Cherry Tattoos and Their Meaning

Although cherry tattoos can symbolize sweetness, kindness, and goodness, they are usually associated with sexuality, loss of innocence, fertility, or lust. The cherry is sweet tasting, delightful to eat, and incredibly good for you. It is filled with a variety of vitamins and minerals necessary for good health, as well as providing one of the highest concentrations of vital antioxidants. On the other hand, they are tempting and decadent. The fruit and juice of the cherry is usually rich red in color. It is notorious for staining lips and fingers the same tantalizing shade.

For this reason, cherries are often associated with virginity because the fruit is tempting while the color mimics blood. Cherry tattoos typically symbolize this second meaning. Usually chosen by women embracing the sexual connotations, they are often tattooed around the hips and pelvis or lower back and butt area. The draw of the cherry design extends far beyond tattoos, and is a very popular motif for bras and underwear.

In a more historical sense, the cherry is less sexual. Cherry trees are found in a variety of climates and occur naturally in many parts of the world. Cherries were originally cultivated in 300 BC, making them one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Often said to be the fruit of heaven or paradise, cherries have a rich history around the world.

In Japan, cherries, cherry blossoms, and cherry wood are all significant. The fruit and flowers represent the fleetingness of life, as well as the sweetness, and the wood wards against evil.  In fact, the Samurai warriors used the cherry as their symbol and decorated themselves with cherry blossoms before war to illustrate their readiness to die.

Today, though, cherries are almost always associated with love, chastity, or sexuality. The overall design of the cherry tattoo is important in understanding its meaning. When covered in chocolate sauce or topped with cream, a cherry tattoo becomes more tempting, but also more sweet. This tattoo is more playful, but still very sexual.

A tattoo that depicts a cherry still on the tree represents purity, innocence, morality, and chasteness.  Removed from the tree, the cherry tattoo now stands for loss of innocence and virginity. Likewise, a bitten cherry tattoo also represents a loss of virginity. A bowl or mound of cherries can illustrate sexual accomplishment or conquest. When men get cherry tattoos, they usually represent past flames and lovers.

Symbolism of Cherry Tattoos:

Cherry tattoos, most notably, represent fertility. As a result, they have evolved into a sexual symbol commonly appearing on hips and around the female groin area. More seductive versions are flaming cherry tattoos, which symbolize burning desires. While cherry tattoos featuring whip cream or chocolate enhance messages of sweetness, cherry tattoos with stems refer to the freshness of the cherries (coming from one of many age-old methods to selecting the freshest cherries in a grocery store).

Alternatively, cherries provide such important health benefits that some people simply choose to get cherry tattoos to signify health and well being. From another perspective, when chosen to represent the meaning of dreams, cherry tattoos featuring several cherries, in a bowl or off of a tree, symbolize success in love.

Colorful Cherry Tattoos:

The most popular ink color used for cherry tattoos is red; however, there are a few unique colors appearing in nature that can introduce a whimsical twist to customized cherry tattoos. Here are some alternate color choices and a few of the many cherry varieties they can represent.

  • Red Cherry Tattoos: Bing cherries (most popular sweet cherry)
  • Black Cherry Tattoos: Bing cherries when fully ripened (sweet cherry)
  • Yellow or Pinkish Cherry Tattoos: Rainer cherries (mild and sweet)
  • Bluish-Yellow Cherry Tattoos: Royal Ann cherries (used to make maraschino cherries)
  • Green Cherry Tattoos: Maraschino cherries (man made and candied to be both sweet and colorful)

Cherry Tattoos and Fashion:

Cherry tattoos and their various styles have become so popular that they have even made their way into the fashion industry. Appearing on underwear, t-shirts and sleepwear, cherry tattoos have also found their way onto the skin of celebrities such as singer Ashlee Simpson (cherry tattoo on right ankle) and model Nikki Fiction (webbed cherry tattoo on shoulder).

General Information About Cherries:

Cherries are available from May until August and are grown in twenty countries. In the United States, sour cherry varieties are grown in the East and sweeter varieties are mainly grown in California. Tart-tasting cherries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants when compared to other fruits.

Cherries also contain up to nineteen times as much beta carotene as blueberries and strawberries while also boasting vitamins C and E, iron, magnesium, potassium, fiber and folate. Cherries do not ripen after harvest and will keep their freshness in the refrigerator for only about two days – cherry tattoos, however, last much longer!