When Best Supporting Actress winner Regina King stepped onto the Oscars red carpet in a strapless Oscar de la Renta gown, fans had one big question about the prominent tattoo on her forearm: Well, what does it say?
The ink, as King explained in an appearance on The View in 2017, is actually written in Aramaic and translates to “unconditional love.” The message isn’t just an uplifting one at its core; it comes with a particularly meaningful backstory, too.
“[My son and I] were taking Kabbalah classes," King told the program, "and he said, let’s choose three [designs] each and not tell each other which ones they are and whichever one is matching, that’s the one we’re going to get tattooed — and we both chose unconditional love.” How’s that for kismet?
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King's meaningful arm piece isn't the only ink her Oscars ensemble revealed: The gown also features a thigh-high slit, exposing a trail of skin that leads right down to an ample design on the top of her foot showing a nude woman with giant butterfly wings looking skyward.
We're not exactly holding out for a twinning tattoo story between King and her son on this design (though we would love to be wrong about that), but knowing King's appreciation for things spiritual and uplifting, we wouldn't be surprised if the design has an inspiring origin story, too.