Everyone knows singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus as a childhood staple, from her time as Hannah Montana. Fans also know how she went on to expunge her America’s sweetheart image by going a little wild with her new mature content. Since growing up in the industry, she has grown in not only talent but appearance. Cyrus has continued to show off her unique style and show the world who she is with not just clothes but also ink.
And while Miley Cyrus is more of a fan of an array of small tattoos than having a big connecting sleeve, the singer still has well over seventy tattoos. She got her first tattoo when she was only seventeen years old on her ribs. She got the words “just breathe” in tribute to a close friend that died of cystic fibrosis in addition to her grandfather who died of lung cancer. And since then, this former teen idol has built herself a collection.
11 A Tribute to Pops
Miley Cyrus tattooed her father’s motorcycle on her shoulder, a tribute to Billy Ray Cyrus done by Dr. Woo. And family means a lot to Miley, as much of her ink is dedicated to them. She has a compass on her wrist, with each direction displaying one of her sibling’s initials. She even has the word “dad” tattooed on one foot and the word “mom” on the other.
10 A Matching Moment?
One of her more recent tattoos, Miley got a heart with the words rock and roll written inside and a dagger stabbed through. Many suspect this tattoo to be coordinated with then-boyfriend Cody Simpson. The two later even got matching trident tattoos, referencing Simpson’s poetry collection. Cyrus has always been a fan of a matching tattoo, having shared a couple with a variety of people. She and Katy Weaver even have each other's nicknames tattooed. Cyrus, Wayne, and Katy also all have a tattoo of a tooth. Cyrus and assistant Cheyene also got matching ink, having the word “Biewty” tattooed.
9 A Cover Up
With all that tattoos Cryus has, it’s no surprise that some of them won’t pan out. So when Miley covered her avocado tat, it was no big deal. The singer chose a rose to cover it on her arm as a nod to her song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. Music has always been a big part of her, so it makes sense that she has ink of her songs. Her music tattoos include: the word "Cattitude" to represent her song of the same name, Johnny Cash’s signature, an Elvis in a shape of heart, and the words “Love Yer Brain” referencing a Flaming Lips song. She even got the words “Rolling Stone” on both of her feet.
8 It’s Her Year
The singer got the number 92 tattooed on her neck, one of the few ones above the chest (another one being the word “love” on her ear). The number is a reference to her birth year 1992, as she captioned the picture “year of the monkey”. It is clear years are important to Cyrus, as she has the year 1961 tattooed on the side of her hand, which is the year that her dad was born.
7 Gaining Freedom
In 2019, a little bit after her announced split with former hubby Liam Hemsworth, Miley got the word “freedom” tattooed on her hand. Cyrus has been known to have ink that represents the two, having a jar of vegemite on her left arm as well as a quote from Theordore Rossevelt (a matching tattoo with then fiancé Liam who has the first part tattooed on his arm). The tattoo is also a nod to her single "Mother’s Daughter", where the lyrics “Don’t f**k with my freedom” appears.
6 Chasing Dreams
Miley’s fifth tattoo ever was a dreamcatcher on the side of her torso. She said that it’s the one that she has that hangs over her bed and that each of the four feathers represents one of her siblings (Brandi, Trace, Braison and Noah). Cyrus seems to be a dedicated fan of Native American culture, because she also has two crossing arrows on her elbow which are meant to represent friendship. She also has recently gotten a bunch of ancient symbols on her arm.
5 A Snake Stamp
Cyrus has recently revealed her lower back tattoo on her Instagram, showing off her styled snake (could be a dragon) wrapped around a tiger. Despite proudly flaunting the ink, she has left the meaning a mystery. Cyrus often does this, as there are some tattoos that have shown up with no explanation. Cyrus debuted a skeleton on her arm in 2019, a naked body of a woman, and the words “cold blooded” which she has yet to shed some light on.
4 Finding Self Love
The first tattoo after her divorce, many believe that the tattoo of the words: “My head was feeling scared, but my heart was feeling free,” is a reference to their breakup. Cyrus is no stranger to couple based ink, having gotten an italian sculpture tatted after a summer romance in Europe with Kaitlynn Carter. In 2012, she even got ink with the phrase “love never dies” which ironically many thought was about Hemsworth at the time.
3 Embracing Tiny Tats
Cyrus is definitely a fan of small tattoos, having an array of tiny tattoos littered around her arms. These include a crescent moon, a smiley face to represent her Happy Hippie Foundation, the Hindu symbol 'Om', a curved claw, an anchor, roman numerals ‘VIIXCI' (which is not a valid number so many suspect it would be a date) and a Da Vinci inspired anatomical heart which spread rumors of a split with Hemsworth at the time. She also has a small skull on her foot and another more simple smiley face on her ankle.
2 A Tribute To Remember
In 2013, Cyrus got a portrait of Loretta Finley, her “Mammie” (grandmother) on her arm. And this is definitely not the only tribute tattoo that Cyrus sports on her arm, as she has a variety of tattoos dedicated to her pets. She has a tattoo of her dogs Emu and Mary Jane. She also has her deceased fish, Pablow, tattooed next to Emu. She even has the word “Lettle” on her arm which many assume to be an ode to her pets. She even got a tattoo of her dog Floyd who has passed away.
1 A Little Hand Ink
Miley Cyrus is no stranger to a finger tattoo, as she has a bunch on her right hand. She has a small outline of a heart on her pinkie, a matching tattoo that every Cyrus has somewhere on their body. Miley’s mother even shares the same placement for the art as her daughter. On the same hand, she also has a peace sign, equals sign, and a cross. Cyrus also has an evil eye on her knuckle, which is said to be a symbol of protection. She also has the word “Bad” in red on her finger, which some think might be a tribute to the late great Michael Jackson. But the tattoos don’t end there, she has also gotten a tongue on her middle finger but has since covered it with a triangle. In recent years, she has filled in the heart, made the triangle into a watermelon and then back into a two triangles, and added an alien into the mix which she has covered with a flower.