The first most popular interpretation of “smile now, cry later tattoos” would be to enjoy life now and suffer the repercussions later. Its most common tattoo designs are the skull, chimes, or stage masks, also with the phrase “Laugh now & cry later” written beneath the picture.
What Do The Tattoos “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Represent?
“Laugh now & cry later” design tattoos depict two aspects or masks with opposite or distinct expressions that indicate conflicting or contrasting emotions. This style is commonly associated with criminals and is known as a gang tattoo. However, the artwork can also express much more.
Credit: @maximilian_h_tattooer
Rapper Ice Cube popularized the phrase “Laugh now, cry later,” although the concept is far older. Also, it’s known as the drama mask, “the comedy & tragedy masks,” as well as simple theater masks because they’re frequently shown in historic theaters. They might be somewhat ancient: the sad face could be that of the artist Melpomene, while the joyous face could be that of the muses Thalia of Ancient Greece.
Credit: @rachaelaliceink
“Laugh now & cry later” design tattoos often reflect the connection of good versus evil, yet they have many meanings depending on the context. For illustration, either of these kinds of tattoos could be used to signify mental disorder, could be used to signify mental illness, while another could be used to symbolize theatre experience.
Credit: @dannycreeptattoos
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The History Of The “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Meaning
The origins of this phrase may be traced back to Greek mythology. Performers and writers utilized the two faces with completely opposing emotions – 1 expressing tremendous pleasure and another deep grief – to signal to the crowd the desired tone of a specific point in a play.
Credit: @mateo_coria_art
After all this, now what do drama mask tattoos mean? Mask tattoos portray a person’s face or head, frequently accentuating or showing certain emotions. The design is usually incredibly meaningful or significant to the person wearing it. Consider this: the face may communicate more without even uttering a word. However, the mask must be large enough just to express the mood.
Is This a Harmful Representation?
It might represent a people’s positive and negative qualities. Nobody is flawless, everybody make errors. We make mistakes from time to time, and events might happen that impact us for the longest time possible. Many individuals do not like to be remembered for their errors, yet it is necessary to learn from them in order to progress as a human.
Credit: @dirty_lou_designs
Great “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Ideas That You Should Not Miss!
Inspired By Kuro-Melo- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Designs
Kuromi & My Melody, two animation characters, can be seen in this beautiful ‘laugh now & cry later’ artwork. My Melody’s lovely, the best laugh face is painted in vibrant purple and topped with a pink ribbon. Right below is a heartbroken, sobbing Kuromi dressed entirely in her usual black. Humor and sorrow, two opposing sides of the same coin, are depicted here by two opposing figures in contrasting colors. What a simple yet perfect tattoo design idea!
Credit: @strawberryshortink
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Floral- “Laugh now, cry later” Design Tattoo Ideas
This tattoo style is made up of two dramatic faces with flowers and greenery over and around them. The tattoo features a sobbing face with tears streaming down its cheeks and a happy face beneath it. A crimson ribbon surrounds the faces. The faces are elegantly shaded in black and white, with relaxing colors highlighting the ribbons and florals. This sophisticated pattern would look fabulous on the forearm or wrist.
Credit: @papa_sway
Carrying The Weeping Face- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Designs
This is among the most original drawings displaying the ‘Laugh now, cry later’ message. It shows a lovely blond woman laughing with her tresses covering half of her face. She’s carrying a mask, or perhaps a sobbing face. The tragic face has tears on it and resembles a mask. The sobbing circus mask is completely white, featuring black detail all around the eyes, giving it a horrific appearance. You may get it tattooed on your chest or legs as a great show-off! The crying face faces a fantastic concept for a dramatic crying masked tattooing.
Credit: @romeink
Dramatic Flair- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Design Ideas
This smile now, worries later, the tattoo features two theater masks. The initial phase of the face appears laughing, whereas the second part, which is beneath it, is sobbing. The sombre themes and textures have been beautifully rendered in black ink. If you want a simple laugh now, a weep later tattoo on your wrist, you should look into this. The comic, tragic theme of drama may make for great drama mask tattoo designs.
Credit: @_mikevelii_
Part of a happy clown mask on one paw and a sad, sobbing clown on another, with the phrase “Laugh now, cry later” separated and inscribed around each clown. Each clown face’s intricacy all-around lips and eyes highlight their suffering and happiness.
Tiny- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoos
If you want a little laugh now, weep later face tattoos, this is the one for you! The concept is represented in the artwork by two dramatic Chinese faces, each the equivalent of a coin. You’re going to appreciate this art piece with its rich black ink and excellent workmanship! The sinister smile above and sweet sorrowful face sobbing below with tears in the eye. As seen here on the hand, this motif works nicely on any tiny surface.
Credit: @tifflai.tattoos
Tattoo Design- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Designs
If you’re looking for a tattoo to reveal your living ideology, this one-of-a-kind smile now cries later tattoo will be a work of art on your arms and shoulders. A naive clown is regretfully sobbing while wearing a cap, whereas the Joker’s face below is evilly laughing. The smoke emerging from its lips contributes to the glitz and glitter of such a magnificent piece of artwork.
Credit: @ollieman01
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Clown Twins’ Faces- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Ideas
Here’s yet another dark-themed tattoo design done entirely in black ink with precise workmanship. This ‘Laugh now cry later ‘tattoo on the entire arm depicts two clown faces with exaggerated, pointed features—a sobbing clown mask with tears on the bottom and a happy clown mask with tears on top. The design is one-of-a-kind, conveying a powerful statement in a thoughtful way. This tattoo design is great for striking patterns because of its pointed nose, broad jaws, and sunken eyes.
Credit: @youngkingz_tattoo
Face Behind The Smile- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Design
This smile now cries later tattoo seems to be beautiful work of art with a name engraved on it. This is the face of an adorable clown girl, with a melancholy expression and weeping eyes, clutching a grinning mask. The entire design features rough coloring done in black ink, giving it the appearance of a drawing. On the other hand, the tears and eyeballs appear to have a gleam of light. This drama masks tattoo conveys the basic concept that not every beaming smile is cheerful!
Credit: @gomena666
The Most Adorable- “Laugh Now, Cry Later” Tattoo Ideas
Finally, here is a glittering grin now weeping later tattoo design. It is made up of theater masks adorned with glittering lights. The pretty face above is naively laughing, while the sorrowful face underneath it is sobbing. The message ‘laugh now’ is placed above the tattoo, while ‘cry later’ is inscribed at the bottom. This tattoo is wonderfully simple, and it definitely looks better on your wrists or forearms.
Credit: @bestiatatto0
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where did the “Laugh now, cry later” originate?
The expression “Laugh now, cry later” Tattoo has no documented history; most people believe it originated from the Old Greek theatrical plays of drama and comedy. And since 2016, the faces have been commonly utilized as phrases for Latin and Asian gang tattoos.
Credit: @graveyard_tattoos
What are the two theatrical faces implying?
Each mask has two identities in terms of history. Melpomene is the title of the drama mask or Goddess of Drama, and Thalia is the title of the comic face mask or Goddess of Comedy. Melpo is the abbreviation for Melpomene, which means “a festival of dancing and music.
Credit: @fruitbattatts
What do clown tattoos represent?
Many males and females believe that such tattoos are utilized to represent how we feel or who we are. A joyful clown is a good choice for those who enjoy pranking others. This might also indicate your easy-going attitude toward life.
Credit: @nyoman_leon_holid_ayink66
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