The shoulders are among the most attractive parts of a woman. This article discusses a few ideas for shoulder tattoos for women.
The shoulder consists of the flat area on the upper back just above the shoulder blades, the front of the shoulder above the chest, the round shoulder joint, and along the area from the base of the neck to the edge of the shoulder joint.
Apart from just the shoulder, due to its convenient positioning, people can include the shoulder in a chest or upper arm tattoo. The outer part of the shoulder has thick skin with few nerve endings, making it one of the least painful places to get tattooed.
Ideas for Shoulder Tattoos for Women
1. Flower shoulder tattoos
No doubt one of the most popular ideas, floral tattoos on the shoulder area, are in demand thanks to their variety and feminity. Flowers are associated with beauty, love, and life. One can get a single cherry blossom or choose to get floral designs with intricate details. Since Victorian times, flowers have been assigned unique meanings.
For example, the Gladiolus flower represents familial love, cherry blossoms represent the blooming spring, and peonies are linked to good luck. A flower tattoo is so versatile that it would look good in both colored and black ink.
Flower tattoos are easier than most and quite feminine too. A flower shoulder tattoo could be enhanced with leaves, twines, and branches.
2. Tribal Tattoos
A neat and intricate tribal tattoo is one of those tattoos that looks best in black ink. Like floral designs, these tattoos look good regardless of size, so one could opt for a small tattoo on the round of the shoulder or a tattoo that extends down the arm to form a sleeve tattoo. Hawaiian tribal tattoos are appealing as they are unique and carry a rich Hawaiian culture.
One common misconception is that they can get any tribal shoulder tattoo they like. There are many different types of tribal art, including Celtic, Iban, Mayan, and Aztec deities.
These are tattoos reserved especially for the people belonging to said cultures. Getting these symbols tattooed, despite not being associated with these cultures in any way, is cultural appropriation. For example, Maori tattoos, also known as Ta Moko, often represent the Maori people’s families, sub-tribes, and tribes.
3. Dragon Shoulder tattoos
A dragon shoulder tattoo looks great, thanks to its length and coiling shape. The dragon’s basic shape may be the same, but it can be filled in with various art styles. One can get a small shoulder tattoo of a cartoon dragon or a large, detailed tattoo that runs down the shoulder blade or down the arm to make a half-sleeved tattoo.
In eastern cultures such as China and Japan, dragons are considered to be kind guardian spirits associated with bodies of water. Therefore, a Chinese dragon shoulder tattoo would indicate the person is mysterious, wise, and calm. On the other hand, western dragons are associated with fire and destruction, and people with western dragon shoulder tattoos are considered fierce, bold, and passionate.
4. Angel wings, shoulder tattoos
Angel wing tattoos have many meanings, such as independence, devotion, and safety. Sometimes angel wings are used to honor a loved one that has passed away. Some people use it to represent the Christian faith, while others use it to represent being free and independent. Typically Angel wings are folded down and are most often found on the upper back and shoulder blade area.
5. Bird Shoulder tattoos
Birds symbolize liberty, determination, peace, hope, and cheerfulness. So bird tattoos could be anything ranging from a generic bird shape to specific birds like swallows or seagulls. Like most other tattoos, birds have symbolism and meaning and are perfect if one is looking for an inconspicuous or smaller tattoo.
6. Eagle shoulder tattoos
Eagle tattoos technically belong in the category of bird shoulder tattoos, but due to their magnificence and symbolism, they are considered beyond just another bird tattoo.
Roman eagles represent the strength and standard of a legion. Eagles are also considered symbols of power in the heavens and are generally spiritual. getting a bald eagle shoulder tattoo, the national bird of the united states, means being proud and free, whereas a Garud would represent prayer to god
7. Animal shoulder tattoos
wolves, snakes, dogs, and cats are tattoo ideas with unique meanings. While a cat represents feminity, a dog represents loyalty and playfulness. A snake is a perfect idea for a back shoulder tattoo.
