Grimes’ Face Tattoo was Welcomed with Mixed Reactions

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It’s one thing to be quietly bold. The one where you step into something you’ve thought about for years, and then share it with the world. That’s exactly what Grimes did with her newest piece of self-expression: a face tattoo.

It’s no news that Grimes is not a stranger to body modification and has always been covered with ink. In 2022, she hinted online on the possibility of getting a tattoo on her face, where she wrote, “I am very seriously considering getting a white ink tattoo on my face next week.” Any thoughts? It feels like it’s time.”

The dream has finally come to a reality as Grimes took the internet by storm with a faint pink ring around her left eye.

She revealed on her Instagram that she’s got a new face tattoo. She wrote:

“Spent like ten years emotionally working up to a face tattoo but I guess I drew on my face too much and literally no one noticed, not even my parents, not even after the video lol.”
The design is subtle is a faint circle of reddish-brown ink encircling the area around her left eye.
She credits the artist Glyphomancer for “something truly novel and innovative” in the face-tattoo space.
And yet: almost imperceptible. “Idky this face tattoo is imperceptible … but just for the record it’s my fave tat.” she posted.

Although it’s a face tattoo, it’s soft, almost ghost-like. It’s there. And maybe: you might miss it.

Her Instagram Post

Here are the key lines she shared (via Instagram):

“Spent like ten years emotionally working up to a face tattoo but I guess I drew on my face too much and literally no one noticed, not even my parents…”
“I think @glyphomancer is onto something truly novel and innovative with her work esp on face tats- there’s a true beauty, delicacy, and innovation here imo.”

“Feel like tats are in a crazy renaissance period that’s sort of under appreciated atm.”

Glyphomancer is known for creating cybersigillism tattoos, which are a modern tattoo style that combines ancient sigil symbolism with a cyberpunk aesthetic. He has always been praised for his face tattoos and innovation.

It’s conversational. It’s candid. You can see her trail of thought: the anticipation, the minute decision, the “okay, now I’m ready.”

Reactions: The Good, The Confused, The Celebratory

People responded in all kinds of ways because when someone puts something permanent and visible on their face, well… you will get reactions.

The celebration:
Some fans loved it immediately:

“So happy you did it queen,” one fan wrote.
“It looks so great on youuu,” another.
They saw it as bold, authentic, true to Grimes’ own aesthetic.

The confused one remarked on the tattoo on being visible. They were the “Wait… what am I seeing?” comments:

“Is the tattoo in the room with us??” someone asked.
One user: “You could have the coolest face tattoo ever, but you have this instead. I’m sorry but I’m so confused 💀
Some even mistook it for a skin condition: “I remember my first Ringworm …” What’s ur favorite pasta noodle shape,” another follower said.

The critique/commentary:
Wider watchers noted: this is a face tattoo in 2025 that carries weight. Some said it challenges beauty norms; others questioned the trend of facial ink.
The tattoo’s near-invisibility became part of the commentary: “How subtle can a face tattoo be?” people asked.

A Bit More About Grimes

Grimes (real name Claire Boucher) is a musician and artist. She’s never one to stay comfortably inside the lines.

Her music spans art-pop, electronic, and avant-garde.
She’s had large body-art pieces before. For instance: a massive white-ink back tattoo she described as “beautiful alien scars.”
She often reflects on beauty culture, identity, and futurism. She once asked: “Do any other women feel like you’re being choked to death on beauty culture?”
As someone who publicly intersects art, technology, and self-expression, this face tattoo feels very much like a milestone, not a fad.

What It Might Mean

Think about ink on a face. That’s not just another tattoo hidden under a sleeve. It’s visible. Daily. To the world.
Grimes face tattoo, it says something:

A declaration of readiness. She says she “emotionally worked up” to it for ten years.
A subtle refusal of conventional beauty: the design isn’t massive or flashy. Rather, it’s quiet. Unassuming.
A nod to transformation: As her post suggests, tattoos are in a “renaissance period.” (She thinks so, at least.)
A continuity of her aesthetic: cosmic, alien, almost futuristic but human.

Final Thoughts

Grimes’ face tattoo is more than just ink. It’s about taking a visible step into a new version of self.

And it’s about how we respond, the fans, the commentators, the watchers, especially when someone we follow changes.

Whether you love it, are confused by it, or you are somewhere in between, it invites you to look longer. To question: what is self-expression? What is beauty? What does “wearing your art” really mean?