Kendall Jenner has made a career out of being the "quiet" one. In a family that practically invented the concept of oversharing, she’s usually the one holding back, keeping her private life under lock and key while her sisters post every nursery renovation and breakup detail to 300 million people. But back in 2016, she did something so wildly out of character that it still comes up in interviews nearly a decade later.
She got a tattoo. Not just any tattoo—a hidden, slightly chaotic, and definitely permanent word etched into the wet, sensitive skin of her inner lip.
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The Kendall Jenner lip tattoo became an instant legend in celebrity ink circles, mostly because it felt like a glitch in the Matrix. This is the woman whose older sister, Kim Kardashian, famously compared getting a tattoo to "putting a bumper sticker on a Bentley." Yet, there she was, pulling down her bottom lip to reveal the word "MEOW" in shaky, minimalist font.
Honestly, the story of how it happened is way more relatable than you’d expect from a supermodel.
The Night Everything Went "Meow"
Most people spend months, if not years, agonizing over their first "visible" ink. They look for deep symbolism. They research the historical roots of symbols. Kendall? She went the other way.
She was in New York. She was with friends. And, by her own admission, she had been drinking.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show a couple of years after the fact, Kendall finally came clean about the origins of the ink. "I was drunk! I was not thinking clearly!" she told Ellen, laughing about the impulsivity of the moment. When asked why on earth she chose the word "meow," her answer was refreshingly honest: it was literally just the first thing that popped into her head. No deep meaning. No tribute to a childhood pet. Just "meow."
Who held the needle?
The man behind the ink was none other than JonBoy (Jonathan Valena), the king of tiny tattoos at West 4 Tattoo in NYC. If you’ve seen a celebrity with a microscopic cross or a single-word tattoo that looks like it was written with a fine-liner pen, it was probably him. He’s the one who gave Kendall her other famous marks:
- A tiny white dot on her middle finger (her first-ever tattoo).
- A broken white heart on her other finger, which matches her best friend Hailey Bieber’s red version.
JonBoy is known for a "light hand," which is probably why Kendall didn't find the experience particularly traumatic.
Does a Lip Tattoo Actually Hurt?
This is the big question everyone asks. The inner lip looks like it would be a nightmare of nerve endings and pain. You'd think the needle hitting that soft tissue would be unbearable.
Surprisingly, Kendall says it wasn't bad at all.
According to her, the "fattiness" of the lip (her words, not mine) makes it way less painful than getting inked over bone. She compared it to her finger tattoos, which she says hurt much more because the needle is essentially vibrating right against the phalanges. In the lip, it’s all flesh. Plus, as she noted with a shrug, the "liquid courage" she’d consumed earlier in the night probably helped numb the sensation.
The whole process took about seven minutes. Most lip tattoos are incredibly fast because the skin is so small and the designs are usually limited to single words or simple symbols.
The "Bumper Sticker" Controversy
We have to talk about the family reaction. In the Kardashian-Jenner universe, body art has always been a bit of a touchy subject. Kim has stayed famously ink-free. When Kendall started getting her tiny white tattoos, the family mostly looked the other way.
But a Kendall Jenner lip tattoo? That was different.
Kris Jenner, the ultimate "momager," was actually the last to find out. Khloé Kardashian revealed in a blog post that Kendall managed to hide the "meow" ink for almost an entire year before Kris spotted it. Imagine being a 20-year-old supermodel and still having to hide a secret from your mom for 12 months. It’s a hilarious mental image.
The "Bentley" comment from Kim remains the gold standard for Kardashian shade, but Kendall clearly didn't care. She’s always had a bit of a rebellious streak, even if it’s expressed in the most minimalist way possible.
What Most People Get Wrong About Inner Lip Tattoos
If you’re thinking about running out and getting your own version of the Kendall Jenner lip tattoo, there are a few reality checks you need.
First off: They don’t last.
The skin inside your mouth is constantly regenerating. It’s also perpetually wet and full of enzymes designed to break things down. Because of this, lip tattoos are notorious for fading, blurring, or disappearing entirely within a year or two. Kendall’s reps actually confirmed back in late 2016 that her tattoo had already started to fade significantly shortly after she got it.
The Maintenance Trap
If you want a lip tattoo to stay crisp, you have to get it touched up. Frequently. Most artists actually hate doing them because they know the client will be back in six months complaining that half the letters are gone. It's a high-maintenance "low-maintenance" tattoo.
The Infection Risk
Your mouth is a literal bacteria factory. Getting an open wound—which is what a tattoo is—inside your lip requires insane aftercare. You can’t eat spicy foods, you have to use non-alcoholic mouthwash, and you have to be really careful about what you’re putting in your mouth for at least two weeks.
Why This Tattoo Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we're still talking about a tiny word inside a model's mouth from years ago. It's because it marked a shift.
Before Kendall, tattoos were either "big and bold" or "hidden and meaningful." She helped popularize the "micro-tattoo" trend—tattoos that are small, aesthetic, and sometimes totally nonsensical. It made the idea of getting a tattoo less about a lifelong commitment to a symbol and more about a moment in time.
It also humanized her. Seeing a global fashion icon admit she got a "dumb" tattoo while drunk in New York made her feel less like a polished brand and more like a regular 20-something making questionable decisions with her friends.
Thinking of Getting One? Read This First
If you're genuinely considering following in Kendall's footsteps, here is the unfiltered truth about what to expect:
- Find a specialist. Not every artist can do fine-line work on mucosal membrane (the technical term for lip skin). If they go too deep, the ink "blows out" and looks like a blue bruise.
- Pick a short word. You have very little real estate. "Meow" is four letters. Keep it under six or it’ll look like a blurry mess.
- Expect it to go away. Don't spend $500 on a piece of art you expect to show your grandkids. View it as a temporary-ish accessory.
- The healing is gross. Your lip will swell. You will feel like you have a giant cold sore for three days. You'll have to explain to people why you're talking weird.
The Kendall Jenner lip tattoo wasn't a career-ending mistake or a profound artistic statement. It was just a girl in her twenties having a night out. Sometimes, a "meow" is just a "meow," and that’s perfectly fine. If you decide to go for it, just make sure you’re okay with the fact that by the time you’ve finished explaining what it says, it might already be halfway faded.
Before you book that appointment, check out the portfolio of artists who specialize in "single needle" work. It’s a specific skill set, and you don’t want a traditional traditionalist trying to cram a thick needle into your lower lip. Look for healed photos—not just the "fresh" ones you see on Instagram. Real-world fading is the true test of a lip tattoo's quality.