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The tattoo may also signify that the wearer has raped or killed someone.<ref name="urlHow the LAPD Turned an Innocent Man Into the ‘Teardrop Rapist’">{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-lapd-turned-an-innocent-man-into-the-teardrop-rapist |title=How the LAPD Turned an Innocent Man Into the ‘Teardrop Rapist’ |}}</ref><ref name="regret">{{cite web | title=Tattoo Regret | work=Washington City Paper | url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/35479/tattoo-regret | accessdate=2010-09-20|first=Brendan |last=Smith |date=April 25, 2008}}</ref> The tattoo may also signify that the wearer has raped or killed someone.<ref name="urlHow the LAPD Turned an Innocent Man Into the ‘Teardrop Rapist’">{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-the-lapd-turned-an-innocent-man-into-the-teardrop-rapist |title=How the LAPD Turned an Innocent Man Into the ‘Teardrop Rapist’ |}}</ref><ref name="regret">{{cite web | title=Tattoo Regret | work=Washington City Paper | url=http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/35479/tattoo-regret | accessdate=2010-09-20|first=Brendan |last=Smith |date=April 25, 2008}}</ref>

The tattoo's meaning also can change depending on whether the tear is empty or is filled with ink. Empty outline of a teardrop may mean that a wearer committed an ] or that the wearer is seeking revenge.<ref name="urlWhat 15 common prison tattoos mean - Business Insider">{{cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/what-prison-tattoos-mean-2016-1?IR=T#teardrop-3 |title=What 15 common prison tattoos mean - Business Insider |format= |work= |accessdate=}}</ref><ref name="regret"/><ref name="urlGangland tattoos such as Aaron Hernandezs can be used as criminal evidence | Daily Mail Online">{{cite web |url=https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2648646/A-tattooed-spiderweb-two-stars-Thats-time-jail-two-murders-according-experts-use-inking-criminal-evidence.html |title=Gangland tattoos such as Aaron Hernandez's can be used as criminal evidence &#124; Daily Mail Online |format= |work= |accessdate=}}</ref>


Sometimes the exact meaning of the tattoo is only known by the wearer:<ref name="Bakir"/><ref>{{cite journal|title=This is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang|last=WOLF|first=SONJA|last2=Logan|first2=Samuel|journal=Journal of Latin American Studies|volume=42|number=3 |date=August 2010|pages=627–629|doi=10.1017/s0022216x10000994}}</ref> Sometimes the exact meaning of the tattoo is only known by the wearer:<ref name="Bakir"/><ref>{{cite journal|title=This is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang|last=WOLF|first=SONJA|last2=Logan|first2=Samuel|journal=Journal of Latin American Studies|volume=42|number=3 |date=August 2010|pages=627–629|doi=10.1017/s0022216x10000994}}</ref>

Revision as of 08:21, 1 October 2019

Rapper Lil Wayne with teardrop tattoos below his eyes

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 and has various meanings.

It can signify that the wearer has spent time in prison, 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.

The tattoo is sometimes worn by the female companions of prisoners in solidarity with their loved ones. 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.

It can acknowledge the loss of a friend, family member or fellow gang member: North American rappers The Game and Lil Wayne have teardrop tattoos signifying the death of friends and basketball player Amar'e Stoudemire has had a teardrop tattoo since 2012 honoring his older brother Hazell Jr., who died in a car accident.

The tattoo may also signify that the wearer has raped or killed someone.

The tattoo's meaning also can change depending on whether the tear is empty or is filled with ink. Empty outline of a teardrop may mean that a wearer committed an attempted murder or that the wearer is seeking revenge.

Sometimes the exact meaning of the tattoo is only known by the wearer: Portuguese footballer Ricardo Quaresma has never explained his teardrop tattoos and whether they have been covered up, removed via laser surgery or simply weren't permanent is yet to be revealed.

See also

References

  1. "15 prison tattoos and their meanings: Corrections One".
  2. Macdonald, John Marshall (1987). The confession: interrogation and criminal profiles for police officers. Apache Press. p. 83. ISBN 9780961823009. A teardrop tattoo below the corner of the eye represents five years in prison
  3. "Prison Tattoos Tell a Story | Prison Legal News".
  4. "Why getting a tattoo in prison is a really bad idea | Metro News".
  5. "Four Days in the Oaxaca State Prison: Mexico Living". mexconnect.com. Retrieved 3 November 2016. the victim of rape is tattooed with a tear drop below the eye by the offending party and his accomplices
  6. "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. "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. Santos, Xuan (Fall 2009). "The Chicana Canvas: Doing Class, Gender, Race, and Sexuality through Tattooing in East Los Angeles". Feminist Formations. 21 (3): 91–120.
  9. Lee, Chris (July 13, 2017). "Amy Winehouse's Marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil: Dark Love Affair". Winehouse appeared in public with a tiny teardrop drawn in eyeliner beneath her left eye.
  10. "Tattoos: the hidden meanings | Fashion | The Guardian".
  11. ^ Poljac, Bakir; Burke, Tod (August 2008). "Erasing the Past: Tattoo-Removal Programs for Former Gang Members". FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol. 77, no. 8. pp. 13–18.
  12. Binelli, Mark (April 16, 2009). "Life on Planet Wayne". Rolling Stone. pp. 43–47, 73–74.
  13. Lorenzo, Tom (2012-02-14). "Amar'e Stoudemire Honors His Late Brother By Getting A "Teardrop" Tattoo". Sports Grid. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  14. "How the LAPD Turned an Innocent Man Into the 'Teardrop Rapist'". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  15. ^ Smith, Brendan (April 25, 2008). "Tattoo Regret". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2010-09-20.
  16. "What 15 common prison tattoos mean - Business Insider".
  17. "Gangland tattoos such as Aaron Hernandez's can be used as criminal evidence | Daily Mail Online".
  18. WOLF, SONJA; Logan, Samuel (August 2010). "This is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang". Journal of Latin American Studies. 42 (3): 627–629. doi:10.1017/s0022216x10000994.
  19. Fraser, David (18 June 2016). "World Cup 2018: Portugal star Ricardo Quaresma's controversial teardrop tattoos have disappeared and everyone's confused".
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