Simone Biles’ tattoos range from an Olympic symbol and poetry to small personal lettering. She has explained a few directly; others are only visible or reported, so their meaning is less certain.
Simone Biles’ Olympic rings tattoo
The small black Olympic rings sit on Biles’ right forearm. She got them after the 2016 Rio Games and has joked that she waited until the competition was over. For her, the tattoo marks her first Olympic chapter; it doesn’t list medals or dates.
Lettering and personal symbols in Simone Biles’ tattoos
Biles’ most discussed phrase reads “And still I rise” along her collarbone. It nods to Maya Angelou’s poem, and Biles has connected it to coming through difficult stretches. She talks about the phrase in the Netflix series about her return to competition. The fine lettering follows her collarbone and is easiest to see in an open-neck portrait.
In 2024, she added “Made in Heaven” to the back of her neck. Around that time she also got a single J on her ring finger for her husband, NFL player Jonathan Owens. They’re two separate pieces; Biles has linked the initial to Owens.
Other reported tattoos include 1997 above her elbow, her birth year, and Golden in cursive on her inner wrist. Biles hasn’t given a detailed explanation for the wrist word. She has said she always wanted an XO inside her lower lip. Allure has also reported a butterfly on the back of her hand; it can be hard to make out in action shots, so a close photo is more reliable than a fleeting glimpse.
Beyond the competition floor
Not every useful photo of Biles shows a tattoo. Competition pictures can put her in context as an athlete, but movement, distance and the angle of her hands can make small details hard to verify. These three images show routines and a medal moment; they’re career context, not evidence of specific ink.
The floor routine and medal images show parts of Biles’ career, not the details of a tattoo. Keeping that distinction clear avoids treating a distant or moving frame as proof of a design.
A personal collection shaped by life and sport
Her tattoos vary in subject and placement, but most are small. Some are easy to cover under training clothes; others show mainly in close portraits. The “XO” sits inside her lower lip.
Finding your own meaningful idea
If one of Biles’ tattoos inspires you, start with your own reason for wanting the design. Think about where it will sit, how visible you want it to be and whether fine lettering has enough room to stay legible. A hand or finger tattoo is harder to cover than one on the upper arm.
For a phrase, check its spelling, line breaks and language before settling on it. Try the stencil in a mirror and see how it moves with your body. An artist can help adjust the size and placement to suit you; a celebrity photo is a reference, not a substitute for that conversation.
Simone Biles explains her inspiration
In this clip from Simone Biles Rising, Biles talks about the phrase behind one of her best-known tattoos.
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