We all know and love our favourite Batman actor, Ben Affleck. However, that’s not the only thing he’s famous for…
Remember back in 2015 when Affleck got a divorce from Jennifer Garner? Around that same time, Ben was spotted with some new colorful ink covering 85% of his back.
That tattoo got a lot of backlash from, well, pretty much everyone. Want to know what Affleck’s exes had to say about it? Read on and find out for yourself.
Rising from the ashes... or his ass?
Ben Affleck’s ‘awful’ tattoo is, believe it or not, really important to him. So much so he lied about its authenticity in order to protect it.
During an interview on ExtraTV with Mario Lopez back in 2016, Affleck told the world his back tattoo was just a fake for a movie.
A few years later on the Ellen Degeneres show, he opened up a bit more about it once the topic was brought up.
After Degeneres jokingly named it his ‘phoenix rising from your ass’ he told her the following: ”It’s a phoenix rising from my ass. And I was about to say it represents something really important to me,”- with a returned playfull tone.
”It’s meaningful to me, I like it.” – Affleck told Ellen Degeneres
The colorful back ink
Originally it was something the actor sort of kept private. Until somebody got a picture of it and the paparazzi shot got leaked.
During a candid interview with the New York Times, Affleck claryfied why he originally lied.
”I resented that somebody got a picture of it by spying on me. It felt invasive. But you’re right. I could’ve said said ‘Thats none of your business’ I guess I got a kick out of messing with Extra. ‘Is your tattoo real?’ Of course, it’s real! No, I put a fake tattoo on my back and then hid it.” – Affleck stood his ground with a witty tone.
We can’t blame Ben Affleck though. Pretty or not, good quality or not, tattoos are a personal thing. And we can imagine that it must have sucked, when relaxing on vacation, paparazzi are the last thing anyone, let alone Ben Affleck, should be worried about. One man’s job unfortunately means no privacy for another’s…
The Phoenix tattoo itself is a great concept, especially for a back piece. Starting from the left side of his lower back and ending on the top of his right shoulder blade, it fills the majority of Ben Affleck’s back. It’s a great fit for the actor! The execution of it, that’s another story. As we don’t have a clear picture of it, we cannot and should not judge.
The Jens' opinions
Jennifer Garner, his first wife, wasn’t shy to speak about her opinion. Garner had done so in the, at the time (2016), latest Vanity Fair issue.
”You know what we would say in my hometown about that? Bless his heart… A phoenix rising from the ashes? Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I decline to be the ashes.”
Lopez wasn’t too nice about it either. In a resurfaced clip, this was what Jennifer Lopez had to say to Andy Cohen during their interview on Watch What Happens Live in 2016:
”It is awful and I would tell him that. What are you doing? It has too many colors! His tattoos always have too many colors. They shouldn’t be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be like, cooler.”
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have since reunited. Eighteen years after their break-up they reunited and this past summer they finally tied the knot. Jennifer Lopez definitely did not expect THAT to happen, but the universe can be kind like that!
Enough about the back tattoo
Nonethelss, this isn’t the only back tattoo Affleck owns. Before the phoenix arose from Ben’s ass, the back of his right shoulder used to home an anagram no one could solve. The OV-tattoo with ‘MOH NON TE‘ written above it and ‘TA OR‘ underneath.
As specified by Gawker, ‘MOH NON TE’ stands for one month. The rest is still a mystery.
On his left hip there’s a lil’ dolphin tattoo doing a peekaboo that supposedly is a coverup of his high school girlfriend’s name.
Another ‘Ben Affleck’ tattoo is his infamous barbed wire on his right bicep, including a cross and roses. This was a teenage regret he learned a life lesson from: ”It is a good lesson in decisions that have important and long repercussions.”
Last but not least, the other cross tattoo surrounded by flowers. This was allegedly a rework of an upside-down cross with a diamond and ace of spades cards.
Everyone is entitled to an (honest) opinion, that being said:
Regardless of the backlash on Ben Affleck’s back tattoo or his spare body art, regardless of what Jennifer Lopez OR Jennifer Garner thinks – we want to bring across the following message. Ben, nor anyone else, should ever listen to others when it comes to getting some new ink done. Maybe do listen to tattoo enthousiasts/’experts’ when it comes to choosing your artist, parlor, and what you should look out for.
But whatever you do, do not pay any attention to what outsiders (or even insiders) have to say about it. Put that energy into something positive, into you, taking care of you.
And let people enjoy things!
What do you guys think about Ben’s back tattoo? Be sure to let us know down below!
