It’s important to be proud of who you are. Sometimes it’s hard to get that message across verbally, but one way you can do it is with tattoos. For members of the LGBTQ+ community — and even for allies — tattooing rainbow colors or LGBTQ+ symbols on your body is a way to let everyone know that this is you and you love it. Whether you want your display to be big or small, we have some ideas to get you started.
Wear your pride on your sleeve, or in this case on your skin, with a rainbow-colored collection of hearts. This option is simple yet powerful and makes a bold statement about you. Thanks to its versatility, you could do a design like this in a variety of sizes and in any location.
This tattoo combines the ultra trendy watercolor technique with a strong equality symbol in blackwork. By doing the watercolor portion in rainbow colors, it adds another level of symbolism to this pride tattoo.
Highlighting a very cool way to show off your pride, this tattoo is not just rainbow-colored but gives a strong statement on embracing who you are. It shows a biological makeup and is a subtle, different way to display your pride.
Another very literal way to paint a picture of acceptance is with a portrait of people. You can choose whatever combination of people that fits the message you want to share. This one, for instance, is two men locked in a passionate embrace.
This tattoo is a simple and common way to show your pride to the world. It’s also a great way to get matching tattoos. This one is a line of rainbow dots that you can get with a significant other, your friends, or even your family.
A tattoo like this one, that simply says “Love Wins” sends a powerful message. Something like this would be good for anyone in any situation, though it’s just as powerful when applied to the equality movement and fighting for gay rights. You could get this as a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally.
Let everyone know what you believe with a rainbow heart right on your chest. This tattoo also incorporates a rainbow colored heartbeat line. You could put a tattoo like this anywhere on your body, but it makes the loudest statement when lying right over your heart.
A rainbow might be an obvious way to display your pride but by turning it into a caricature, it makes it more fun and lighthearted while still making a statement. This fun rainbow and clouds is perfect for someone full of pride but could also work for anyone who loves a bit of whimsy.
Take a page out of Lady Gaga’s book with a tattoo featuring her iconic lyrics from the song “Born This Way”. The song is all about being yourself and loving it, which is also what this tattoo is about. From the rainbow colors to the DNA structure and even the song lyrics, everything about this tattoo screams loud and proud.
This tattoo is another beautiful example of portraiture to show off your love for love. The two people in this tattoo are passionately clutching each other, and really showcases the artist’s talent. While we can’t be certain if the “Valid” text at the bottom is part of this tattoo, we think it takes the pride angle to a new level by saying that all love is acceptable.
An upside-down triangle is a well-accepted symbol in the LGBTQ+ community. By tattooing an upside-down triangle on yourself, you’re sending a quiet message about your pride. If you want to make it louder, you can make it bigger, more visible, or include all the colors of the rainbow, like this example.
How sweet is this tiny tattoo? Situated between two symbols for females, the rainbow heart is the star of the show on this pride tattoo. It would be easy enough to make the heart any color to fit what’s in your heart and design it with whatever other symbols you feel strongly about.
If your style is more subtle, you could get something like this tattoo, which is a very tiny rainbow band around your ear that only your nearest and dearest will see. For someone who wants to wear their pride for themselves rather than the world to see, a small gesture like this is a good way to go about it.
No list like this would be complete without the classic, tried-and-true rainbow. This will always be a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community and will show the world that you are who you are and you love yourself for it.