The Tragic Story Behind Ariana Grande's Bee Tattoo

Although all of Ariana Grande's many tattoos have a deeper meaning, her bee ink will always hold a particularly special place in the pop star's heart since it honors the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Moments after Grande concluded her show at the venue on May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber set off an explosive device that killed 22 people and physically and psychologically harmed at least 800 others. A day later, the "positions" hitmaker took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to write, "Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words," (via Billboard). 

Then, in May 2018, almost exactly a year after the tragedy occurred, Grande shared another social media post to reveal that she had got a bee inked on the back of her ear. As the BBC reported at the time, the "No Tears Left To Cry" singer simply captioned the post "Forever" but everyone received the message loud and clear since the insect had already become an impactful symbol by then. A few days after the bombing, tattooist Sam Barber created The Manchester Tattoo Appeal and offered to ink a bee on people for £50, which she then donated to support the victims and their families. 

Ariana Grande reveals new bee tattoo behind her ear. The bee is often associated with Manchester and was used as a symbol of strength and unity following the attack at her concert last May. 🐝 pic.twitter.com/6e3HnUJ3da

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 24, 2018

According to CNN, Barber proudly asserted that the adorable but important insect was the "obvious choice as a symbol of strength" for "the city that has always stuck together." And Manchester did indeed stick together as several tattoo parlors quickly offered the same proposition to raise money for the victims. Ultimately, all these artists managed to raise over half a million pounds for the cause. 

Although the bee started as a means of charity, it eventually became a symbol of solidarity for the victims of the Manchester bombing. In addition to getting it tattooed, Ariana Grande also supported those affected by organizing the One Love Manchester concert in June 2017. The pop star and several of her celebrity friends made the benefit concert a massive success, ultimately raising a whopping $23 million. However, during Grande's 2019 Vogue interview, she confessed to walking away from it feeling like they didn't really accomplish anything because "it didn't bring anyone back." 

The R.E.M makeup brand owner couldn't hold back as she discussed the attack. "It's not my trauma," Grande acknowledged. "It's those families. It's their losses, and so it's hard to just let it all out without thinking about them reading this and reopening the memory for them." The "Victorious" alum also confirmed that she dedicated her entire life to work after the bombing because she couldn't bring herself to deal with all the complex emotions that arose from thinking about it. 

Eventually, Grande started going to therapy and was diagnosed with PTSD. While speaking to Beats Radio 1 in 2018, she teared up while sharing that the tragedy had changed her perspective on life and made her feel more afraid. However, the pop star would never let it show because she didn't want the people behind the attack to accomplish their mission of instilling fear. Years later, the Manchester bombing remains one of the many reasons why we're worried about Grande.