a Digital Content Producer and Beauty Editor with titles like Girlfriend, Refinery29, BEAUTYcrew and beautyheaven. She loves the way seemingly innocuous topics like skin care and style have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces or make them think about themselves a little differently. A big believer in self love and experimentation, Briar has made a point of becoming the Australian beauty industry’s unofficial guinea pig for unusual treatments and daring hair trends. When she’s not testing out the latest beauty launches, Briar is big on broadening her horizons, mostly in the form of food but she’s also partial to travelling to new destinations both near and far (and of course, allocating an extra bag to bring their best beauty offerings home with her).