CARDI B made a "bold" statement with the tattoo etched across her jawline, but she isn't confident in her decision, a psychologist said.
The rapper kept the ink hidden for months before "seeking approval" from fans, which our expert believes is telling.
On Friday, Cardi B shared the first close-up of her new face tattoo with her fans and followers online.
In this way, they could clearly see how her son's name, Wave, had been written in red and directly above her chiseled jawline.
While the rapper captioned her Twitter image with: "I love my face tatt," some of her fans reacted negatively towards it.
One wrote that it had "ruined her look", while another said: "Cardi please don't ruin your face it's beautiful put the tatts somewhere else."
Cardi B actually had the tattoo done in August 2022 – but waited five long months before sharing the full design.
Some of the Bodak Yello hitmaker's fans liked her new tattoo, with one saying: "I think it looks great."
And our expert thinks this is exactly what she was looking for.
In an exclusive interview, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Dr. Joshua Klapow told The U.S. Sun: "Cardi B's statement on Twitter could be seeking validation from her fans.
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"It's almost as if to say, what do you all think? Is this okay?
"She's already done the tattoo and owns it, but to say that she 'loves it' could be looking for extra psychological validation for what she did.
"It's a way to seek approval from others.
"A face tattoo is a next-level tattoo because it's seen all the time.
"It is also seen perceptually when people look at each other, and that's what we look at first.
"And while you could just say it's a body part, the face is very different because it's what everyone always sees.
"This is also something that's always going to be there and can't be covered up in any way.
"For Cardi B, it's also her first face tattoo, and much like the first tattoo for anybody, it's a bold statement.
"She may want some support because it's on her face.
"I think now she's presenting this to the world and can get validation instantly.
"There's also an adrenaline rush with a dopamine release that can happen when getting a tattoo.
"But none of Cardi B and Offset's tattoos look to have been done in haste."
Cardi B is no stranger to body art and historically her fondness for them has seen her cover most areas of her body.
Today a slew of symbols, words, and design is regularly on show for the world to see.
Prior to her latest tattoo, Cardi B had eight others.
These include a huge peacock that cascades down her thighs, across her waist and hips.
The controversial former stripper also has a tattoo on her right bicep that says 'Loyalty Over Royalty' and a cheetah tattoo on her left hip.
Her red jawline tattoo is also in a similar place as to where her husband Offset had their daughter's name tattooed.
The name tattoo is nothing new; the 31-year-old previously celebrated the birth of her daughter Kulture on her arm, while Offset had his wife's name inscribed on his neck.
"Even though Cardi B has gotten tons of tattoos, as soon as you move to the face, this is a clean palette," explains Dr. Klapow, who founded Mental Drive, a psychological well-being initiative.
"The fact that she got one on her face and then gets some validation from fans absolutely increases the chances that she may get another one.
"The chances go up because, with this first one, she didn't get totally slammed on.
"This was the name of her child.
"It was selective and unlike some of her other ones, although she does have ones that relate to her name, most of them are artwork.
"There's no declarations with her new tattoo and no symbolism.
"It's her child's name on her face this time, which is a very clear statement of what she's trying to communicate."
The Bronx-born rapper and former stripper first became a mom in 2018, just a year after meeting her now-husband.
The pair married in secret that same year.
A rocky few months followed, but by 2021 they were pregnant with their second child.
Through Cardi B and Offset's ensuing makeups and breakups, their mutual love of tattoos appears to have held strong.
2021 saw the pair create a 16-minute video where Cardi B and her beau learned to tattoo together, giving each other matching inkings.
"Interestingly there are the people who get tattoos to use their body as a canvas," explains Dr. Klapow.
"This group starts on the path of getting more and more.
"Then there are those who have tattoos to make a statement and may be open to getting additional ones.
"The second type doesn't see their body as a canvas.
"But there's another piece that happens for some people and this transpires in the actual process of getting the tattoo.
"This is all about the discomfort and the pain."
Our expert also notes: "The output of the artwork becomes a very reinforcing and almost addictive process.
"The pain itself isn't excruciating in many cases.
"There's this discomfort that a lot is sort of this pleasure-pain experience in the process.
"And then the outcome is this beautiful thing that they have.
"That process can become addicting again not always in a pathological way.
"It is in a way that makes people want more and more and more and more tattoos done.
"Cardi B and Offset clearly embrace tattooing and its process.
"They see it as something essential to their overall image and persona.
"I don't know if they're addicted or not, but I'd say that they clearly enjoy the process which can become addicting.
"It's not necessarily an unhealthy addiction and Cardi B could be the addicting category, but again, it's not unhealthy.
"Otherwise, when you talk about somebody like Cardi B or Offset and you try to relate that to the rest of us, getting multiple tattoos speak to how you want the world to see you.
"Generally, the tattoos that we get that are visible are not just statements that we're trying to make to ourselves.
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"They're clearly statements that we're trying to make to the outside world.
"And that can say a lot about the person who does this."
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