Harry Styles fans are convinced singer's new 'Slinky' tattoo is dedicated to late former bandmate Liam Payne and his love of Toy Story

There's a Fine Line between good and bad when it comes to body art. 

But Harry Styles has been unanimously praised for his latest tattoo - with many fans convinced that it was inspired by the singer's late bandmate, Liam Payne. 

Styles has developed a vast tattoo collection since finding fame with One Direction, notably the traditional anchor on his left wrist and a large butterfly on his torso. 

But a smaller, comparatively simple inking has prompted wild speculation from those who have developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the enigmatic star's tattoos and their various meanings. 

Positioned just above his elbow, the single word 'Slinky' was first seen during the singer's 2025 sabbatical to Rome, a trip that included an unexpected appearance at St. Peter's Basilica, where Styles, 32, joined thousands of spectators for the conclave election of Pope Leo XIV. 

Commonly used to describe certain items of clothing, the term has been interpreted as a coded tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne.

The singer, who tragically fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, had previously cited John Lasseter's animated adventure Toy Story as his favourite film.

And fans were quick to point out that its various characters includes Slinky the Dog - a toy dachshund and central character Woody's second-in-command. 

Commenting on Reddit, one commented: 'Liam’s favourite film was Toy Story. His favourite character from that movie is slinky the dog. Harry got slinky tattooed on him. A coincidence??' 

Referencing the tattoo on Instagram, a second added: 'Wasn’t Liams’s nickname Slinky? When Harry had the tattoo done in Rome, a few people come into online about it being in memory of Liam.' 

A third, posting on TikTok, shared footage of Styles' recent appearance on Saturday Night Live, during which the tattoo was instantly noticeable on his right arm. 

Providing added context, they wrote: 'Harry Styles "slinky" tattoo that people suspect Harry got in honour of Liam Payne's love for Toy Story.' [sic] 

The singer has a vast collection of tattoos, many of them entrenched in symbolism or containing personal meaning, including the letter G for his older sister Gemma, and three nails - a holy symbol that demonstrates his belief in religion and spirituality.

The collection also included a black heart, understood to represent Styles' grief at his stepfather Robin Twist’s death in 2017. 

'Harry’s body is like a scrapbook of his life,' a friend told The Sun. 

'He would always get tattoos as little representations of specific moments in time – they’re all like little mementos now, and you can trace his journey through his spiritual discoveries through his body art.' 

Celebrity tattoo artist Kevin Paul, who tattooed the singer as he toured the world with One Direction, said: 'Harry is very random. I was halfway through stencilling another design that he wanted when he decided that he didn’t want that now, he wanted to have ‘17 Black’. 

'It was all very erratic how he had his tattoos. I think he’s calmed down a lot though now.

Of him time touring the globe with Styles and One Direction, added: 'When I met him, you could see the sadness oozing through him. Because they were locked in – they could never go anywhere.

'We used to call it ‘the billion pound pension’ because everyone was going to get rich off the back of it, but they just had to do as they were told and be where they were told to be.

'I got really sad for him, because he was really sweet. There was a moment when I told him I didn’t have any kitchen roll and said I needed some, and he said: "There’s a Sainsbury’s over the road, I’ll go and get some." And then he went: ‘Oh s***. I can’t."'