Angelina Jolie Looks Unrecognizable Without Her Back Tattoos

Beyond her acting career, Angelina Jolie is known for her love of body art. As of August 2024, Jolie’s collection includes at least 17 tattoos on her chest, arms, torso, hand, and back. Each tattoo holds a deep, personal meaning for the Oscar winner. Her most recent ink, a bird on her chest, was showcased at the Tony Awards in June 2024. This delicate design was crafted by celebrity tattoo artist Mark Mahoney, known for working with stars like Rihanna and David Beckham.

Jolie also has a giant tiger inked on her lower back and a series of coordinates on her left arm indicating the birthplaces of her six children with ex-husband Brad Pitt. Perhaps her most iconic tattoos are those on her upper back, which she has collected over at least two decades. These include a Buddhist piece on her left shoulder blade for her son Maddox and the phrase “know your rights” at the top of her spine.

Curious to see what Jolie would look like without her back tattoos, photo editors at Static Media removed them digitally. The result is surprising.

Angelina Jolie looks remarkably different without her tattoos. In a reimagined photo of the “Eternals” star sans her signature ink, Jolie’s renowned beauty stands out even more. The image reveals an alluring and sophisticated look that arguably surpasses her actual tattooed appearance. Additionally, her impressive back muscles come into sharper focus, showcasing a well-defined physique.

This isn’t the first time Jolie’s tattoos have been covered up. For films and photoshoots, she often hides them using clothing or cosmetics. For example, none of her ink was visible during her role in 2005’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” alongside Brad Pitt. Jolie reportedly used CoverFX products to conceal her arm and back tattoos in the movie.

The brand’s full-coverage cream foundation is a favorite in the industry, known for effectively hiding “dark circles, redness, acne blemishes, birthmarks and dark spots, discoloration, and even tattoos.” Similarly, model Paris Jackson, who boasts an extensive collection of tattoos, used CoverFX products to cover her ink for the Grammy Awards in February 2024, demonstrating the brand’s effectiveness.

Angelina Jolie is one of Hollywood’s most heavily tattooed stars. Her passion for body art dates back to her early days in showbiz when she got her first tattoo at 20. It was a short quote from Tennessee Williams: “A prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages.” Jolie got it inked on the inside of her left arm during an impromptu visit to a tattoo parlor with her mother, Marcheline Bertrand.

She shared this story with Harper’s Bazaar in 2019, recalling how her mom talked about spending time with Tennessee Williams and how much she loved his words. “What [my mom] did for me that night was to remind me that the wild within me is alright and a part of me,” Jolie said, emphasizing that it was a moment she will never forget.

Since then, Jolie’s collection of body art has grown significantly. During a 2010 interview with Australia’s Post-Modern Ink, Jolie defended her love of tattoos, stating, “I love them. They’re body art. I don’t think it’s abnormal that someone who spends their life in other skins wants to claim their own by marking things on it that matter to them.”