Halsey
Halsey got this tattoo of the Om symbol on her arm in August 2013 as a matching tattoo with her boyfriend at the time who was Buddhist. She told Noisey:
“It’s to promote harmony and balance, and I think I kind of need that. I’m a person of duality, for sure. I’m biracial—my dad’s black, my mum’s white—I’m bisexual, I’m diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I’m a Libra, which means I’m the scales. So I got this as an attempt to gain some sort of harmony.”
Om is a spiritual symbol representing the sound of the universe in Buddhism as well as in Hinduism, Jainism, and other Dharmic religions. At the time Halsey saw her tattoo as a respectful tribute to these cultures, but now she has some concerns that it is an appropriation. In a private message to a fan @cherriesnwine she explained that she plans to cover it up at some point in the future:
“I got it when I was 17 with an ex boyfriend who was Indonesian and a practicing Buddhist. At the time (I was in love) I thought it was more of a cultural sharing experience. However I have full intentions of covering it up. For multiple reasons… Haha.”
