Alysa Liu’s lower-back tattoo came into view in photos from the 2026 ESPYs. She got it at 18 with her best friend, who designed the piece. The event photos show its symmetrical, winged shape; Liu’s interview gives one personal detail behind it.
Alysa Liu’s lower-back tattoo
Centered above her waist, the design spreads across Liu’s lower back. Teen Vogue describes it as symmetrical and cybersigilism-inspired, and reports bat wings, a rose and infinity signs among its motifs. In the photos, broad wing-like lines extend from a small central cluster. The finer details aren’t equally clear from every angle.
A wider rear photo makes the symmetry easier to see. The tattoo reads as one composition, with the central cluster anchoring the lines that reach toward either side.
The clearest personal detail comes from Liu: she got a matching tattoo with her best friend at 18, and her friend designed it. Liu has said the infinity signs refer to their August birthdays. The interviews don’t explain every mark, so there’s no reason to assign a separate meaning to each line. The shared design and birthday reference are the story she has chosen to tell.
Her ESPYs look was more than a reveal
At the July 2026 ESPYs, Liu wore an open-back Louis Vuitton gown that showed the tattoo. Rear-facing photos make its placement and shape easy to see; front-facing images show the full look, including the black gown, dramatic neckline and necklace. The tattoo is one detail in the outfit, not the whole look.
Lower-back tattoos have long attracted jokes and stereotypes, but those labels say little about the person wearing one. Liu has described this as a matching design she shares with a friend. The photos show how it looked with the gown; they don’t turn its placement into a punchline or tell us more about its meaning.
Personal style beyond the ice
Liu’s style changes with the setting. She makes bold choices in her skating costumes and wore polished jewelry with the formal gown. Her smiley piercing is also part of her public style, and she has spoken about body modifications and doing things her own way. These details offer context for her choices; they don’t change what she has said about the tattoo, which is tied to her friendship.
Liu stepped away from competition after the 2022 Winter Olympics, then returned because she wanted to skate again on her own terms. Her career has drawn attention to her, but there’s no reported link between skating and the tattoo’s meaning.
Her skating career
Liu returned to competition, won major titles and became an Olympic champion. The Associated Press account of her free skate describes a strong performance and the joy she showed on the ice. That success helps explain why people were watching her ESPYs appearance, but the tattoo has its own, smaller story.
Based on the reporting around the ESPYs, one tattoo has been publicly documented: the matching lower-back piece she got with her best friend. Liu has shared the birthday connection behind the infinity signs; the rest of the design remains hers to explain if she chooses.
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