A Breakdown of Miley Cyrus's 50+ Tattoos

If you're in need of patchwork tattoo inspiration, look no further than Miley Cyrus. The singer-songwriter-actress's more than 50 tats could fill Pinterest boards dedicated to modern body art. The "Flowers" hitmaker made waves and headlines for her ink at the 2024 Grammys, where she won her first Grammy award and paid homage to Tina Turner with an electric performance, and then again at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, when she debuted two new pieces. However, she has had skin in the game since 2009, when she got her first design done at 17 years old. Over more than a decade, she has accumulated dozens of tats, and doesn't appear to have plans to stop any time soon.

From small doodles to realistic portraits and various phrases, Cyrus's tattoos range in size, style, and sentiment. She has paid homage to her many pets, commemorated major milestones, and cemented relationships with matching ink. See ahead for a breakdown of her designs.

A Henry Matisse Illustration on Her Right Arm

As quite the creative, Cyrus put her love of art on display when she got a silhouette of a woman in the style of Henri Matisse on her upper right arm. She shared a photo of the tattoo to her Instagram in March 2020 with the caption “'Dance me to your beauty with a burning violin/Dance me through the panic till I'm gathered safely in/Touch me with your naked hand or touch me with your glove/Dance me to the end of love.' Matisse X Cohen."

The words come from "Dance Me to the End of Love," a book that visualizes Leonard Cohen's song of the same name with illustrations by Matisse.

"Freedom" on Her Right Hand

In December 2019, the child star got "Freedom" in thin cursive lettering across her right knuckles. Some fans speculated the piece was a nod to her divorce from Liam Hemsworth, while others thought it came from her lyric "don't fuck with my freedom" in her song "Mother's Daughter."

"My Head Was Feeling Scared..." Tattoo on Her Arm

Just days after filing for divorce from Hemsworth, Cyrus got a tattoo in black script writing that reads: “My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free.”

Visconti of Milan’s Coat of Arms on Her Arm

The "Can't Be Tamed" crooner commemorated her 2019 summer vacation with then-girlfriend Kaitlynn Carter by getting a picture of a "cool old sculpture @mileycyrus found in Italy," as Dr. Woo put it.

"I'm Proud of U" on Her Left Shoulder

Yoko Ono handwriting you a note is quite a big deal, and Cyrus didn't take it lightly when the artist penned her a message. In fact, she got the inscription, which reads, "I'm proud of U, Yoko," on her left shoulder.

"92" on Her Neck

The Last Song star commemorated her birth year, 1992, on the right side of her neck in October 2019. She shared a snap of the tat to Instagram with the caption, "YEAR OF THE MONKEY 🐵."

A Rose on Her Left Arm

Cyrus got another tattoo in the months following her split from Hemsworth, this one being a rose on the back of her left arm in October 2019. She showed it off in an Instagram photo that she captioned "Every. Rose. Has. It’s. Thorn. 🥀,"

A Skeleton on Her Left Bicep

While the origin of this tattoo is unknown, it sure is cool. The pop icon got a large skeleton wearing a gem-encrusted crown on her left bicep in December 2019.

Floyd Tattoo on Her Left Ribcage

Following the death of her beloved dog Floyd in April 2014, Cyrus honored the pup with some new ink in July of that same year. The piece features Floyd's side profile within a speech bubble that reads, "With a little help from my fwends."

Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips, and Katy Weaver, Coyne's girlfriend, made the moment even more special by getting matching tattoos. Cyrus and Coyne's band released an album by the same name in which they recorded their own versions of each track from The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

"Just Breathe" on Her Left Ribcage

Cyrus's first tattoo ever is the phrase "Just Breathe" in thick cursive letters, which she got on her ribcage in December 2009, when she was just 17 years old. It is a tribute to her friend Vanessa, who died of cystic fibrosis, and her grandfathers, who both died of lung cancer.

"I mean, breathing—that was something none of them could do, the most basic thing," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2010. "And I put it near my heart, because that is where they will always be."

A Woman on Her Left Ribcage

Also on her ribcage is an illustration of a naked woman from the back in a body of water hugging an eyeball.

Mary Jane on Her Forearm

The "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker got a portrait of her pit bull Mary Jane on the back of her right forearm.

"Love Yer Brain" on Her Forearm

Cyrus got the words "Love Yer Brain" in all caps on the back of her right forearm. New York City artist Bang Bang did the honors and offered some insight to Us, saying, “It’s her favorite Flaming Lips song and she liked the message.”

"Elvis" on Her Forearm

The musician honored the king of rock 'n' roll by getting his name, "Elvis," in the shape of a heart on her upper right forearm.

An Anchor on Her Wrist

"The Climb" songstress got an outline of an anchor on her right wrist, done by Fabio Satori in Brazil in May 2011. The art is a reminder to stay grounded and a symbol of safety.

