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Justin Trudeau is the Canadian PM with tattoos. Photo/Reuters
WASHINGTON – Tattoos are nothing new in the world of politicians. There are several world leaders who have tattoos. Generally, it symbolizes the character and characteristics that represent the politician's struggle.
The most popular is the prime minister (PM) Justin Trudeau who is famous for having tattoos. Many people ask, could he be the only great world leader to have a tattoo?
Trudeau's image of a raven tattoo has also received a lot of attention on social media. “OH that's a Raven tattoo! This guy seems interesting,” tweeted @meg_shuler. “Is Justin Trudeau the first Western leader to have a tattoo?” asked @aveek18 – one of the many people who asked this.
The design is borrowed from the Haida people living in Canada's Pacific Northwest, as the Liberal Party leader tweeted : “My tattoo is the planet Earth inside a Haida crow. A globe I got when I was 23; Robert Davidson's crow for my birthday the 40th.”
The tattoo was visible to the public soon after, when he competed in a charity boxing match against his political rival, Patrick Brazeau, and surprised many with the victory.
There seems to be some logic behind the choice of Haida symbols. The Trudeau family were made honorary members of the Haida tribe in 1976 during Trudeau's father Pierre's second prime ministership. Justin Trudeau continued his studies at the University of British Columbia.
According to the BBC, it is difficult to say for certain that no prominent heads of state or government have tattoos. If they did, they would cover it up. Tattoo historian Anna Felicity Friedman says she doesn't know. Kevin Gannon is no self-proclaimed tattoo professor either.
However, there have been many world leaders who have had tattoos in the past.
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia had a dragon tattooed on his arm during a visit to Japan in 1891, while King Alexander of Yugoslavia had a large heraldic eagle tattooed on his chest. King Frederick IX of Denmark obtained a number of naval themed tattoos in the navy.