the black rose represents hope and rebellion. its associated with death but its elegant black beauty can also mean rebirth and rejuvenation. in sobriety, it’s seen as a symbol of strength and resiliency; a beautiful bloom grown from darker days.

it’s for these reasons and more that i chose the obscure, romanticized flower as a continuation of my body art. a tattooed story on my arm to visualize my journey and to ignite conversation about some of the harder things in life that we tend to refrain from talking about.

a black rose is deeper than death, depression and sorrow. did you know that a rose, the symbol of love, transcends greek mythology? aphrodite, the goddess of love, was pricked by a thorn and bled on a white rose. from there, over the galaxy of time, the red rose withered after lost love silencing it’s pedals with a purpled maroon so full of despair that it appeared black to those eyes filled with tears.

however, as with most children of nature, a crack of light got in, wrapping the black rose in a bedlam of beautiful belief. belief to heal; hope to grow. beyond the melancholic roots with a determination to become the most radiant enigma of a flower the world has ever seen.

this is why i intentionally picked a tattoo vine of black roses: to wrap everlasting hope around my arm with room to bloom; to plant seeds of devotion as i, a human being, continue to grow.

mad love, nicbea, xo