Riley Reid’s Kanji Tattoo Is All About Optimism

Pornstars with plenty of ink are more and more common, and not just on niche and fetish websites. AVN put the spotlight on this porn trend by dedicating an entire featured article to the subject in their September issue. Reading like an extended edition of a show like Miami Ink, the piece focuses on the stories behind the tattoos of numerous stars, including Katrina Jade, Kleio Valentien, Marley Brinx and more. It also gives the inside scoop on Riley Reid‘s impressive Kanji tattoo. (Kanji is a system of Japanese writing that has become a very popular mode for pornstar tattoos.)

Running down the full length of Reid’s back, the tattoo is hard to miss and is a recognizable feature of Reid’s signature look. “My tattoo is not an exact translation but the concept of it is, ‘When life hands you lemons, make lemonade,’” Reid told AVN. “When I was in my senior year of high school I was doing a lot of self seeking and I was really learning more about opening my mind and the fluidness of love—in the sense of it being so communal.”

The quotation represents Reid’s personal life philosophy. She continued, “I had always been an optimist. I suppose it was a side effect of growing up in a struggling home. My mother has depression and I have seen her deal with inner battles since I was a child. I think it was since then that I realized I always wanted to have a better outlook on life and to not dwell on the sad. It’s funny because I know that being optimistic is just kind of blinding oneself to suffering, but who really wants to feel suffering? Personally, I’d rather make lemonade.”

(Numerous sources say that the grammar on Reid’s tattoo is actually not quite correct, something that Reid seems to acknowledge when she says ‘My tattoo is not an exact translation.'”)

Read the full AVN article here.

Add to Cart

You may also like

Create an account & get 15 Free Minutes of Pay Per View time to watch any of our On Demand streaming videos.

Your Account also entitles you to exclusive Discounts & Sales, Coupons & Promotions plus free previews, trailers, product reviews & more.

Create Account