Jessica Alba is opening up about the deeper meaning behind the matching tattoos she got with her 18-year-old daughter, Honor, sharing new details on Instagram Friday.
The 45-year-old actress posted a black-and-white photo showing off the identical eye designs on their left wrists, which also include small infinity symbols, alongside a painting Honor herself created, a blue eye set inside a heart, that appears to have directly inspired the ink.
Alba captioned the post, “Forever connected and protected, my baby girl – I love you @honor__warren.”
The post included additional photos of Alba smiling as tattoo artist Daniel “Winterstone” Winter photographed her wrist, along with a shot of Honor sitting calmly under studio lighting as Winter began her tattoo, plus a short video offering a closer look at the finished designs.
The Daily Mail previously reported that the tattoos were done on Honor’s actual 18th birthday, June 7, with Winter, owner of Winterstone Tattoo Studio, describing the experience, “It was great giving Honor her first tattoo on her actual 18th birthday, and matching with her mom. I can’t share the actual meaning I’ll leave that to the privacy of Jessica and her daughter. Tattooing Alba is always a great experience. She is such a kind, lovely human.”
He added that the final eye design came together collaboratively: “The eye was a combined process we all designed but, in the end, it was my creation that landed as the tattoo. I’ve worked with Jessica many times and I’m sure more to come!”
Eye tattoos are commonly associated with protection, wisdom, clarity and intuition.
Alba and Honor have long used social media to showcase their closeness. Honor first gave fans a glimpse of the tattoos in July, posting a photo captioned “me x mama” followed by infinity emojis.
Alba also marked Honor’s 18th birthday with an emotional tribute in June, writing in part: “As I reflect on the last 18 years, I can honestly say they have been the most profound of my life. You opened my heart and expanded my understanding of love in ways I never knew were possible… You are wildly intelligent, endlessly curious, and I could not be more proud of the young woman you have become.”
She continued, reflecting on watching her daughter head into adulthood: “As you step into adulthood, part of me wants to hold you close forever and keep you safe. But an even bigger part wants to watch you fly – to explore this world and discover everything that calls to your soul. And through it all, I will always be here… Whether you need comforting when your sick, a hug, or miss home, I’ll jump on a plane to see you – I’m here. Always.”
Honor has been carving out her own path in entertainment, following in her mother’s footsteps with a passion for filmmaking, she made her directorial debut with the 16-minute short film Unsaid, released on Vimeo on July 2.
She’ll head to Yale University this fall to study English and film.
