It’s not hard to see that Zayn Malik is a creative guy; when he’s not writing music he’s doodling on a scrap of paper or spray painting his walls. His love for art doesn’t stop there. If anyone ever lived by the words “your body is your greatest canvas”, it’s Zayn Malik. Over the years he has acquired quite the collection of tattoos on his bodacious body. We took on the massive task of compiling a list of our 23 favorites. Let’s get started, shall we?
23. Friday?
Back in August 2012 Zayn got the word Friday tattooed on his collarbone. We’re not entirely sure what this one means – apart from the fact that it is – of course – everyone’s favorite day of the week.
22. The space monkey
We never knew tattoos of monkeys wearing astronaut gear were a thing, but we guess they are now.
21. His grandfather’s name in Arabic
We love Zayn for showing how important his family is for him in this artistic way, and we’re also really glad that this gives us an excuse to use this photo.
20. His tiger tattoo
Tigers tattoos can represent almost anything, from strength and passion to success and beauty. We can only guess why Zayn got this one, but if you ask us, all these explanations are rather fitting for the Bradford born superstar.
19. The crossed fingers
When Zayn got this tattoo in February 2012 he revealed to Seventeen Magazine that the tattoo represented a wish for the future – “a hope everything goes well”. We’re glad to see everything worked out! With Zayn set to release his first album as a solo artist early this spring, it definitely worked.
18. Don’t think I won’t
We’re incredibly sad that there aren’t any HQ pictures of this gorgeous one. Feel free to send some our way, Zayn. We’ll be right here waiting.
17. His skull tattoo
If you already thought that Zayn’s ‘Friday?’ tattoo was mysterious, this grim looking skull Zayn got tattooed underneath it makes it a million times more intriguing.
16. Another skull
Zayn seems to have a thing for skulls, adding this one to his collection of tatts on his right arm.
15. And yet another skull
If you think we were exaggerating Zayn’s love for skulls: here’s a third one.
14. His lightning bolt tattoo
Now, we know that Zayn got this one in 2013 and it is therefore pretty impossible for it to symbolise Girl Almighty’s “let’s pray we stay young, stay made of lightning”, but we’re just gonna pretend we don’t know that and that Zayn got a Girl Almighty tattoo.
13. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon tattoo
First seen in April 2013, this tattoo consists of a simple black and white representation of the artwork for Pink Floyd’s famous album Dark Side of the Moon. And yes, you remembered that right, Harry Styles has that exact same artwork tattooed on him as well.
12. His wings and lips chest piece
This seems to be a rather popular spot for One Direction (ex-) members to get tattooed. We never knew we had a thing for chest pieces, but we do now. Bonus points for Zayn going from real cute to real sexy in less than one second in this gif.
11. His wolf tattoo
This one just looks incredibly cool.
10. The yin-yang symbol
Throwback to long forgotten times, when the yin-yang symbol was the only tattoo decorating Zayn’s left arm. We’re happy to see that even with all the recent additions on this arm, the yin-yang tattoo is still there.
9. His microphone tattoo
This one is just really well done. We don’t think any further explanation is necessary.
8. The checkered flag
Considering that a checkered flag usually symbolises victory and that Zayn got this one shortly after leaving One Direction, we guess this tattoo represents Zayn’s happiness about finally being able to embark on a journey towards success as a solo artist.
7. The swallow tattoo on his hand
It’s cute, it’s sweet, it’s the dream of every hipster: a swallow tattoo. Zayn chose a minimalistic design for this birdie and boy, does it look good on him.
6. The gun on his side
Because sometimes you just gotta live up to your bad boy image.
5. The fantail on his back
This fantail is one of Zayn’s most aesthetically pleasing tattoos and the location of it is just spot on. We could stare at this picture for hours. Maybe we already have.
4. His ZAP tattoo
We’re always happy when Zayn’s comic book loving side comes out, so this tat is one of our favourites.
3. His bus 1 tattoo
Okay, we know Zayn and Louis might not be on the best terms right now (and we’re aware that that’s an understatement), but this tattoo will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Here’s to hoping neither of them covers it up.
2. The mehndi on his left wrist
In our humble opinion this is one of the most well executed tattoos Zayn has ever had inked – a true work of art.
1. His Madison Square Garden tattoo
He’s “just a little boy from Bradford”, and now he’s smashing it. Can you hear us cry?
If you, like us, sometimes lose count of Zayn’s ink, you might want to check out this website and let us know which ones you think should’ve been included in this list. You can comment below or tweet us over at @CelebMix.