Joel Madden - Too Inked to Fly

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts)
Posted Apr 27th 2009 at 3:00PM

We already have more than enough to worry about when boarding a plane: Will our lip gloss and hand sanitizer be confiscated? Is everything in the right sized Ziploc? And now, apparently, we have to worry about our tattoos showing. On Saturday, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden was forced to cover up his ink with a long-sleeved shirt before boarding a British Airways flight.

Celebrity Tattoos

Sure, Joel Madden has a lot of ink going on. But really, do you find it offensive?

Christina Aguilera shows her love of music with a lower back tat.

Alyssa Milano has never had a problem showing her wild side. Do you think her ankle ink works with her sexy image?

Eve's pawprint tattoos on her chest are some of the most recognizable tats in the industry. They work for her, but we think they fall within the realm of "don't try this at home."

Scarlett Johansson's brightly colored sunset on her forearm had people wondering whether it was real or something she got from a box of cereal. Turns out, she'd had the art for a year before anyone noticed it!

Christina Applegate's blonde hair and blue eyes make her seems so sweet and innocent, but the tattoos on her ankles are a little more reminiscent of her days as Kelly Bundy.

In addition to the Sanskrit character for lotus flower that Jessica Alba has on her wrist (shown here), she also has a flower and ladybug on the back of her neck and a bow tattoo on the small of her back.

Drew Barrymore's stylized cross tat is one of many on the actress' body, including an angel, butterfly, flowers, and a moon.

Britney Spears has this lip tattoo that, according to some, is a symbol of love.

This is far from the only ink on Rachel Evan Wood's creamy skin, but it's definitely the most visible on the red carpet!

Rather than pitching a fit or making a scene, Madden decided to comply with the request, but got even by Twittering about it. He tweeted the whole debacle, which made the British Airways' employee's request seem all the more absurd. Madden wrote, "yes i covered up to board the BA flight. I didn't want to miss it. And honestly i was embarrassed all the people were staring and laughing!"

Joel also checked British Airways' rules and found that there are no regulations about exposed tattoos. Plus, he makes a good point -- it's not like his tattoos are offensive or obscene, it's just that this particular employee was "disgusted" by them. Where is the line drawn? Are flowers okay, but faces of people is taking it too far? Or was it Madden's Jesus tattoo that sent this employee over the edge?

Just in case, we're going to pack extra clothes in our carry-ons, for numerous reasons. Remember the debate over whether this outfit was too sexy to be allowed on the plane?

We'll sacrifice a lot for our art, but maybe not a trip! Gives new meaning to that heart with wings tattoo you once debated getting!

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