The Meaning Behind Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff's 3 Tattoos

Sharp-eyed attendees at one of Doug Emhoff's various events — or a paparazzo with a good eye — may have spotted the second gentleman with a bit of ink dotting the underside of his left forearm, peeking out from a shirt sleeve.

There's a story behind those three tattoos, as highlighted in a new Washington Post profile:

Emhoff, 57, wears the initials of his two children, son Cole and daughter Ella, as well as the symbol of a dragon to mark the year he and Vice President Kamala Harris were born (1964, which is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese Zodiac).

Body art runs in the family: 22-year-old Ella, a model and recent Parsons School of Design grad, has around 18 tattoos, she told The New York Times earlier this year — including playful images of cows and bacon and eggs and more; some she added during the pandemic.

While tattoos among the first and second families may be historically rare, they have special significance for Emhoff as a father and spouse in a political role that emphasizes both. (There are plenty of rumors about which past presidents had ink themselves, though the consensus has only settled on Theodore Roosevelt.)

Some of those who have worked with Emhoff told the Post in the new story that he feels his position is one of supportive advocacy for his wife.

"I have heard him express very clearly that he sees part of his role as showing the world the beauty and the power and the wisdom of his partner," said Rabbi Sharon Brous, who led the White House Passover Seder this year (Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of a president or first president).

"I think that's been a big part of what he's been doing since this administration took office," Brous told the Post.

Emhoff himself echoed that in a joint PEOPLE interview with Harris during last year's presidential campaign.

"She's got plenty of great people giving her political advice," Emhoff said then. "I'm her partner, I'm her best friend and I'm her husband. And that's what I'm here for. I'm here to have her back."

Since relocating to Washington, D.C., the former entertainment lawyer (who left his firm and has since started teaching at Georgetown Law) has described the transition into the role of second gentleman as "surreal" but consequential.

In his own work in Washington, he has championed Paralympians, highlighted food insecurity and other issues.

"I am honored to be the first male spouse of an American president or vice president," Emhoff wrote on Twitter in January. "But I'll always remember generations of women have served in this role before me—often without much accolade or acknowledgment. It's their legacy of progress I will build on as Second Gentleman."