The neck is often associated with communication. It is also a bridge between thought and emotion. As such, it is a placement that gives a voice to one’s deepest yearnings. As these neck tattoos for women show, it is also one of the most stunning places to get inked on.
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Red Butterfly Neck Tattoo
Butterflies represent metamorphosis, and red is the color of passion. Paired with the symbolism of communication, this tattoo makes a pretty cool statement about transformation.
Bird Neck Tattoos for Women
Birds come in many shapes, sizes, and forms, so they tend to have just as many meanings. Swallows, in particular, have been popular as tattoos for a long time. Sailors got swallows inked to represent migration and mark traveling milestones.
Further back in history, swallows represented freedom of movement and good fortune. They were also associated with Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. And if you’re a cannabis enthusiast, what better way to highlight your beautiful swallow tattoo than with a weed leaf necklace?
Chrysanthemum Neck Tattoo
Chrysanthemums are thought to represent friendship, happiness, joy, and optimism. They’re one of the most positive flowers out there.
Ink these precious florals on your throat as a reminder to always speak from a good place.
Rose Side Neck Tattoo
Red roses have long held the symbolism of fiery, passionate love. But roses come in many colors each with its own meaning. As such, they are one of the most popular symbols in tattooing.
Despite this, the flower never seems to go out of style. It remains sought-after and retains its timeless beauty.
Traditional Floral Tattoo Idea
Floral tattoos are popular across styles. Despite getting several makeovers, though, flowers remain a staple in the traditional styles of tattooing.
And it’s easy to see why. These designs are stunning and work on all placements.
New-School Beetle Tattoo
Neck tattoos more often than not tend to use more traditional styles and colors. But the placement works just as well with neo-traditional and new-school aesthetics.
Shadow Spider-Man Tattoo Idea
Of contemporary blackwork styles, silhouette and shadow are easily some of the most intriguing. The illustrative tattoo styles make stunning use of negative space to craft a stunning image.
This one evidently takes inspiration from Miles Morales’ iconic free fall in Into The Spider-Verse (2018). And it does so in the best way possible.
Rose Vine Tattoo
Plant vines look stunning on most placements. But they are definitely unique in neck tattoos. They look particularly elegant when inked to go around the neck, resembling a necklace or choker.
Hand-poked Tattoo on the Neck
The understated simplicity of this hand-poked vine design elevates it to a whole new level.
Neck and Shoulder Tattoo
Vine tattoos can do more than just resemble classy jewelry, though. They can make pretty grand statements, depending on what you choose to do with your design.
Neck and Chest Tattoo for Women
As far as ornamental designs go, you can turn a neck tattoo into a statement piece by extending a simple jewel-like design out into an intricate piece. These often use jewelry, gemstones, nature, and spiritual symbols as inspiration.
One-Line Lovers Tattoo
The one-line style of art is certainly one of the more difficult styles to master. Even more so as a tattoo style.
Yet, tattoo artists have been proving time and time again that they’re up to the challenge. And this stunning piece is proof of that.
Utopia Script Tattoo on Neck
Is there a more apt tattoo than “Utopia” on a placement associated with speaking dreams into reality? Perhaps not.
Baby’s Breath Tattoo Idea
The tiny flowers of Baby’s Breath make it one of the prettiest flowers you could get inked. The plant is sometimes considered a weed, yet the flower remains a popular staple at weddings. It is thought to represent everlasting love, in addition to innocence and sincerity.
Fern Neck and Back Tattoo
Ferns represent youthfulness, but they also hold connotations of healing and are sometimes associated with warriors. Tattoos of a fern leaf on the neck and back, symbols of communication and strength, can mean many things. But a core element is that they represent your willingness to heal and grow.
Witchy Moon Tattoo
The neck offers an adaptable canvas. You can get larger pieces to adorn the entire space, spreading outward toward your shoulders, back, chest, or ears. Or you can opt for a super tiny and minimalist piece, like this moon and star.
Nape of Neck Tattoo Ideas for Women
The nape of one’s neck relates to flexibility and movement. It’s a great spot for tattoos that share a similar meaning.
