Josie Man has tattoos across her hands and fingers, a large tiger on her leg and a colorful cat-devil design by tattooer Adam Ruff.
The tiger tattoo on her leg
Man has linked the tiger on her leg to being born in the Year of the Tiger. She has described it as one of her larger pieces and among her favorites. In photos, its bright colors stand out from the smaller marks around her fingers.
That is the explanation she has given for it. She hasn’t described another symbolic meaning, so anything beyond its connection to her birth year would be guesswork.
Her hand and finger tattoos
Her palms and fingers carry fine black lines, floral shapes and a butterfly-like face. Man has identified two personal details among the designs: Chinese names shared by her and her sister, and a small finger tattoo she calls a reminder of self-love. She hasn’t mapped each design to a specific finger publicly, so it’s best not to assign meanings she hasn’t given.
The tiny heart behind her ear came from matching with friends. In a 2021 interview, Man joked that it looked a little silly and called it the tattoo she might remove if she had to choose.
The cat-devil tattoo by Adam Ruff
Tattooer Adam Ruff did the colorful design of a woman’s face with devil-like details and flames. In 2023, Man called it her newest tattoo at the time, said she had wanted one of Ruff’s designs for years and liked how the color had healed. She hasn’t described a personal story behind the image.
Meaningful pieces and tattoos she simply likes
Man has said tattoos make her feel more comfortable in her body. In one interview, she described them as a way to “decorate her outer self” and said they make her less likely to hide. She hasn’t tied every piece to a personal story.
Her estimates of the collection grew from about 20 tattoos in 2020 to roughly 40 in 2023. Those are counts she gave at the time, not a current inventory. The photographs here show examples of visible tattoos rather than a complete catalogue.
Traditional tattoo styles and changing plans
Man has said she likes both traditional color and black-and-white work. In a 2023 Tattoodo interview, she said she tries to wait about six months after coming up with an idea. There’s limited room, so she wants to be sure she still wants the design.
In 2021, she said she hoped to get a full back piece after lockdown and had connected with an artist through shared sound-healing sessions. Later that year, she said she still hoped to work with the artist and knew the tattoo would hurt.
She also said in 2023 that she wanted a traditional dog’s head but was waiting to book and give her body a break. Man hasn’t confirmed that either planned tattoo was completed.