Actors’ and Models’ Invisible Ink: A Look at the Tattoos That Brands Airbrush Away

Scarlett Johansson has a multicolor scene on the inside of her arm and lingerie model Isabeli Fontana has a large set of angel wings on her upper back. Looking at ads Johansson did for Dolce & Gabbana and photos of Fontana in the Victoria’s Secret catalog, however, one would not suspect that either possessed even a millimeter of anything other than flawless, ink-free skin. Despite the growing faddishness of tattoos, many major brands and magazines continue to airbrush away the ink on their models and actors. (All the tattoos at left have been removed in at least one instance, as you’ll see in the slides that follow.) Given that even Barbie got a tattoo last year, is anyone really going to be scandalized at this point by a permanent skin adornment? Most brands in this slideshow declined to comment on their post-production airbrushing policies. But Daniel Meadows, a professional photo retoucher who’s worked in the trade for over 10 years with clients such as L’Oreal Paris, Chanel, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle, suggested that the Photoshopping may be motivated less by ideology than aesthetics. “Ultimately it comes down to composition, he says. “If it’s about a dress or a hairstyle, and all you can see when you look at the shot is this tattoo, it’ll be taken out.” That said, given that 21 percent of Americans now have tattoos—up 14 percent from four years ago according to Harris Interactive—perhaps more brands will start seeing tattoos less as blemish-like distractions, than enhancers.

Composite of images from Getty. (Specific credits follow in gallery.)
Freja Beha Erichsen, Tattoo-Free for Harry Winston

Actually has: The word “float” inscribed in cursive on the left side of her neck.

Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen has worked the runway for a panoply of high-end labels, including Gucci and Chanel, with her trademark ink in plain sight. But apparently her neck tattoo doesn’t go well with the sort of jewelry that requires appointments for viewing. In her latest bridal ad campaign “float” was evidently airbrushed away.

Harry Winston; Getty Images.
Scarlett Johansson, Tattoo-Free for Dolce & Gabbana

Actually has: A round, colorful sun over the sea tattoo on the inside of her left arm, two interlinked circles on her ankle and more recently a “I heart NY” charm bracelet on her wrist.

Without passing judgment on Johansson’s tattoo choice—a campy multicolor scene of a sunny sky overlooking water—its omission from Dolce & Gabbana’s steamy ads likely comes down to the fact that it’s distracting, Meadows explains. “Sometimes it looks absolutely beautiful, sometimes it just draws your eye away from the focus of the shot,” he says. It will be interesting to see the next spate of ads, now that Johansson has a permanent bracelet on her wrist.

Dolce & Gabanna; Jason Merritt/Getty Images.
Megan Fox, Nietzsche-Free for Armani

Actually has: A spread of ink, including a Shakespeare quote on her back shoulder, a Nietzsche quote on her back torso, and a portrait of Marilyn Monroe on her right forearm, which she’s currently in the process of removing.

France’s Grazia magazine evidently was comfortable with Fox’s upper back Shakespeare quote, but not the lower back Nietzsche. Unlike Armani, which put both the tattoos front and center, the magazine airbrushed out the second tattoo on its cover, as you can see.

Armani; Grazia.
Alessandra Ambrosio, Tattoo-Free for Victoria’s Secret

Actually has: A crescent moon-shaped tattoo on her lower back.

Alessandra Ambrosio may come close to baring it all for her Victoria’s Secret shoots, but in catalogs, her tattoo is yet to be revealed. To that end, the Victoria’s Secret tattoo-removal policy is nondiscriminating; every model’s ink gets wiped out regardless of size or design. The runway is a different story, though. Here, we get the full moon at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

Victoria’s Secret; Getty Images.
Isabeli Fontana, Tattoo-Free for Cesare Paciotti

Actually has: A back tattoo of wings bearing her son Zion’s name, as well as a thorny rose wrapping around her left ankle, and one bad-ass furry creature on her left arm.

Brazilian model Isabeli Fontanta’s back tattoo is egregiously absent from her ads for designer Cesare Paciotti’s summer 2010 campaign as well her appearance in Victoria’s Secret catalogs. Though Victoria’s Secret does have an absolute no-tattoo policy on the pages of its promotional materials, one might have though they’d make an exception for brand-consistent wings on one if its angels.

Cesare Paciotti; Marc Piasecki/Getty Images.
Kate Moss, Tattoo-Free for David Yurman

Actually has: An anchor tattoo on her right wrist.

When Kate Moss posed for luxury jewelry designer David Yurman’s spring 2010 campaign, her airbrushed tattoo was hardly anything worth noting—until it appeared in a similar series of ads promoting Moss’ collaborative jewelry collection with the French label Fred last winter. The small anchor tattoo, a fixture on Moss’ wrist since 2008, is actually one of the few distinguishing factors between the two campaigns, which thoroughly infuriated David Yurman.

David Yurman; Fred.
Cintia Dicker, Tattoo-Free for Bebe

Actually has: Several tattoos, including a diamond on the inside of one arm and a larger lotus-like symbol on the inside of the other.

This is the second consecutive summer that the Brazilian redhead appears with her svelte arms tattoo-free as the Bebe girl, center. (The contemporary brand did allow for the tattoos to remain visible in a commercial video, however.) Likewise Marie Claire France opted to airbrush away her adornment on its cover, left, as well as throughout the photo spread inside. Her breasts, however, were not considered excessively distracting. (She appeared topless.)

Marie Claire France; Bebe; Getty Images.
Lindsay Lohan, Tattoo-Free for Playboy

Actually has: The Marilyn Monroe quote, “I restore myself when I’m alone” on her inner right forearm, and “I’m a star, I’m a star” etched on her forearm along with “la bella vita” positioned on her lower back and the Billy Joel lyrics “live without regrets” on her rib cage, among others.

Lindsay Lohan cleaned up for her January 2012 spread in Playboy, which included 10 heavily retouched images of the embattled actress in the nude. Though her ink wasn’t really the focus, there’s not a single one of Lohan’s five (or more) tattoos in sight. Her arm tattoos are conspicuously absent on the magazine’s cover.

Playboy; Getty Images.
Britney Spears, Tattoo-Free for Candie’s

Actually has: A small fairy inked on her lower back, Kabbalah symbols on the back of her neck, a butterfly and vine on her left foot, a flower and a Chinese symbol on her lower stomach, as well as several more designs on the insides of her wrists.

When Spears agreed to release the nonairbrushed version of this shot produced for her 2010 Candie’s ad campaign, the pop star disarmed many with her willingness to be so transparent, cellulite and all. The original photo revealed that along with some skin dimpling, Candie’s had erased the fairy perched on the bottom of Spears’ back. Curiously enough, the brand’s newest celebrity spokesmodel, Lea Michele, gleefully poses in several of its summer ads with one of her own nine tattoos, the word “Imagine,” in plain sight on her left foot. You can see the airbrushed Candie’s tattoo closer up at right.

Candie’s; Patrick Riviere/Getty Images.