Selena Gomez’s new neck tattoo shows how much her new album means to her

Selena Gomez is no stranger to meaningful and gorgeous tattoos. In the past couple of years alone, she’s gotten matching tats with pals like Julia Michaels and the 13 Reasons Why crew. She’s also used tattoos to mark important moments in her life, like in December when she commemorated her kidney transplant. We’re always excited to see what new art she’s got up her sleeve.

Gomez’s latest tattoo is especially significant, and it’s so stunning. While visiting New York City on the promotional tour for her new album, Rare, she paid a visit to the celeb-favorite Bang Bang Tattoo Parlor, where she went under the needle. She took to Instagram on Wednesday, January 15th to share a video clip and a photo, revealing her brand-new neck tattoo that reads “rare” in black ink—which, of course, pays homage to her new album’s title and intro song.

She chose to place her new ink just below her right ear, and we love both the tattoo itself and the meaning behind it.

We think the new ink is the perfect way to celebrate such a major milestone in her career. After all, Rare marks her first album release in nearly five years. More importantly, it’s chock full of incredible anthems about self-love, growth, and getting through life’s most challenging moments. Gomez herself called the album the “most honest music” she’s ever made, and what better way to honor all of that than with a fresh tattoo?

Gomez also opened up about what the word “rare” means to her, and it’s so powerful.

"The word is so special and it means a lot," Gomez told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show January 13th, "and I think in this time where everyone is obsessed with feeling like they need to look the same way or get things done or whatever it may be... There are some girls who are hurting because they feel like they don't fit in, but this word is eliminating that because you weren't meant to look like everyone else. You're meant to be who you are and that's unique and that's rare."

As for us, we’ll still be here playing Rare on repeat, and we just might book a tattoo appointment for our own matching ink. We’re definitely inspired.

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