Phases of the Moon Tattoo
The moon represents wisdom, mystique, femininity, and much more. Its phases represent the cycle of life, and relate to a journey from seed to bloom, to eventual decay and rebirth.
Side Neck Tattoos for Black Women
The misconception that tattoos don’t look good on darker skin tones has long been busted. Most of us can acknowledge that they look fantastic on any skin tone.
And not only does this moon-themed minimalist tattoo look great on any skin tone, but it also makes for a very pretty aesthetic on the side of the neck.
Bat Wings Neck Tattoo
Bats are nuanced creatures with varied symbolism. On the one hand, they represent death and rebirth. On the other, they represent unrealized potential. The most common connotation though would be their connection to vampires.
Even cultures with long histories, such as the Swahili-speaking regions of Africa, have evil shape-shifting spirits like “Popobawa” or “bat wing.” Christianity links bats to Lucifer. Chinese mythology sees bats as a symbol of luck, while Native Americans relate bats to intuition. Suffice it to say, bats tend to represent both the light and the dark.
So a bat wing tattoo on your neck can mean a lot of different things. But the simplest correlation is that bats, which navigate using echolocation, are a symbol of communication themselves.
Honeycomb Neck Tattoo Idea
Honeybees are extremely hard workers and thus are associated with persistence and industry. The honeycomb, where they store the fruit of their labor, is associated with fertility and abundance.
The hexagonal shape of these abodes is also a deeply spiritual symbol, representing a yin-yang balance and the potential for life.
Trippy Mandala Neck Tattoo
Mandalas are an extremely important and popular spiritual symbol. They represent one’s spiritual journey, beginning with the external and superficial elements of their life and progressing toward the core of their humanity.
Neck mandala tattoos are a perfect representation of the mind-body balance that mandalas are designed to bring.
Minimalist Moon and Stars
As stunning as elaborate designs can look on the neck, an extremely simple and minimalist tattoo on this spot can make just as powerful a statement.
Fine-line Floral Tattoo Ideas
Floral tattoos are pretty common in traditional styles. These feature bold black lines and vibrant shades of black and red.
But the allure of getting a more contemporary design has led to the popularity of fine-line florals. These are imbued with artistic elements and feature thin, flowy outlines and details.
Fine-line Medusa Neck Tattoo
The tale of the Gorgon Medusa has seen several rewritings. Regardless of what she represents, though, the snake-haired goddess is a popular tattoo symbol.
Originally, Medusa is described as having been turned into her monstrous form by Athena. This followed the maiden’s assault at the hands of Poseidon in Athena’s temple and was Medusa’s punishment for desecrating the sacred space. Eventually, Perseus would defeat Medusa and later use her head as a trophy.
Over time, the mythology has been reclaimed by survivors of sexual assault. Some find strength in Medusa’s ability to turn men who gaze upon her to stone. Others see her continued victimhood as a representation of what survivors endure.
Whatever version of Medusa you relate to, a tattoo of her on your neck can symbolize your desire to be heard. It can also point to your commitment to standing up for yourself.
I Love You Neck Tattoo
The neck is a great placement for script tattoos. Whether it’s something you desperately want to say or a catchphrase you say all the time, the spot works perfectly.
This one in particular features the phrase “ich liebe dich,” German for “I love you.”
Meaningful Neck Tattoos for Women
Of course, text tattoos aren’t always about saying something. They can also be a way to remind yourself of values or lessons you hold dear.
Khmer is the language of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is also the name of the empire that predated the region. This minimalist text tattoo features the Khmer word for “strength.”
Chinese Tattoo on Neck With Meaning for Women
Getting inked using a language that you may not speak can be tricky. You have to make sure you get the lettering right, lest you risk getting something embarrassing tattooed.
Luckily, this piece translates to “Happiness. Spirit. Heart.” Nothing embarrassing about those.
Speak Your Truth
The need to be true to yourself has only gotten more intense in recent years. And while it may not always be easy to voice what’s in your heart, you can always say what you need to say with a one of these neck tattoos for women.
