Now you see them, now you don't: How stars' tattoos magically disappear from fashion campaigns and magazine covers

Fashion brands and magazines continue to airbrush out celebrities' tattoos, despite their ever-growing prominence in society.
Freja Beha Erichsen, Scarlett Johansson and Megan Fox are just a few stars who have had their prominent tattoos removed for fashion campaigns and magazine covers.
Once the sign of a wayward life, tattoos hit the mainstream long ago with celebrities proudly displaying their ink on red carpets, but the fashion industry continues to have them digitally erased, which has lead many to ask why.

Mysteriously missing: Danish model Freja Beha Erichsen famously has the word 'float' inscribed in cursive on the left side of her neck, however her trademark tattoo was erased for a Harry Winston campaign

Both Freja Beha Erichsen and Kate Moss have had their trademark tattoos erased for high-end jewellery brands Harry Winston and David Yurman, respectively.
While Megan Fox, who has large scripts tattooed on her back, including a Shakespeare quote on her shoulder and a Nietzsche quote on her torso, had the latter airbrushed out for a French Grazia cover.

 

Scarlett Johansson also has three tattoos, including a round, colorful sun on the inside of her left arm, two interlinked circles on her ankle, and most recently an 'I Heart NY' charm bracelet on her wrist.
However all three tattoos failed to feature in her Dolce & Gabbana lipstick campaigns.

Here today, gone tomorrow:  Megan Fox has two large scripts tattooed onto her back, one of which French Grazia airbrushed out for its cover

Tattoo-free: Scarlett Johansson's tattoos, including a round, colorful sun on the inside of her left arm, and most recently an 'I Heart NY' charm bracelet on her wrist, were erased from her Dolce & Gabbana campaign

While tattoos were once the preserve of sailors and soldiers, prisoners and prostitutes, or dockers and drug addicts, they now adorn the body's of many Hollywood stars, as well as the world's top models.
According to Harris Interactive, over 21per cent of Americans (up 14per cent from four years ago) now have tattoos, so why do fashion brands and magazines continue to airbrush them out?
Their commonality, rather than their association with taboo, could be the reason.

Singer's stamps: Britney Spears has small fairy tattooed on her lower back, Kabbalah symbols on her neck, and a butterfly and vine on her left foot, which were erased in her 2010 Candie's ad campaign

Even Helen Mirren, who has a small tattoo on her thumb, now goes by the mantra of 'no tattoos is the new lots of tattoos.'

She told People magazine: 'I decided to get a tattoo because it was the most shocking thing I could think of doing. Now, I’m utterly disgusted because it’s completely mainstream, which is unacceptable to me.'
Another reason, however, may simply be a brand's attempt to erase aesthetic distraction.

Airbrushed away: Kate Moss has had a small anchor tattoo on her right wrist since 2008, but the model was featured ink-free for David Yurman's spring 2010 campaign

Invisible ink: Sports Illustrated model Cintia Dicker has several tattoos, however the Brazilian redhead appears with her svelte arms tattoo-free for the face of Bebe

The last thing a brand wants is its consumers to focus on a tattoo instead of a piece of jewellery, or clothing.

Daniel Meadows, a professional photo retoucher who has worked with clients such as L’Oreal Paris, Chanel, and Harper’s Bazaar explained to Slate: 'Ultimately it comes down to composition.'
He continued: 'Sometimes it looks absolutely beautiful, sometimes it just draws your eye away from the focus of the shot. If it’s about a dress or a hairstyle, and all you can see when you look at the shot is this tattoo, it’ll be taken out.