We don't know any group who has more pride in their life choices than folks who are vegetarian or vegan. And honestly, rightly so — although a lot of folks can justify eating meat a million ways from Sunday, the truth is that being a meat eater is just less good for the environment. The amount of fresh water, land, energy, and other resources that go into raising cows is about 10 times higher than many other animals — which still require more resources than plants do. Basically, in terms of living a happier, greener life for a more sustainable planet our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren can enjoy, we need to eat a more plant-based diet generally. That may not mean everyone must go strict vegetarian or vegan, but certainly leaning more in that direction will absolutely help make things better for everyone now and in the future.
And that's why it makes sense that so many vegetarians are showing off their veggie pride in tattoo form. One of the common tropes here are big tattoos of fresh fruits and vegetables, and another one is beautiful portraits of farm animals such as cows, goats, sheep, and chickens. Of course, being proud of a plant-based diet isn't the only inspiration for a tattoo. For anyone who's considering a first tattoo, check out these majorly cool and tiny micro tattoos, which are small enough that they can be a good way to test out whether someone can stand the process (and like the effects). Then there are inspiring quote tattoos that aren't cheesy, which can be really lovely for anyone who's thinking about a tattoo with more words than images. We love these tattoo ideas for moms who want to get inked, which can help any mom who's thinking about wearing her mom pride on her sleeve (either figuratively or literally). And speaking of showing off pride, we adore these beautiful Irish tattoos, which are perfect for anyone of Irish heritage who wants to show it off.
This Simple Linework Tattoo
We love this easy, simple vegetarian V. Minimalist tattoos are always some of our favorite because they look really elegant. The little leaf and tiny curl at the end of the "V" are as much flourish as this tattoo needs!
This Sweet Cow Tattoo
How sweet-faced is this cow with her big doe eyes? We love how earnest the brown cow looks in this tattoo, and the banner "Eat Vegetables Not Friends" gets the message across pretty clearly — plus, those carrots are pretty tasty looking!
This Cute Vegetarian Tattoo
The carrot in this tattoo is so cute and willing to be eaten! We love its happy cartoon smile, and the typeface used for the word "VEGETARIAN" is really cool-looking too. This is such a whimsical, happy tattoo.
This Happy Cow and Pig Tattoo
We love this unusual tattoo, which superimposes half the face of a pig and half the face of a cow on what appear to be traditional Japanese culinary knives, with some pretty cherry blossoms floating in the background.
This "Friends Not Food' Tattoo
When it comes to a cool tattoo that is also very literally about what we think it's about, this one is a winner. A portrait of several big-eyed animals — including a cow, a pig, and a sheep — are ringed by flowers and the words "Friends Not Food."
This Cool Herbivore Tattoo
We love this tattoo and love the caption even more: "Got my Herbivore tattoo for my 10 year veggiversary! It's been a decade since I decided to become a vegetarian and I love it that much more being in the best shape of my life! I'm living proof that meat is not necessary for your health. I don't really take supplements, just a variety of nutritious foods and workouts for my gainz."
This Absurdly Cute Tattoo
This is, honestly, a ridiculously cute "Back to My Roots" tattoo. Don't the carrot and radishes look like they're the heroes of some kind of vegan/vegetarian children's book, where they swoop in and save the day?
This Awesome Broc 'n' Roll Tattoo
Although the back-of-the-neck placement of this "broc'n'roll" tattoo is definitely fully rock 'n' roll, this colorful broccoli is far more vegetarian chic than it is classic rock 'n' roll. We love it and love the banner perhaps most of all.
This Excellent Triceratops Tattoo
What better way to rep vegetarian status than by using the image of one of the world's most famous and coolest herbivores? No, we're not talking about Morrissey. We mean the triceratops — infinitely cooler.
This Lightly Creepy Tattoo
For whatever reason, we find the dark humor of this tattoo, which reads "I Will Eat You Alive," surrounded by a beautifully-illustrated wreath of veggies, fruits, and herbs, absolutely hilarious, if a tiny bit creepy.
This Positively Stunning Fruit Sleeve
How absolutely alive and amazing does this fruit look? We are in awe of the positively glowing avocado, juicy-looking strawberries, and mouthwatering watermelon … much less those burnished grapes and pomegranate.
This Hilarious Tofu Tattoo
We're not sure exactly why this little guy tickles us so much, but he really, really does. For whatever reason, this tofu leaping with a fork in one "hand" and a knife in the other absolutely just gets us.
This Sweet Lisa Simpson Tattoo
Lisa Simpson is the originator of the "Friends not food" phrase, and we admire her for questioning what she grew up with and choosing to be a vegetarian because of her own morals and values. She's the best!
This Oddly Beautiful Pizza Tattoo
Normally, we'd think a tattoo of a pizza opening its "mouth" to swallow vegetables whole like Pac-Man would be cartoonish and kind of weird-looking. But because the artwork here is really high-quality, it's oddly stunning.
This Sweet Hug Tattoo
We love the simple black-and-white linework of this tattoo, which portrays a woman with a braid hugging a cow, which is very definitely smiling back at being loved by her instead of being eaten by her. So cute!
This Huge Garden Backpiece
Wow, how impressive is this massive, colorful backpiece? We love a full backpiece because the back is such a great canvas for a tattoo, and we love this one especially for the pretty wrought iron garden gates and flourishing colors.
This "Friends Not Food" Cartoon Tattoo
We adore this big-eyed cow, little pink pig, and cute chicken stacked on top of each other, and the fact that it takes a serious issue and makes it adorable and fun. Another highlight is using the phrase "Friends not food," one of our faves.
This Cool Highland Cow Tattoo
We adore this highland cow tattoo, which asks us to "not have a cow" in its script, but the problem is that it makes us really, really want to have a cow — this cow in particular. We love the big sunflower tucked behind the cow's ear!
This Stunning Artichoke Tattoo
We love the shadows and details in this artichoke tattoo, which uses the colors of real artichokes to be so incredibly evocative. The tones are muted down, but that rare olive and deep purple of a true artichoke come through.
This Sweet Sheep Tattoo
We love this little baby lamb and mother sheep tattoo, which has "Mismo Amor" on the banner, a Spanish phrase that translates to "same love." We think it's a great reminder that all our love is equal.
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