Babyshambles and The Libertines are two popular British rock bands that are fronted by singer/songwriter Pete Doherty.  The rocker is known for his many talents in both music and acting, in addition to modeling, painting, and writing, but he is also known for having many tattoos on his arms and torso, some of which are more easily distinguishable than others.  The rock star has battled drug addition, legal battles, and lost love, and his body is the battleground upon which all of that plays out, as evidenced by his various scars and tattoos, some of which have clear symbolism behind them while others just seem somewhat strange. A Series of Random Tattoos Some of Pete Doherty’s tattoos are easily seen and identified, while there are others that are certainly there but far too small to be able to make out exactly what they are supposed to be or what they are meant to say. Pete Doherty loves to tattoo meaningful words, names, and phrases all over his body.  Most of these tattoos are quite small, but if you look closely enough, you will be able to read them and perhaps be able to get a hint as to their meaning.  He does have a prominent neck tattoo of his son’s name, Estile, but some will say it is actually spelled out differently, as “Astile.”  On the right side of Pete’s chest are the words “Baby Shambles,” in tribute to his musical project.  And on his left forearm, Pete had the phrase “Up the morning” inked. But Pete Doherty’s tattoos aren’t just words and phrases; some artwork certainly adorns his body, too.  A heart with a bow going through it was tattooed onto his left shoulder, which apparently also featured the letter “K” in reference to Kate Moss, his ex-girlfriend.  In addition, a mermaid can be found spanning most of the length of his right forearm, and a skull and crossbones is found on the inside of his left forearm. A Tattoo on His Behind In 2009, Pete Doherty went in for yet another tattoo, but this time he wanted it to be strategically placed on his behind.  He wanted the word “Wasteland” tattooed there, both as a tribute to the title of his favorite poem by writer T.S. Eliot and as a reference to his solo album entitled “Grace/Wastelands.” However, despite Pete having acquired so many tattoos on various parts of his body through the years, apparently he could not seem to withstand the pain of the needle on his rear, so he stopped the tattoo artist about halfway through the procedure.  As a result, he now has a tattoo that reads “Waste” on his butt. Removing a Piece of the Past After his split with Kate Moss, Pete started seeing photos surface of her with other men, and he simply could not stand it, so he decided that the tattoo on his shoulder of the heart and bow would be removed using laser treatment.  In this way, he would finally be letting go of all ties he once had to Kate and fully move on from her.

Kelly Osbourne is an example of someone who rebelled against her parents and got a bunch of tattoos that she later regretted.  In fact, if you ask her now, she will probably advise you not to bother with tattoos because you can end up hating them when you are older, just like she has. As her appearance has changed from the time she starred in the reality series “The Osbournes,” Kelly has lost weight, cleaned up her image, and begun working regularly in television.  And as part of cleaning up her image, she also has decided that most of the 15 tattoos she had acquired over the years will be removed using laser surgery.  Though the procedure will be painful and will take a lot of time, she is ready to take the leap.  Her reason for removing most of the images is that they are meaningless to her, and she is not quite sure why she got certain tattoos in her younger years, aside from the fact that it was part of her rebellious attitude. Most Will Go, Some Will Stay Kelly’s first tattoo was one that she got while filming “The Osbournes” reality series.  It is a small pink heart tattooed on her hip.  She went ahead and got a small heart tattooed to one of her fingers as well.  And in keeping with the small tattoos, she also has one of a star on the back of her neck. One of the tattoos Kelly definitely plans on removing is an image of a keyboard because she doesn’t even know how to play piano, so it was one of those tattoos that she foolishly decided to get simply for the sake of getting it because of the ‘80s phase she was going through.  A heart and crossbones found on her wrist is a second tattoo that she is set on getting rid of. One tattoo that she will definitely keep is one that features the name, Jack, who is her brother.  He has a tattoo of her name as well.  Therefore, it is clear why Kelly would decide to not have that one removed. On Kelly’s back, there is a fairly large tattoo that spreads across her shoulder blades.  In French, a phrase that roughly translates to “I love my Mom,” is bordered by two pink angel wings on either side. Kelly also has an anchor tattooed onto her left forearm, and a lock and key with the word “Daddy,” paying tribute to her father, adorns the inside of that arm. On the top of each of Kelly’s feet is a skull and crossbones.  These tattoos are easily seen whenever Kelly wears a pair of dress shoes. Moving On From Her Past Kelly plans on removing those tattoos that don’t really carry any significant meaning for her anymore.  Some of them are painful reminders of her past as a teenager struggling against authority and even getting into substance abuse.  Now that she has moved on from her painful past, she no longer wants to see the tattoos that came about as a result of irresponsible behavior.  When they are covered by makeup, she doesn’t miss them at all, and that is just another clear indication that she is ready to have them removed.

Nicole Richie sure does love her tattoos.  She has tattoos all over her body, some harder to find than others.  From her wrists to her ankles, from her neck to her back, and even her abdomen and her hips, there is something inked onto Nicole’s body that is worth looking at.  They are all images that bear some kind of significance to her, except two that are simply words that are representative of who she is. Nicole apparently has a combination of nine artsy images and words tattooed onto her petite body.  And each one is different and has a symbolic meaning for the young socialite best known for her reality show with Paris Hilton, “A Simple Life.” Nicole’s Nine Tattoos On the back of her neck, Nicole has a tattoo of her last name, “Richie,” along with the image of a red ribbon tied in a bow above it.  Perhaps she decided to ink that name onto her body as a symbol of her being adopted and raised by Lionel and Brenda Richie, even though she still stays in touch with her biological mother. Moving now to her back, Nicole had two small angel wings inked on her shoulder blades.  Colored in an autumnal combination of orange and red, the wings are detailed with layers of feathers and their small size are a great match for her small frame. On Nicole’s abdomen is a pair of ballerina slippers, which recognize the song that her father, Lionel Richie, wrote for her when she was a child.  Also, on the side of her left hip, Nicole has a small tiara, which is visible while she is spending time at the beach in a bikini. Nicole also has a tattoo adorning each of her wrists.  Because her astrological sign is Virgo, she has the word “Virgin” tattooed onto her left wrist in a feminine looking font.  And on her right wrist, Nicole has a tattoo of a red shooting star, which is a tattoo that matches those of her two good friends, the late singer Aaliyah and her friend Kidada Jones. On her lower back, there is a cross.  And finally, on her left foot and ankle is a rosary, which drapes around her ankle and down her foot, with the cross hanging down onto the top of her foot. Her ninth tattoo is thanks to her fooling around with a tattoo gun at a friend’s tattoo parlor.  One of her fingers, as a result of accidentally dropping the gun, has a spray of dots, but no one is sure what finger was inked. Her Life In Tattoos A part of Nicole’s life can be found in each of her tattoos, whether it is the word “Richie” that represents who raised her and helped give her the celebrity status she enjoys today, the ballerina slippers that are a remembrance of the song written for her, the star she shares with friends, or the religious symbols in the form of crosses and rosary beads, each tattoo reveals a little something more about Nicole and her life.