Billie Eilish Reveals Huge Back Tattoo, Draws Mixed Fan Reaction

Billie Eilish is showing off some new ink. A month after first teasing a sprawling design, the “What Was I Made For?” singer, 21, took to Instagram Wednesday to officially debut to her 110 million followers her huge new back tattoo, immediately sparking plenty of buzz and mixed reactions.

Eilish revealed her tattoo in a photo dump of images that also included a picture of jack-o’-lanterns, photos of her purchasing luggage, her donning a new black and red hairstyle, and a screenshot of a Drake lyric referencing her. Appearing as the fourth picture in the carousel, the Grammy-winning artist’s back tattoo spans the length of her entire back and is an intricate line design. The photo appeared to be taken during the tattooing process and before the tattoo was entirely filled-in with black ink.

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The photo sparked a mixed bag of reactions from fans, with some loving the design while others didn’t view it quite as favorably. On X (formerly Twitter), one person said the tattoo “looks like a toddler with a marker went to town,” with another person writing, “me tracing the lines of my desk in middle school when I’m bored.” A third person commented, “maybe i’m just not understanding the vision? Idk.” Others, meanwhile, seemed to love it, including one person who shared, “Billie Eilish tattoo is fire.”

The controversial tattoo was inked by tattoo artist Matias Milan, though Eilish did not reveal when exactly the tattoo was done. However, the singer first gave fans a sneak peek of the tattoo back in September when she shared a photo showing just the very top of the design peeking out from the neckline of her top. Eilish did not comment on the tattoo at the time.

Eilish’s back tattoo is just the latest to join the singer’s growing collection. Eilish also has a large dragon tattoo that runs from her hip down to her thigh, which she has shared numerous glimpses of, including during her cover shoot for British Vogue in May 2021 and again at the 2021 Met Gala. In her annual Vanity Fair interview in 2021, Eilish opened up about another whimsical tattoo, a fairy on her wrist, sharing, “I just got this a few weeks ago, which is some fairies that are from a book that I had growing up – a little fairy book called Fairyopolis. They’re like my little guardian angel fairy.”