While we’re still waiting for the romance to unravel in Heated Rivalry, the off-screen bromance between co-stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie is complete with matching tattoos. Williams revealed in an interview with The Permanent Rain Press that the pair got the ink after filming the series. “We felt that was the cherry on top of our friendship, and it was what needed to be done,” he said.
The Heated Rivalry actors aren’t the only ones who got friendship tattoos. Rather, they seem to be part of a growing trend. Though they are not an entirely new thing, they have gotten a bad rap over the years. While relationships may end, tattoo ink is pretty permanent (even modern-day removal methods take time, cost a lot and can be painful). But now, it seems that this is the latest tattoo trend to make a comeback. As people let go of pristine perfection and embrace the ups and downs of life, matching ink is shedding its stigma.
“Friendship tattoos are making a comeback because people are craving more meaningful ways to celebrate their relationships and they want to do it in a way that feels fun, personal, and expressive,” Dani Egna, founder of Inked by Dani, tells Teen Vogue.
At least among actors and artists, matching tattoos are becoming increasingly popular. More and more, co-workers turned friends are getting ink to commemorate their time together. Like the Heated Rivalry leads, Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande got matching “For Good” tattoos on their hands while filming the movies. “It was about what we were experiencing and creating and feeling in our hearts, not about the end result.” Grande wrote on Instagram, capturing the heart of the trend.
Matching friendship tattoos don’t only come in duos though. For example, the BTS members decided to do so as a group. They got the number seven, which reflects the number of members in the group, their album and generally good luck, tattooed on themselves.
During promotions for Warfare, Charles Melton and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai revealed that cast members got matching tattoos after training for the film together. As seen on Kit Connor’s bicep, the tattoo reads “call on me.” Woon-A-Tai said it “had a lot of meaning to a lot of the guys who were there that day.”
And that's what this trend is all about this time. While tattoos are a big decision that should be made with a lot of care and consideration, there’s something special about these commitments. These tattoos use something permanent to capture something inherently ephemeral — a moment, a season, a project. They commemorate a special time, shared with those you admire. Instead of just looking at photos or mentally visiting a happy place, the art permanently etched on the skin serves as a reminder of the feelings felt with friends.
