“I Love Me” singer Demi Lovato unveiled their latest tattoo on Saturday: A large, black spider on the side of their shaved scalp.
While getting a spider tattoo is arguably a bold move for anyone — on the scalp no less — fans were especially surprised to find out Lovato did it, considering they previously admitted to having arachnophobia, AKA, a legitimate fear of spiders.
Demi Lovato is kicking off 2022 by facing their fear.
The 29-year-old “What Other People Say” singer took to Instagram on Saturday to debut the latest addition to their tattoo collection, warranting a surprised and slightly confused reaction from their fans.
In a story post that has since been removed, Demi unveiled a large, black spider tattooed on the side of their shaven head.
They didn’t offer much of an explanation or backstory but credited the tattoo artist, Dr. Woo.
Demi shared a subsequent photo of their fresh ink via their Instagram story, with a caption asking their hairstylist to fix their hair.
“Now @alchestamber come fix my hair please,” the singer wrote, crediting Dr. Woo once again, alongside two crying-laughing emojis.
Additionally, they shared a cryptic message offering somewhat of an explanation behind the tattoo, referencing indigenous folklore.
“It was grandmother spider who taught us many things. She taught us about pottery and weaving. She taught us about fire and light and dark. She taught us that we are all connected on the web – each one of us having our place in this world,” they penned.
It didn’t take long, however, for Demi’s fans to figure out that things weren’t quite adding up.
In recently resurfaced footage of an old interview, the former Disney star admitted that they’re afraid of spiders.
“I don’t like” spiders,” they said, but added that they, “… have a hard time killing them.”
In another clip from 2014, for Clean & Clear’s “See the Real Me” campaign, Lovato doubled down on their dislike of spiders.
“I have the same worries and fears that everyone does,” the “Confident” singer said.
“I’m afraid of spiders. I’m afraid of changing my hair and hating it. I’m afraid of being vulnerable in front of the world,” they continued.
“I’m a warrior. People think that I’ve got myself together, but I’m actually still a work in progress .”
Fans have been sharing evidence of Lovato being afraid of spiders, leaving puzzled remarks about their tattoo.
One fan joked that Lovato is going to accidentally scare themselves when they catch a reflection of their new tattoo.
“I just see them waking up at 3 am to go pee and looking at themselves in the mirror and screaming ’cause of the spider,” they tweeted .
One Twitter user suggested that the tattoo could symbolize Demi facing or overcoming their fear of spiders.
“I think Demi used to be afraid of spiders so this tattoo could maybe symbolize them facing their fears head-on,” they penned . “And turning that energy into more not letting fear control them. Kind of like taking it then [sic] harnessing and owning it in a new way this era?”
“I thought they were afraid of spiders?!” someone wrote via Instagram.
“I guess not anymore. Good for you, Demi! Love the new look,” they added .
Let us know what you think of Demi Lovato’s spider tattoo in the comments below.