8. Lion shoulder tattoos
While a lion tattoo is typically considered a men’s design, there is no better time for a woman to break societal norms than now. Women can also get lion tattoos on their shoulders, representing strength, pride, and leadership.
9. Geometric shoulder tattoos
Geometric tattoos, in most cases, often had spiritual and religious meanings. However, they symbolize balance, symmetry, stability, intelligence, and mystery in today’s world. One type of meaningful geometric tattoo is the mandala shoulder tattoo. Mandala tattoos are comprised of many different overlapping circles and shapes.
This unique design represents stability and magnificence. Beyond mandalas, shoulder tattoos could also include tastefully placed geometric shapes. It is easy to self-design a geometric shoulder tattoo because its meaning stays the same regardless of the arrangement, color, and size.
10. Sacred Geometry shoulder tattoos
Sacred geometry tattoos use natural shapes and patterns and combine them with religious symbols. These tattoos are believed to have healing and restorative powers for mental and physical health. Some sacred geometry shapes include the egg of life, the fruit of life, Metraton’s cube, vesica pices, the seed of life, the germ of life, tree of life, Merkaba, tetrahedron, and the flower of life.
11. Rose shoulder Tattoos
Similar to eagles, roses should also fall under the umbrella of a flower tattoo, but they have too much significance to be bunched with the rest of the flowers. Roses, apart from the declaration of love and affection, also stand for grace and gratitude.
Depending on the colored ink in your roses, the tattoos could represent enchantment and royalty, and if not a meaning behind the roses, a rose tattoo is of rich significance. Even black ink roses look ethereal. Apart from just shoulders and arms, one can make the twines of the roses curl down the collarbones.
12. Butterfly shoulder tattoos
A butterfly shoulder tattoo is probably one of the most common tattoos worldwide. A pair of butterflies’ tattoos often connotes a romantic meaning because they represent young budding love. A single butterfly, however, could mean immortality, joy, grace, and summer.
One thing to remember about butterflies is that they look best when they are small shoulder tattoos, around 2 inches or so. They are often chosen as the first tattoo for most people, so while it is very pretty, these small tattoos are frequent.
13. Insect shoulder Tattoos
Apart from butterflies, many other insects such as ladybugs, bees, dragonflies, scorpions, and ants are great ideas for some cute shoulder tattoos. Often people add dotted lines to indicate the movement of the said insect.
14. Skull shoulder tattoos
A skull tattoo with roses, a skull tattoo with a cowboy hat, a skull tattoo with a pirate patch, the diversity in skull tattoos is endless. The skull is another common tattoo design.
They can have different meanings depending on what else they are accompanied by and look best as black and grey tattoos. For some, skulls symbolize death and gore, while others see skull tattoo designs as symbols of power.
15. Sea-inspired shoulder tattoos
A unique idea for a tattoo is sea-inspired tattoos, such as shells, waves, koi fish, jellyfishes, and so on. Koi fishes represent patience and perseverance. The dual koi fish is also a direct symbol of east Asia’s yin and yang concept. Seashells signify protection, and waves signify the constantly changing and evolving life.
The most unique sea-inspired tattoo would be the starfish. It was quite popular amongst pirates because it represented protection from the seas and a sign of divine blessing. In today’s society, it is a symbol that helps overcome trying times in one’s life, similar to finding a way through troubled waters.
Apart from real organisms and waves of the sea, mythical creatures and objects associated with them can also make some cool tattoos for women. Mermaids, treasure chests, pearls, and even the trident of Poseidon are gorgeous tattoo ideas for a woman’s shoulder.
16. Astronomy-inspired shoulder tattoos
A cosmic tattoo is always a sexy shoulder tattoo for women, and it can contain any design inspired by space. They could be planets and stars or shooting stars representing dreams and wishes.
They could be galaxies that signify mystery or nebulae that are swirls of beautiful pink, purple and blue inks. Thanks to their flowy natures, they are perfect for shoulder blades or sleeve tattoos.