Emu on Her Arm

The Hannah Montana alum got yet another tribute to her pets, this time a portrait of her Shetland sheepdog, Emu, whom she adopted after Floyd unexpectedly passed away.

Pablow on Her Arm

Cyrus commemorated the life of her blowfish, Pablow, in 2015 with the song, "Pablow the Blowfish." She then followed up by getting a picture of him inked by celebrity tattooist Dr. Woo. on her arm, right above her crescent moon tat.

A Teddy Roosevelt Quote on Her Arm

In 2012, Cyrus and then-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth got matching tattoos on their left forearms. Cyrus chose a piece from Roosevelt's "Citizenship in a Republic" speech that reads, "So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Meanwhile, Hemsworth chose a line from elsewhere in the speech: "If he fails, at least fails while daring greatly."

A Dreamcatcher on Her Torso

In February 2011, the multi-hyphenate got a dreamcatcher design on the right side of her torso to represent her siblings. Miley's friend told People, "It’s a picture of the dream catcher that hangs over her bed with four feathers to represent her four brothers and sisters... The dream catcher is to protect them."

Her Grandmother on Her Right Forearm

Cyrus honored her family again, this time with a realistic portrait of her grandmother on the inner part of her right forearm.

A Claw on Her Right Bicep

Cyrus tapped tattoo artist Kat Von D. to ink a curved claw on her arm. Though its meaning remains unknown, it's likely a nod to her love of animals.

A Heart on Her Right Arm

The "We Can't Stop" singer got an anatomically correct heart by Leonardo da Vinci on her right arm.

"I'm in Your Corner" on Her Right Arm

Miley honored singer Johnny Cash with a tattoo of the words "I'm in your corner," along with his signature on her right arm. She opened up about the moment to Billboard in 2017, saying, "I’ve got a tattoo of Johnny Cash’s autograph that he gave me when I was a ­little girl that says, 'I’m in your corner.'"

A Heart on Her Right Hand

Cyrus has quite a few small tattoos on her right hand, including what is arguably the most sentimental: an outline of a heart on her right pinky, which is a matching tattoo she got with her mom, Tish. Her other finger tattoos include a stylized flower, a watermelon slice, a peace sign, a cross, an arrow, an evil eye, "Bad" in caps in honor of Michael Jackson, and an equal sign.

"Love" on Her Right Ear

Cyrus got the word "Love" in all caps on the inside of her right ear as a reminder to: "block out all the crap that everyone throws into your ears," as she explained to Access Hollywood. "You're only supposed to hear the things coming from the people that genuinely love you."

A Smiley Face on Her Ankle

Cyrus and her best friend, Cheyne Thomas, gave each other matching smiley face tattoos in 2014. Cyrus's sits on her left ankle.

"We Babies" on Her Ankle

Cyrus and Pete Davidson revealed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in December 2021 that they once had matching "We Babies" tattoos (although Davidson got his removed). They got them in honor of their Saturday Night Live skit in which they played "rapping babies."

“We were dressed as babies and everything seemed fun and fine,” Miley explained. “At the end, our excuse for it all, you know, Larry David said, ‘What is going on?’ And we said, ‘We babies!’ And for some reason, we looked at each other and was like, ‘That’s a great tattoo.’”

Pete called on his "tattoo guy," who stopped by 30 Rock (home of SNL) to do their pieces.

A Motorcycle on Her Right Shoulder

The actress returned to Dr. Woo to get a tattoo dedicated to her dad, Billy Ray, via a hyperrealistic picture of his motorcycle. She also has "1961," her dad's birth year, on her left hand.

Ancient Symbols on Her Right Arm

In 2019, Cyrus added some more ink to her right arm with "ancient symbols found on rock walls," as described by Dr. Woo. She seemingly found the design, which she got right above her tattoo of the word "be," while on a trip to Utah.

A Skull on Her Ankle

Cyrus's collection of matching tattoos with Hemsworth include a sugar skull on her ankle.

"Rolling Stone" on Her Feet

In honor of her first Rolling Stone cover in 2013, she got the publication's name tatted on the soles of her feet.

Words on Her Arms

Cyrus has quite the collection of words on her arms. Phrases include: "Mama Tried," "Idolize Yourself," "Biewty," "Moo," "Cattitude," "Cold Blooded," "Beetle," "Okie," "leetle," "Biewty" (which is another tattoo for Thomas, who she calls "Biew"), the "Om" Hindu symbol, "Wükong" (the nickname for her younger brother Braison), "love never dies," the roman numerals "VIIXCI," "KATZ" (to honor her best friend Katy Weaver), and "WA" in a heart (believed to honor Woody Allen).

She also has a few doodles, including a cat head, a green avocado (which she got in 2015 by her friend Lauren Winzer), a picture of a Vegemite jar (which is a tribute to Hemsworth, who is a fan of the spread), crossed arrows by Kat Von D (which is the Native American symbol for friendship), and a sunflower to represent her veganism (the leaves of the flower even form a "V").

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