Peace Sign Tattoos
Many people are familiar with the peace sign and peace tattoos as one of the most visible icons of the 1970s, when protests against the Vietnam war were widespread and vocal. However, the humble peace symbol was actually born in 1958, the brainchild of the leader of a nuclear disarmament movement in London.
Peace sign tattoos come in a vast variety, sometimes incorporating other familiar symbols of faith and love such as a heart, flowers or dove, and other times by themselves as a simple statement.
Where Did the Peace Symbol Get its Shape?
N + D = Nuclear Disarmament
The peace symbol got its shape in semaphore, a method of ship-to-ship communication using colored flags. Holding the flags in certain positions indicates letters of the English alphabet.
Holding a flag in each hand in an inverted V shape communicates the letter N, while holding a flag straight up and a flag straight down indicates the letter D. Together, these letters signify «Nuclear Disarmament«, and when the shapes are superimposed over one another they form the familiar shape of the peace symbol.
Symbolic Meaning of the Peace Sign
With wars continuing overseas, pacifists and supporters of bringing our troops home may choose to have a peace tattoo placed somewhere visibly (such as an arm, wrist or shoulder) to express their longing to peace. Those with friends or family members serving in the military will sometimes add personal details, such as dog tags, a yellow ribbon (another symbol that encourages the safe return of troops) and the name of loved ones that have fallen or been wounded in battle.
Though the physical symbol itself was created to discourage nuclear war, the meaning behind the word and concept of peace is obviously much more far-reaching. For those going through a transformation, a difficult time in their lives, or simply taking steps toward being a better person, peace sign tattoos can be a reminder of their goals. The peace symbol tattoo combined with a dove or heart worked into the image turns the antiwar symbol into something more personal.
Design Variations
The peace sign can be embellished with a lot of different images to make your tattoo more personal.
Some additions have included:
- Vines and flowers
- Ironic symbols, such as a bio hazard sign
- Stars
- Fire / Air / Earth / Water
- Camouflage patterns
- Celtic or tribal patterns
- A flag, usually the flag of the US
Incorporated into the well-known «arms» of the peace sign, these little flourishes can turn a universally known insignia into something individualized. Generally, additions are made to frame or highlight the peace symbol and not to obscure it; even surrounded by additional tattoo artwork, a well-done peace symbol tattoo should be visible and prominent.
Unlike some tattoo designs that celebrate new fads that may not endure, the peace symbol has been popular for almost fifty years, loved by tattooed men and women from all walks of life. Simple enough to be drawn in any size, this sign can be easily recognized when drawn large or small. The basic shape is easy to draw, ensuring that even the most novice of artists can apply it without any problems.
You’ll also like our Stars and Hebrew Tattoo Designs.
55+ Cool Peace Sign Tattoo Designs & Meanings – Anti-War Movement Symbol (2019)
If you are looking for a tattoo design popular around the world, then you should consider peace sign tattoo that ranks among the top designs around the world. People from all over the world have used peace signs for a long time in representing tranquility and peace.
They have also marketed the signs through T-shirts, stickers, key chains, jewelry and posters. Peace sign remains to be a reminder of the 1960s and 1970s.
Contents:
History of peace sign tattoos
Apart from being a widely known world peace emblem, the peace sign have many other uses. It has been the anti-war movement symbol. The 1960s and 1970s were trying times of war and antiwar supporters used the sign during their demonstrations.
Furthermore, some phrases like “make love, not war” first appeared during this time. At that time, the peace symbol was a sign concerned with the hippie culture. They wore their hair long, pressed for world peace and also used hippie words like “groovy.”
People who experienced or lived in the hippie culture highly get peace sign tattoos. At a time when the Baby boomer era is reaching the age of 60 and above, if you have ever thought of getting a tattoo, possibly you should consider the peace sign designs.
Most of the people who lived through the culture select the tattoo because they feel a strong connection to it. Most of them also say that the hippie era was the greatest period in their lives. Peace sign tattoos forms a better connection to the great moments and memories.
Types of peace sign tattoos
There are various types of peace sign designs suitable for both men and women. The peace sign features a three prolonged symbol facing downwards inside a circle. This way the tattoo is known as the traditional design and it is the most common all over the world. Other peace designs include:
- Chinese peace tattoos
In the western countries Chinese symbol tattoos are very common even though they aren’t common in china. Often people who get Chinese symbols as tattoos get them in form of the traditional Hanzi, the written language of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
The tattoo designs are placed in calligraphy style using Chinese characters. Before inking the tattoo on your body, you should research and understand its meaning. You can utilize the translators available online when doing the translation.
You should select the Chinese character that means peace. Then design the tattoo around the character or use it alone.
- Japanese peace tattoos
The Japanese peace sign styles are very similar to the Chinese peace tattoos and are only inked in calligraphy style using Japanese characters which translate to peace. Before getting any of this designs, you should understand its meaning and mostly if you don’t understand the Japanese language.
You can use the many translators available online or ask your tattooist.
- Heart peace sign tattoos
The peace sign is a widely recognized symbol and you can add variety to it and make it a more personalized image. You can replace the peace sign circle with a heart to form a heart peace sign tattoo. It is a very common design for people who want to denote both peace and love.
Peace signs with flower tattoos are either the traditional circular peace sign featuring flowers like daisies or peace signs including flowers to denote tranquility and peace.
- Inner peace sign tattoos
Inner peace tattoos are calming and relaxing and have several meanings. General inner peace represents a state of spiritual and mental peace. There is no single design or rule to live with here. Some symbols that you can use to represent peace include Ying Yang, Buddha, lotus, peace and flowers.
The bond existing between you and your pets can form great inner peace design.
- Tribal peace sign tattoos
Tribal peace sign tattoos are among the most popular peace sign designs. The tattoos are inked in many variations mostly portrayed alone or inked with other elements and symbols. Men mostly wear the tattoos even though there are women who sport them.
Mostly, a tattooist will ink the designs with solid black ink made in continuous lines or designs which form artistic designs. Initially, the designs featured only black ink, but today tattooists are able to incorporate other colors.
- Treble clef peace sign tattoos
Music is a great way of promoting peace. There are many musicians who sing or rap about peace for this purpose. Music has a wider base and is heard by very many people. A peace sign combined with a tremble clef therefore makes a perfect peace design.
Peace tattoo designs for men exist in several variations. You can get a peace sign in tribal art or in a basic form. In tribal art form, you can try the peace symbol featuring solid razor bands as the bottom and the top layers.
A tattooist can ink the peace sign in several different ways. The traditional designs features a three branched symbol facing downwards and a circle surrounds it. It is the most common design even though it is changing as a result of tattooists trying to express their creativeness on the traditional design.
Before, deciding to the design to ink, you should consider all the available variations.
Peace sign tattoos are also suitable for both men and women. Due to its diversity, there are no preferences in any gender. One primary difference seen in men and women is the color choice for the designs although this difference is minor.
Women mostly choose the soft colors like purple and pink while men highly avoid the colors.
To form an appealing body art, you should choose a colorful design and with different color types contrary to the common design done in one color. When inked correctly, the designs appear great whether small or large and therefore you can place it on any body part.
If you desire a bigger tattoo, you can ink it on your back, arms, legs or shoulders. The other possible locations for large designs include the chest and the stomach. But, if you need a small tattoo design, you will not have any problem selecting the body part to ink it; you can ink it on any body part.