Almost 15 years ago, I got my very first One Direction tattoo: "Dare to dream." It was the title of their very first book and I remember how much those words meant to me back then. I definitely never imagined that almost 15 years later, Iβd be looking at a whole collection of tattoos dedicated to them.
And every single one has a reason.
"History" is there because itβs my favourite One Direction song. Itβs one of those songs that just hits differently depending on where you are in life, and having the title in Niallβs actual handwriting makes it feel so much more personal. Itβs not just the name of a song I love, itβs a reminder of everything that was and everything that will always be part of my history.
"Only time will tellβ¦" It has always been my favourite tattoo that Liam had himself. Iβve loved those words for years and getting them permanently on my skin felt like a way of carrying a little piece of something that meant something to him, too.
The smiley is for Louis, because obviously. Something so simple that instantly makes me think of him. I wanted something that represented Louis without needing an explanation and that little smile does exactly that.
The five arrows came after Liam passed. Five arrows, because there will always be five of them to me. I wanted something that represented One Direction as a whole, but I also wanted Liam to have something that was specifically his. So one of the arrows is red, inspired by the colour of Liamβs microphone. Itβs such a small detail, but it means everything to me.
"Weβll be alright, love β‘" is in Liamβs handwriting, and that alone makes this one incredibly difficult to put into words. Having something written by his own hand permanently on me feels incredibly precious. And I love that the words themselves connect all of them, appearing in lyrics from One Direction, Harry, Louis and Niall. It feels like a little reminder that, despite everything changing over the years, that connection will always be there.
And then thereβs "Walking in the Wind", one of my favourite One Direction songs. I chose it because the song itself carries so much emotion for me and I wanted to combine it with flowers that have meaning rather than just adding flowers for the sake of it. The August birth flower is my favourite flower and represents Liamβs birth month, while the October birth flower represents my birth month and the month we lost him. So that tattoo somehow holds both of us in it.
Some of these tattoos were chosen because I loved a song. Some because I loved a little detail about one of the boys. Some because I wanted to hold onto something that could never be taken away from me. π«Άπ»