Weather Tonight: 4°c Partly Cloudy Night Morning: 8°c Cloudy

Showbiz

The secrets behind Angelina's baby tattoos

Updated 08:53am on 23 May 2007


She is one of the most photographed women in the world - and now one of the most tattooed.

After attending the world premiere of her latest movie, Angelina Jolie revealed her latest set of body art - geographical map coordinates accurately detailing the countries of birth of each member of her "rainbow family".

Walking down the red carpet in Cannes to promote her movie, A Mighty Heart, the 31-year-old actress kept the new tattoos hidden, using her boyfriend, Brad Pitt, as a human shield.

Scroll down for more ...

jolie tattoos

The tattoo on Angelina Jolie's left arm show's the map coordinates for the birthplaces of her children. The actress also appeared to be bruised - a common side effect of tattooing. Click to enlarge

Enlarge the image

But as the couple made their way down the festival's famous Croisette in a chauffeur-driven car afterwards, the four-part scribing on her left shoulder was plainly visible.

Each line, it has emerged, represents the very international map coordinates detailing where their four children, three of which were adopted, were born.

From the top down, and from left to right, is the longitudinal and latitudinal location of Cambodia, where the Oscar-winning actress' eldest son, Maddox, five, was born.

Next are the coordinates pertaining to Ethiopia, the country from which Miss Jolie plucked two-year-old Zahara.

Scroll down for more ...

jolie tattoos

Angelina's tattoos have special meaning for her

Third on the list is Namibia, where the Tomb Raider star gave birth to her ten-month-old biological daughter, Shiloh, whose name in Hebrew means "the peaceful one".

Last but not least is a reference to the latest addition to the couple's rainbow family - Pax Thien, who is Vietnamese by origin.

The three-year-old boy was taken from an orphanage in March, amid claims that the Hollywood couple had unfairly fast-tracked the adoption process.

Interestingly, beneath her latest ink inscriptions, Miss Jolie appeared to be sporting some heavy bruising - a common side effect of tattooing.

"Most of Angelina's tattoos are pretty discreet but these map coordinates really stand out," said a festival onlooker. "When she made her way up the red carpet, she kept her arm hidden behind Brad, and looked really elegant in a demure black dress and peep toe heels.

Scroll down for more ...

Jolie and Pitt

On the red carpet: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive at the world premiere of 'A Mighty Heart' in Cannes

"But when she unearthed them later in the night, she really did look like a bit of a bruiser. While the significance of these tattoos is undoubtedly poignant, this probably wasn't the look she had in mind when she got the coordinates done."

The latest tattoo is understood to be Miss Jolie's 13th to date.

She already has a discreet M on the palm of her hand - a tribute to her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died earlier this year.

On top of this, she has a Buddhist Pali prayer written in the Khmer script for Maddox as well as a Tennessee Williams quote, "A prayer for the wild at heart kept in cages".

Angelina Jolie's new tattoos have been inscribed in the same spot where a tribute to her ex-husband Billy Bob Thronton once lay.

His name was tattooed onto her left arm along with a Chinese dragon - the remnants of which are still faintly visible even after laser removal surgery.

She said at the time of the laser treatment: "I'll never be stupid enough to have a man's name tattooed on me again."

See the hottest showbiz pictures of the day

Reader views (3)

 Add your view

That was probably Angelina's worst mistake ever by tatooing Billy Bob on her arm.

- Daisy, NY, New York, 24/02/2010 14:38
Report abuse

She isn't bruised, those are the remnants of her "Billy Bob" dragon tattoo that she had removed.

- Mel, USA, 11/06/2008 21:49
Report abuse

I believe that the bruising that you are referring to is in fact, just the remnants of the Billy Bob tattoo that she had removed and not bruising at all.

- Alison, New York, USA, 18/03/2008 00:11
Report abuse


Add your comment

 

Terms and conditions Make text area bigger You have  characters left.

We welcome your opinions. This is a public forum. Libellous and abusive comments are not allowed. Please read our House Rules.

For information about privacy and cookies please read our Privacy Policy.


 

 

  • Stones would love to play at the Games, says Ronnie Wood Ronnie Wood Guitarist revealed that Rolling Stones had been in discussions about playing during the Games and in other concerts
  • Mother's grief at Whitney Houston's final journey Whitney hearse Whitney Houston's mother Cissy looked distraught today as she brought her daughter's body back to a funeral parlour in her home town
  • Dermot O'Leary is top TV choice for Valentine's Day Dermot O'Leary Dermot O'Leary proved he has the X factor after he topped a poll of the nation's women asking them to name their top TV Valentine
  • Rosie Huntington-Whiteley named top style icon at Elle Awards Rosie Huntington-Whiteley Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has been named the year's top style icon at the Elle Style Awards
  • Al Pacino honoured at White House ceremony Al Pacino Al Pacino was among a host of honourees awarded the 2011 National Medal of Arts at a ceremony in Washington
  • Whitney Houston was dead before she went under the water Whitney o2 Singer Whitney Houston died from a mix of drugs and alcohol - and did not drown in her hotel bath, according to reports
  • Rhys Ifans accused of assault Rhys Ifans Rhys Ifans alleged to have slapped a guest in a late-night argument in a suite at London's five-star St Pancras Renaissance hotel
  • Triumph for Adele as she finds her voice on tragic night at the Grammys adele Adele made a triumphant return after vocal cord surgery to win a record six Grammy Awards
  • The Artist dominates the Baftas as Meryl Streep wins best actress The Artist Silent film The Artist made a big noise at the Bafta film awards winning seven, including Best Film, Leading Actor and Best Director
  • Lady Gaga reveals battle with bulimia Lady Gaga Lady Gaga used to make herself sick after eating family meals because she wanted to lose her "voluptuous" curves
  •