Some of our favorite celebs are wearing cryptic messages on their bodies — in the form of tattoos. What's Dakota Johnson hiding inside her arm? What do all those numbers on Angelina Jolie's arm mean? And if you think you've seen all of Lena Dunham's tattoos, we've got one she's been hiding all along.
Discover the secrets behind some of these other mysterious celeb tattoos!
Are there any other celeb tattoos you've always wondered about?
Image via Xavier Collin/Splash News
Dakota Johnson's Latin Phrase
You may have seen the sparrows flitting across Dakota Johnson's shoulders, and maybe even the phrase "Look at the Moon" running along her right foot. Less often seen is a tattoo on her inner arm reading "Acta Non Verba," which is Latin for "deeds not words."
Little Girl on Lena Dunham's Back
Dunham's first tattoo is seldom seen because it's on her lower back — and it's just as surprising as her other eccentric ink. It's an illustration of the storybook character Eloise. In fact, Dunham was so obsessed with this character she's produced a documentary about Eloise creator Hilary Knight.
Lena Dunham describes the Eloise tattoo: "It was my first tattoo. I was 17. My parents came with me because I was not of legal age. My obsession with Eloise was a notable personality characteristic of mine, from the age of about 3. My dad was like, 'I might not be supportive of you getting a tattoo, but you have been obsessed with Eloise since like the minute you opened your eyes.'”
Katy Perry's Ankle Ink
Katy Perry keeps a couple tattoos around her ankles. One is a little cartoon strawberry representing One of the Boys album, another is peppermint candy representing her Teenage Dream album and tour, and a third is a cherry blossom.
Johnny Depp's Grim Crow
You may have seen Johnny Depp's sparrow tattoos, which are for his Pirates of the Caribbean character. But what's with the crow on his hand? It commemorates the documentary West of Memphis, about a 1993 murder case. Damien Echols (along with two other men) spent 18 years on death row before he was proved innocent. Depp was so moved by his story he helped promote the film and got matching tattoos with Echols and documentary score composer Bill Carter. The image also references the movie The Crow.
Lady Gaga's Trumpet
As proof of her admiration for Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga has this trumpet tattoo, based on a sketch by one of her favorite performers.
Miley Cyrus' Twinsie Tatts
A funny little character on Miley Cyrus' arm is also a tribute to a fellow performer. It's Yoshimi, based on a character from the Flaming Lips album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Cyrus, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne, and Coyne's girlfriend Katie Weaver all got matching tattoos of Yoshi together. It's actually one of two tattoos shared by the musician friends. The other is of a dog with the words, "With a little help from my friends."
Rihanna's Rebel Flower
Riri has so many tattoos it's hard to keep track of them all. But this one often goes overlooked: She has “Rebelle Fleur" in script on the side of her neck. Rihanna reportedly texted the tattoo artist, saying, "It translates to rebel flower, NOT rebelious flower, its 2 nouns so in that case fleur does not HAVE to be first! Fyi, cuz they will ask.”
Angelina Jolie's Code
Angelina Jolie combines her love of tattoos with her love for her children in one curious collection of numbers on her shoulder. They are the geographical coordinates for locations where she either gave birth to them or adopted them.
More from The Stir: 10 Sexiest Celebrity Tattoos
Selena Gomez's Reminder
What does this Arabic script running below Selena Gomez's shoulder mean? Apparently it translates into "Love yourself first" — no doubt something she was telling herself when she broke things off with Justin Beiber.
Kelly Osbourne's 'Stories'
Sometimes it's covered with hair — but Kelly Osborne had the word "Stories" inked into her scalp. "Sorry mum and dad" she said via Twitter, "but I love it!"
