Growing up! Dance Moms alum Maddie Ziegler showed off her first ever tattoo she got in honor of her 18th birthday on Instagram.
“[Tonya Brewer] gave me the best birthday present ever!!” the birthday babe — who celebrated her big day on September 30 — wrote in a shout-out to her makeup artist on Saturday, October 3. “Thank you [Dr. Woo] for the most perfect first tattoo.” The former reality star shared photos and videos of herself during the process of getting the body art, as well as the finished product.
The tattoo read “Frances” in a delicate, thin script. The dance prodigy got the new ink on the right side of her ribcage.
Many fans were curious about her word choice for the body artwork — and several other supporters offered up an explanation. “[By the way], Frances is her grandma’s name and [her sister] Kenz’s middle name,” one user clarified.
Maddie’s boyfriend, Eddie Benjamin, sent his girlfriend some well wishes for her big day on September 30. “Happy birthday, beautiful,” he gushed on a smiling photo of the starlet on his Instagram Stories.
The former Lifetime star and the musician, 18, started dating in late 2019 and made their relationship Instagram official in March 2020. The new couple received backlash when they went public after posting what some fans considered to be an “inappropriate” photo of Maddie cuddling a shirtless Eddie. However, Maddie’s mom, Melissa Gisoni, came to the couple’s defense in the comments section and shut down the hater. “He has his shirt off for god’s sake! He’s a boy!” she told the user before leaving her own comment, “Such a beautiful picture!”
The pair quarantined together in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in March and April — and they even fostered a cute puppy together while self-isolating. Maddie ended up adopting the sweet dog.
Maddie and Eddie are supportive of each other’s personal endeavors and public projects. In fact, the Australian singer told pop star Sia he cried while watching his girlfriend star in an unreleased film that was written and directed by the “Elastic Heart” singer.
“I did [cry]. Very rare for me,” he said during their chat for Interview magazine. “When I watch a movie and I don’t get emotional, I’m like, ‘Can I feel emotion?’ Seriously, I need a good hit. It was beautiful. The process sounded incredible. It seems like everything is thought out, nothing’s rushed.”
Congrats to Maddie on her first tattoo!