17. Sun shoulder tattoos
Suns are some of the best simple shoulder tattoos for women. The sun could be a realistic tattoo, a geometric tattoo, or even a tattoo with intricate designs. They could be small tattoos on the round of the shoulder or have raging tendrils of fire that go down the upper arm and the back shoulder.
A sun tattoo gains significance from its importance in the Native American culture. They respected the sun for its ability to heal. The Sun was considered a guardian of the day. Today it represents finding the light at the end of a tunnel.
18. Constellation-inspired shoulder tattoos
As the name suggests, one cool idea for a women’s shoulder tattoo is a constellation. It could be Orion or Big bear or even just the north star. While these symbols may not have significance as tattoos, the symbols themselves are quite remarkable, making for a cute tattoo idea for women.
19. Zodiac-inspired shoulder tattoos
A zodiac sign is perfect for a small shoulder tattoo. While one can represent their sun signs pictorially, for those who want a simple shoulder tattoo, the line version of the zodiac is the best for a beginner.
One could even represent these tattoos in the form of their constellations. The zodiac can be represented in different styles.
20. Greek Mythology inspired tattoos
A greek mythology tattoo often represents the deity that has been inked and usually doesn’t have any color. But some tattoos have a much deeper meaning than just frivolous symbolism.
For example, the tattoo of medusa is a sign of women combating the culture of victim-blaming in rape. Since Medusa was a woman who was punished for no fault of her own, women today have adopted the symbol of medusa as a sign of power and reclaiming their power.
21. Roman mythology-inspired tattoos
Roman mythology-inspired tattoos could range from simple roman numerals to large shoulder pieces depicting important events or deities. Thanks to their sleek and elegant look, a roman tattoo demands respect and gives a sense of honor. Roman numerals can be used to denote important dates such as birthdays of loved ones, anniversaries, death dates, and other sentimental events.
22. Numerical Tattoos
Tattoos are more than just body art. They could be used to eternally etch memories into the skin or used as good luck charms. Similarly, certain numerical combinations have spiritual meanings that can be put permanently on the body as a shoulder tattoo.
444 refers to passion and ambition, whereas the number 3 refers to mi Vida Loca, an indicator of a gang lifestyle. All triple number sets such as 777,999, 555, and so on are called angel numbers. 13 and 4 are considered to be numbers that bring bad luck.
23. Moon tattoos
The perfect shoulder blade tattoo is that of the moon. Even though the moon is quite simple, its symbolism is quite relevant. Different phases of the moon have different meanings, and a lot of literature also has symbolism associated with the moon.
24. Language-inspired tattoos
Getting Sanskrit tattoos is currently all the rage. A few years back, it was french phrases such as Carpe diem that had captured the hearts of people. One can also find meaningful words in languages apart from English that resonates with them and gets them inked on their shoulders.
25. Day-to-Day doodles
Most women start their day with a cup of tea or coffee. Everyone has a different favorite food and a different favorite tv show. So one doesn’t want to get a tattoo with a profound meaning, simple shoulder tattoos such as coffee cups, tea bags, cartoon characters, that is any tattoo based on the person’s interest can be used while designing a tattoo.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as the perfect tattoo for women. There are just a few things to keep in mind. Make sure to pick colors against your skin tone, so the ink stands out. It’s always easier to stick to a black ink tattoo if one isn’t sure. Also, there is nothing wrong with getting what might be considered masculine tattoos on a woman’s body.
Though certain tattoos, such as paw prints or footprints of a child, are more appropriate as chest tattoos than shoulder tattoos. If one is afraid of a painful experience, pick an area that does not have thin skin. The time taken for a shoulder piece depends on the skill level of the tattoo artist and one’s pain tolerance. If one is afraid of a painful experience, pick an area that does not have thin skin.
The size of the shoulder tattoo depends on how much pain one can bear and the visibility. Small tattoos can be easily hidden depending on the shoulder placement.
A tattoo is a form of self-expression, so one can get any tattoo of their choice, as long as that tattoo holds some significance to the person.
