Reply #1: Empty tear or filled tear? [View All]

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The teardrop tattoo or tear tattoo is a symbolic tattoo that is placed underneath the eye. The tattoo has several connotations. Teardrop tattoos usually signify the loss of a friend or loved one. An empty tear signifies that the loved one has been killed or that the bearer has unsuccessfully attempted murder.<1> A filled tattoo signifies that a loved one has taken his or her own life, or was killed by a cause other than murder (car crash, death penalty, etc.) A tear with an empty top and a full bottom means that the wearer has avenged the murder of a loved one. The majority of the 'tear tattoos' seen in popular culture today, however, signifies that the wearer has killed, with the number of tears representing the number of kills.<1>

Tear tattoos, when given in prison, primarily to indicate that the bearer has murdered someone, either in or out of jail.<1><2><3> The tattoo can also be given to commemorate a loved one who died while the wearer was incarcerated.<2>