Pete Davidson Is Stuck With the Branding of Kim Kardashian’s Name For Life
Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian-West’s romance officially ended a couple of weeks ago. To some, the deterioration of their relationship was plain to see, but now that it is over, many onlookers wonder what they will do in the aftermath of this public breakup.
For Davidson, the big question is, what is he going to do with the tattoos (yes, plural) he got in honor of his then-girlfriend? The simple answer is to remove them, but that option is not available for the branding he got of Kim Kardashian’s name.
Davidson memorialized the relationship with multiple tattoos
Davidson’s tattoos have been a part of his personal brand for the entirety of his time as a celebrity. While he was dating Ariana Grande, he got her signature bunny ears inked behind his ear, and they reportedly got matching tattoos together. Davidson got those bunny ears covered up after they separated, but that experience didn’t stop him from getting more romantic art placed on his body.
During one of his many arguments with Kanye West, Davidson posted a selfie that let fans notice that he had “Kim” tatted on his chest. Kardashian later clarified during an interview that it was a permanent branding rather than a tattoo, but he did have other tattoos dedicated to her.
He has one that reads, “My girl is a lawyer,” and Davidson also got the first initials of Kardashian and her four kids’ names printed on his neck. Getting any sort of body modifications related to someone you’ve dated for a few months is questionable to some, but this is clearly a risk Davidson is willing to take.
He can’t get the branding removed because of health concerns
Davidson can get the tattoos covered up easily if he chooses, but hiding or editing the branding will be a much more difficult proposition. Once completed, it is impossible to reverse. Branding is a type of scarification that uses burns or cuts to create scar tissue in the skin with a specific design.
David Kim, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, explained the procedure in finer detail to Allure. Once the scarring instrument pierces the skin, the tissue underneath breaks apart. Then, immune cells called neutrophils fill the area to prevent infection and help the tissue heal. “Then, fibroblasts form collagen in the skin and create a scar to fill the gap,” Kim concludes.
Historically, it’s been used as a tool of expression and oppression, depending on the context. In some cultures, branding represents a spiritual journey or a mark of passage within a community. By contrast, it represented a form of punishment for slaves by colonizers, and the Romans used to mark criminals for the rest of their lives.
Branding is safe when done correctly, but the process does come with some danger since it creates a deeper wound. Most scarifications take two or three weeks to heal.
And it is far more permanent than tattoos are. Branding scars can’t be lasered off or covered with anything because the skin that heals over the design isn’t healthy enough for another procedure, and no cosmetic surgery can completely erase the scar.
Davidson has a few options to make the branding less noticeable
You might not be able to get rid of a branding scar, but you can lessen the presence of them in a few ways. The viability of all of these options is dependent on a few factors, like the length of time since the branding took place, where it is located, and the size of the scar.
Because the skin is too weak to handle a tattoo, a branding can’t be covered with new ink. It can be faded with topical gels or laser therapy, but there is no way to permanently remove a branding, so it looks like Davidson is forever stuck with Kim’s name.
While Davidson decides what he wants to do, he can spend the rest of his time focusing on his actual job as a comedian and actor.
