Tattoos have become a common part of modern-day life. It's a way for people to express themselves and to show aspects of their personality that make them unique. However, tattoos weren't always seen as a creative expression. For a long time, they came with negative connotations. Even now, there are certain areas that are taboo to have tattooed, and your face is at the top of the list.
Videos by Wide Open Country
It makes sense, then, that Jelly Roll used to find creative ways to explain away his facial ink when his young daughter or her friends asked him about it.
"When she was in kindergarten, it was so funny because all of her little friends would go, 'What is all that stuff on your face?' Jelly Roll told Taste Of Country during an exclusive interview. "I would go 'You won't believe this, I only draw this on when I come see y'all so y'all are excited about it.' Finally, they were like, 'How do you draw it on the same way every time?' I said, 'I got the little sticker things now because I been coming so much.'"
There's nothing wrong with how Jelly Roll has chosen to express himself. Nevertheless, facial ink will always lead to questions, both from children and adults alike. Unfortunately, that's unavoidable.
Jelly Roll Addressed the Notion That He Got the Facial Tattoos for Attention
During a recent interview with Men's Health, Jelly Roll was asked whether his facial tattoos were part of his desire for attention. The interviewer had noted that comments to that nature had previously been made about the "Save Me" singer.
"It's the polar opposite," Jelly Roll said. "The way shame sometimes shows itself is not always the way we expect it to be. We think shame is somebody in the streets on their knees, with their head down. But shame sometimes is pride. Sometimes shame is just bravado. Behind real bravado, I can normally find shame. I can normally find guilt, I can normally find insecurity. I was the biggest, the loudest, the toughest, the meanest, the growliest, the fattest. There's normally deep inside of that a really, really small, insecure human. I was that, for sure. Then a by-product of that was I got fat as f**k."
Jelly Roll has undergone a significant body transformation in recent years. He's lost hundreds of pounds, has grown more confident, and is exploring the world of philanthropy. Therefore, we can't rule out that he may choose to have his facial tattoos removed sometime in the future.
However, in the meantime, it seems like he's far more willing and open to discuss what led him to get them in the first place.
