These Celebs Defy Expectations With Their Tattoos

With everyone from teens to great-grandmothers getting tattoos, it takes a lot to be shocked by body ink. At this point, it might even be more unusual to meet someone whose skin is nothing but skin. With that said, there are times when you learn a celeb has gone off the edge and gotten a tattoo that makes you question what they spiked their coffee with that morning. And there are other times when a famous person who has built a career based on her or his prim, proper, innocent image shows up at an event with an exposed shoulder blade covered in ink, or posts a late-night photo on Instagram from a tattoo parlor that leads you to assume they've started hanging out with Chris Brown.

Even Miley Cyrus, someone neither I nor she would ever describe as "conservative," made me pause, take a deep breath, and silently pray for her after spotting two tattoos on the soles of her feet. Not to mention fellow wild woman Rihanna's decision to be tattooed in New Zealand using a chisel and mallet for the sake of authenticity. But today, I'll focus on the few, the proud, celebs whose tattoos seemingly go against everything they represent, thereby proving no one can easily be put into a neat little box anymore — and that tattoos are partly to thank for that.

1. Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston isn't wild or crazy — she's known for sticking to neutral, classic clothing and has rocked the same gorgeous hair since the early '00s, because if it ain't broke, you don't fix it. But Aniston got her first tattoo in 2011 — the word "Norman" on her right foot — to honor her late Welsh corgi-terrier mix.

2. Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow has a tat right above her left hip — the letter "C" reportedly for ex Chris Martin. I wonder if she plans on keeping it now?

3. Vanessa Hudgens

She's known for playing lovely, fairly innocent characters, which is why Vanessa Hudgens' big butterfly tattoo on the nape of her neck is such a sweet surprise.

4. Lucy Hale

How adorbs is this little, barely-there tattoo beneath Lucy Hale's ribcage? This one says, "light," and the Pretty Little Liar's star has another one on the nape of her neck that reads "bow."

5. Julia Roberts

The Pretty Woman actress opened up on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and revealed that she has several tats (some she can't talk about in public), including all of her children's names and her husband's initials, which she said she got even before she and Daniel Moder tied the knot. That's bravery.

6. Hilary Duff

Color me shocked! Hilary Duff apparently has a wicked obsession with tattoos and she and her best friend Alanna Masterson got celebrity tattoo artist Dr. Woo to give them these awesome ghost "Ride or Die" tats. So cute.

7. Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway is another celeb who, like Duff, I consider to be one of America's sweethearts. But she also has a quiet edge that she doesn't feel forced to make a big deal about, as is evident by the small letter "M" she has tattooed on her left wrist. The best part? Hathaway has yet to reveal the meaning behind her ink.

Tell me you don't want to head over to the nearest tattoo parlor after that bit of inspiration!