Teardrop tattoo explained

The teardrop tattoo or tear tattoo is a symbolic tattoo of a tear that is placed underneath the eye. The teardrop is one of the most widely recognised prison tattoos[1] and has various meanings.

It can signify that the wearer has spent time in prison,[2] [3] or more specifically that the wearer was raped while incarcerated and tattooed by the rapist as a "property" mark and for humiliation, since facial tattoos cannot be concealed.[4] [5] [6] [7]

The tattoo is sometimes worn by the female companions of prisoners in solidarity with their loved ones.[8] Amy Winehouse had a teardrop drawn on her face in eyeliner after her husband Blake entered the Pentonville prison hospital following a suspected drug overdose.[9]

It can acknowledge the loss of a friend or family member: Basketball player Amar'e Stoudemire has had a teardrop tattoo since 2012 honouring his older brother Hazell Jr., who died in a car accident.[10]

In West Coast United States gang culture, the tattoo may signify that the wearer has killed someone[11] [12] and in some of those circles, the tattoo's meaning can change: an empty outline meaning the wearer attempted murder.

Sometimes the exact meaning of the tattoo is known only by the wearer[13] as in the case of Portuguese footballer Ricardo Quaresma, who has never explained his teardrop tattoos.[14]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 15 prison tattoos and their meanings: Corrections One.
  2. Book: The confession: interrogation and criminal profiles for police officers . Apache Press . Macdonald, John Marshall . 1987 . 83 . 978-0-9618230-0-9 . A teardrop tattoo below the corner of the eye represents five years in prison.
  3. Web site: Prison Tattoos Tell a Story | Prison Legal News.
  4. Web site: Why getting a tattoo in prison is a really bad idea | Metro News . 6 May 2017.
  5. Web site: Four Days in the Oaxaca State Prison: Mexico Living . mexconnect.com . 3 November 2016 . the victim of rape is tattooed with a tear drop below the eye by the offending party and his accomplices.
  6. Web site: What does teardrop tattoo mean? . dictionary.com . a dominant inmate forces the tattoo on a submissive one after being extorted, abused or raped — a form of public humiliation.
  7. Web site: Teardrop Tattoo Meaning: Tattoos With Meaning . tattooswithmeaning.com . this was a way of "marking" an inmate as the property of another person or humiliating the inmate while in jail, as a tattoo on the face cannot be covered up or hidden.
  8. The Chicana Canvas: Doing Class, Gender, Race, and Sexuality through Tattooing in East Los Angeles . Santos . Xuan . Feminist Formations . 21 . 3 . Fall 2009 . 91–120.
  9. News: Amy Winehouse's Marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil: Dark Love Affair . Lee . Chris . The Daily Beast . 13 July 2017 . Winehouse appeared in public with a tiny teardrop drawn in eyeliner beneath her left eye..
  10. News: Lorenzo . Tom . Amar'e Stoudemire Honors His Late Brother By Getting A "Teardrop" Tattoo . 28 February 2012 . Sports Grid . 14 February 2012.
  11. Web site: Tattoo Regret . Washington City Paper . 20 September 2010 . Brendan . Smith . 25 April 2008 . the tattoo's 'West Coast' meaning.
  12. News: Erasing the Past: Tattoo-Removal Programs for Former Gang Members . Poljac . Bakir . Burke . Tod . FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin . 77 . 8 . August 2008 . 13–18 .
  13. This is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang . WOLF . SONJA . Logan . Samuel . Journal of Latin American Studies . 42 . 3 . August 2010 . 627–629 . 10.1017/s0022216x10000994 . 145081109.
  14. News: Besiktas Star Ricardo Quaresma Refutes Rumours About His Teardrop Tattoos . Gidden . Alex . 28 November 2016 .

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