30 Stunning Shoulder Tattoos for Women

Shoulder tattoos for women are extremely popular today. This is especially true for floral designs that seem to spill over the shoulder in an elegant and sophisticated way. Shoulder tattoos can be flirty and fun or bold statement pieces. There’s tons of variety when it comes to tattoos in this area including designs on the upper arms and back as well as the area that connects to the collar bone.

Shoulder tattoos for women come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. There’s no right or wrong way to go about your shoulder tattoo. You’ll just want to be clever with your placement and also get a unique design that shares your special point of view. We decided to round up some really popular shoulder tattoos for women on social media to give you a taste of the possibilities and limitations of designs in the area. Take a look below for ink inspiration.

Discover Some Excellent Ideas with the Shoulder Tattoos for Women Below:

Florals to the Collar

Let’s kick things off with the most popular shoulder tattoos for women. Floral designs like this one that cover some or most of the shoulder are the most requested at tattoo shops today. It’s easy to understand why.

Ginkgo

We find matching shoulder tattoos for women in the above example. Stylized ginkgo leaves completely stun from shoulder to shoulder.

Jade and Blue Plum Blossoms

Here’s one of the shoulder tattoos for women that looks like it’s been painted on. The design was inspired by Asian landscape and still life paintings. We’d say they really pulled it off.

Cute Little Detail

We will show you plenty of large shoulder tattoos for women on this list but we wanted to include some smaller pieces to show that big is not the only way to go. In fact, you can make a big statement by going small.

Ornamental On Top

Designs on the top of the shoulder like this are fairly uncommon despite it being an excellent placement for shoulder tattoos for women. This sort of geometric, ornamental design is divine.

Abstract Up Front

The front of the shoulder is one of the most popular spots, especially for smaller-scale designs. This colorful and balanced abstract one looks great in this placement.

Brushstroke

A popular placement trend is to design a tattoo around a circle at the upper most part of the shoulder on top of where the torso meets the arm. It echoes the body’s natural shape and really pops. In this design, the artist has applied the ink to look as if it was painted on.

Whimsical Clouds

Lean into magic and whimsy with your shoulder tattoos for women and you could walk away with something equally as dreamy. Natural elements like clouds are always going to be winning designs.

Rainbow Feathers

Believe it or not, this is actually a cover-up tattoo. We love the pastel rainbow effect here that brings so much warmth to the design.

Little Bug Blue

Here’s a cute little butterfly tattoo that shines. It’s perched right on the shoulder and is just so cute.

A Nautical Scene

We actually encountered a lot of shoulder tattoos for women with ocean-themed designs. Here’s one example that finds an. octopus and a dolphin in the waves.

Magnolia In Bloom

Fine, delicate line work makes these magnolia shoulder tattoos for women unbelievably gorgeous. There’s an excellent contrast between the darkness of the leaves and the lightness of the blossoms. Bravo!

Sunshine

How about a kiss of the sun? This very playful tattoo beams in orange and yellow. It looks almost childlike which makes it read nostalgic and fun.

Up and Over Frond

Here’s another one of the botanical shoulder tattoos for women that seems to drape over the shoulder. We love the way the green has been shaded bringing it so much life.

RELATED: Chest Tattoos for Women: From Dainty to Dramatic

Smoke

This shoulder tattoo stretches over the shoulder and down the arm. It’s one of the bigger shoulder tattoos for women we will share with you. Isn’t it haunting?

Orca Goodness

We told you there are a lot of sea creatures on shoulders! Here’s an orca swimming in the waves. Clean, simple lines make this a real standout.

Perfect Placement

This placement and shape are absolutely perfect. The design accentuates the natural shape of the shoulder while providing texture with tons of little dots.

Matching Shoulder Tattoos

Here’s another example of matching shoulder tattoos for women. These abstract shapes almost look like a compass or a wheel which proves evocative and visually exciting.

Feathered Friend

Here’s a cute little bird is done in an interesting style that’s so unique we felt the need to share it with you. Find yourself a tattoo artist with a distinct style and you could walk away with a masterpiece.

Bird of Paradise

Bird of paradise flowers are some of the most treasured blooms by home plant enthusiasts. You’ll see them more often in the jungle but many bird of paradise plants eventually bloom indoors if they are cared for properly.

Gentle S-Shape

For shoulder tattoos for women that land on the back of the shoulder, this lovely S-shape should be considered. It takes great advantage of the area and the shape of muscle around the shoulder blade.

Audrey II

Are there any Little Shop of Horrors fans out there? These matching shoulder tattoos for women have Audrey II as their star. It’s kind of creepy but mostly fun.

Mandala Moment

Mandala tattoos are having a huge moment today. These designs can be found all over the body but they are especially popular on the shoulder.

Neo-Traditional with a Twist

In these neo-traditional flowers, we find classic shapes and lines filled with a watercolor effect. It’s fresh and flirty and plenty of fun.

Expressionist Waves

The person who shared this very expressive tattoo explained that they were inspired by waves. We totally see it despite most of the design reading as abstract. What an inspired design!

A Little Creepy

We find the same round shape at the top of the shoulder here for this spider tattoo. The lines are a blast to look at even if the spider does kind of creep us out.

Peony Mountains

Peony flowers flank a basic mountain scene in this charming design. Florals are always a great design feature that heightens all shoulder tattoos for women.

We’re Here Because…

Here’s a very unique design that says “We’re here because we’re here,” again and again. If you like your shoulder tattoos for women with a side of existentialism, look no further.

Delightful Dino

Take a look at the fun colors used to bring this dinosaur to life. What an absolute treat! Think outside the box for your shoulder tattoo and you could walk away with something equally as playful.

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Abstract Wonder

We leave you with another abstract piece that’s almost geometric in its patterning. Warm colors and black ink play well together here. It’s one of our favorite shoulder tattoos for women on the list. What a wonder to behold!

What did you think of these shoulder tattoos for women? We hope you found some inspiring designs that resulted in a unique idea for your very own tattoo. Looking at other tattoos for inspiration is great but be sure that you are coming up with a design that’s unique to you. You don’t want to simply rip off another artist’s work. Happy tattooing!