Pinwheels may seem more fitting for a child than an adult, yet there are plenty of grown-ups walking around with pinwheel designs tattooed on their arms, wrists, and ankles. There are many reasons for this, most prominently a desire to capture the joy and innocence of childhood.
This fun article will describe the history, symbolism, personal meanings, common locations, and traits of pinwheel tattoos.
What is the History of Pinwheel Tattoos?
An early form of the toy pinwheel first became popular in the United States during the 19th century. However, the version of the toy that we are all most familiar with as a “pinwheel” was not invented until the 20th century, when a Boston-based toymaker introduced what he called a “wind wheel” in 1919.
In the over 100 years since that invention, the pinwheel has become a classic image of Americana, bringing to mind children playing in sun-soaked suburban neighborhoods in summertime or running through grassy parks. Whether the petals are made of plastic, paper, or something else, this classic toy has brought joy to countless children throughout the decades.
Tattoos often get a bad rap for being overly dark or gritty, and there is a negative stereotype of inked people being “rough.” However, pinwheel tattoos are a good recent example of a design that is more fun, lighthearted, and overall harmless.
People who enjoy less serious tattoos or who are just dipping their toes into inking may find a pinwheel design to be a great starter tattoo. Others who have already received a few “darker” tattoos may want to use this kind of design to balance out the ink they currently have.
What Do Pinwheel Tattoos Symbolize?
Since pinwheels are a type of children’s toy, it should come as little surprise that a pinwheel tattoo primarily symbolizes the innocence and open-mindedness of youth. We were all once children who could be entertained for hours on end by blowing on a wooden stick and watching a few colorful “petals” zoom around in a never-ending circle.
The vast majority of tattoos are worn by people who are well past childhood and even adolescence, so getting a pinwheel tattoo can also represent a nostalgic yearning for days that have long since passed, or an optimistic hope for better times in the future that could be as sweet as the past once was.
Pinwheels also evoke a sense of the earnest playfulness and unbridled joy experienced by a child who can interact with the world without the fears and worries that come with being a full-grown adult. Pinwheels are mindless fun, and a tattoo version can symbolize the exact same thing.
On a somewhat more serious note, the pinwheel can mean a couple of different things in Christianity. For example, the Northport Historical Society cites A Christian Dictionary of 1680 as reporting that pinwheels and similar circular images, such as rosettes, were placed on top of some Christian tombstones as a reminder of the constant change that people experience on Earth before reaching Heaven.
On the other hand, God the Holy Spirit is often associated in the Bible with the concepts of wind and breath, both of which cause a pinwheel to move. So, the image of a moving pinwheel may suggest to some the idea of the Holy Spirit actively working in the world and being present in the lives of believers.
What Do Pinwheel Tattoos Mean?
Pinwheel tattoos almost always represent a person’s connection to their childhood. They can also suggest that a person is imaginative or even a daydreamer, just like many children often are. Artistic people may enjoy the creativity that is suggested by a pinwheel.
Someone who chooses this type of tattoo could also just be someone who enjoys bright colors and fun shapes. For the more geometrically minded, pinwheel tattoos can be appealing thanks to the clear angles and sharp points and edges of the colorful petals.
Where Do Pinwheel Tattoos Usually Go?
These types of tattoo are generally on the smaller and not-overly complex side, so they are typically located on thinner parts of the body, such as:
- The forearm-side of the wrist
- The inner forearm
- The side or rear of the ankle
- Just above the elbow joint
Less commonly, these tattoos may be placed on the neck, near the collarbone, on the upper arm (such as the biceps or triceps), or on the thighs. Pinwheel tattoos aren’t likely to be found on the face, back, stomach, calves, or shoulders.
It is popular to have the tattoo stand out on its own with no other designs near it, though this is far from an ironclad rule.
Characteristics and Styles of Pinwheel Tattoos
Pinwheel tattoos are usually bright and colorful, and they are sometimes illustrated to create a sense of movement through the use of motion lines or streaks of color. Because real-life pinwheels resemble flowers thanks to their stem-and-petal structure, the tattoo versions sometimes incorporate flowers into the overall design, making the pinwheel look less like a toy and more like an actual blooming plant.
Some tattoos have a lot of texture, layers, and detail, so that the image looks almost three-dimensional and true-to-life. Others are fun, bouncy, and artistic, with less of a focus on realism and more of a preference for impressionism and use of color. The latter designs are more likely to include actual flowers in the image.
A rare few pinwheel tattoos are black-and-white or otherwise place a low emphasis on color. Some of these are mostly colorless, with just a splash of rusted blue to keep the design from being entirely gray.
Conclusion
The sight of a pinwheel tattoo may bring a huge smile to your face, or it may simply remind you of a simpler, more childlike time. People typically wear these kinds of tattoos out of a sense of nostalgia, hope, or imagination, or because they enjoy the heartwarming image it conjures up. Wearers aren’t afraid to display their appearance through either bright colors or a contrast between light and dark.
