The happy sad face tattoo is a relatively new design, and there isn’t a lot of information about it yet. But from what I can tell, it seems to symbolize sadness and happiness at the same time.
This might be a symbol for someone who is dealing with a lot of sadness and happiness at the same time. Or it could represent the idea that you can’t always have one without the other – you need to experience both sadness and happiness in order to appreciate life.
What do you think the happy sad face tattoo means?
I’ve found some interesting interpretations of the happy sad face tattoo on a few message boards:
“This is a symbol for bipolar disorder.” – I don’t believe this interpretation. For one thing, not everyone with bipolar disorder experiences depression. And if you have sadness and happiness at the same time, that doesn’t mean that you have bipolar disorder.
“This is a symbol for the passing of someone who committed suicide.” – This tattoo might mean this, but it’s possible that it simply means you can’t have one without the other – sadness and happiness.
Here are some other interpretations gathered from varius forums :
“[The] Grim Reaper being so happy with his catch. The sadness is the victim’s loved ones who are left behind.”
“A person with a dark and depressing past but still has a smile on their face for the future.”
“A symbol of a person that is struggling with addiction, depression and other mental health issues.”
I have contacted a tattoo artist who had previous clients requesting this this tattoo. He shared with me that the meaning of this tattoo is “the good and bad in life.” He says that it’s not meant to be a symbol for bipolar disorder or any other mental health issue.
It’s all about the good and bad in life. For example, if you go out to eat and have a great meal, even if it wasn’t something that was particularly healthy for you to eat, but was still very enjoyable…then the next day maybe one of your friends or family members has some bad news on health or struggles with addiction. But we can’t have one without the other, so you take it as it comes and enjoy every good moment to the fullest.
“You can’t have any of those great moments without also having some not so great moments,It’s just a symbol for me of enjoying life as much as possible.”
