What do Strictly Come Dancing's Michelle Visage's tattoos mean?

July 2024 · 4 minute read

Aside from her show-stopping style and jet black locks, Strictly Come Dancing's Michelle Visage is known for her myriad of striking tattoos – her body is almost covered in ink! In fact, Michelle is even known to get tattoos against the advice of her doctor. In 2016, she tweeted: "Next tattoo (against doctor's wishes cuz toxic ink.....) is a pride tattoo. I am accepting designs! Inspire me." [sic] It seems that nothing can stand between Michelle and the tattoo artist's chair!

From a striking star tattoo on her chest (and one on her finger too!) to a trio of flaming cherries on her foot, the RuPaul star certainly knows how to make a statement. But not all of Michelle's inkings are there just to look good. Lots of the work she has had done on her body holds important meaning, so ahead of her performance on Saturday, we thought we'd take a look at Michelle's beautiful body art.

A lipstick tattoo on her thigh

Michelle made a trip to London in 2017 where she got a colourful thigh tattoo at a studio in the north of the city. Sharing the post on Instagram, alongside a snap of lipstick and two kisses, Michelle wrote: "New ink! LOVING this thigh piece..... ink in London by the amazing artist @rottenrage at @santocuervotattoo." The mother-of-two is known to be a huge fan of the UK, and London in particular, as she recently told Pink News: "I don’t think you guys know how much this country means to me. I absolutely love it. I feel like I’m at home when I walk the streets, it’s very bizarre. If you believe in past lives, which I clearly do, in a past life I was a gay British man of some sort." Perhaps the tattoo is a homage to one of her favourite places.

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A "Drag Queen" tattoo on her thigh

Michelle is perhaps best known for being a judge on RuPaul's Drag Race, a show that champions body positivity, diversity and flamboyance – so it may come as no surprise that the doting mum has chosen to show off how proud she is to be a part of such an important series by getting a piece of ink dedicated to the show.

A top hat on her thigh

Michelle has a tattoo of a top hat on her thigh which the RuPaul star got in memory of her late friend Eddie, who lost his life in the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando back in 2016. At the time, Michelle shared a touching tribute to her friend on Instagram, writing: "My sweet Eddie. You were such a joy to me, my kids, my husband. As a matter of fact, to everyone that ever met you. I loved you on so many levels. You were SO SO special and will never be forgotten. I promise you that. We love you baby. This is not about MY loss. This is about the senseless killing of a fellow human." The 51-year-old has since shared a picture of her moving tattoo alongside a photo of herself with Eddie, and added the caption: "Eddie, forever in my heart, forever on my hip. Rest in power, you will not be forgotten....#pulse."

A tattoo of a diamond on her hip

Michelle is proudly vegan and has even tried to educate fellow tattoo lovers about the importance of vegan tattoos. Speaking in the past about her vegan lifestyle, the TV star said: "I’m a gluten-free, soy-free vegan who also tries to be sugar-free as much as possible," adding that through veganism she is able to look after her wellbeing, so the cause is clearly dear to Michelle. 

It's no wonder, then, that she treated herself to a beautiful diamond tattoo, filled with a starry sky. Michelle shared a snap of her new piece when she got it done and added the caption: "New hip piece. #Vegan #Vegantattoo."

MORE: Strictly's Michelle Visage addresses reports she is 'unhappy' dancing with Giovanni Pernice

A Corvette tattoo on her thigh

Michelle is a fan of the American sports car manufacturer, and even has the brand's logo tattooed on her thigh. Corvettes are said to be "synonymous with freedom and adventure", which sounds a lot like the flamboyant Michelle.

A multi-coloured portrait of New York City on her arm

In 2017, Michelle shared a kaleidoscopic snap of a forearm etched with a multi-coloured drawing of New York on Instagram, and added the caption: "Next one!" Although it's not sure whether Michelle ever got the design tattooed on herself, the RuPaul star's fans certainly loved the piece and took to the comment section of the photo to tell her so. One write: "Yaaaaas! Would love you doing this!" while another eagerly added: "Omg yes, those colours are incredible!"

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