They were the fresh-faced boys thrown
together by Nicole Scherzinger on TV show The X Factor who went on to
achieve a US hit album.
However, the clean cut image is long gone, as One Direction race to cover themselves in ink, as if it were a competitive sport.
Not
to be outdone by bandmate, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson
also decided some new etchings were in order during their current
Stateside visit.
Punky: One Direction's Zayn Malik opted for a
new half sleeve design on his forearm as he visited the Shamrock Tattoo
Parlour on Wednesday evening
Decisions, decisions: Louis and Zayn seemed to be taking some time deciding which look they wanted to go for
Taking a break: Liam seemed to be enjoying a game of pool as his bandmates underwent their inkings
Chowing down on pizza, and whiling
away the hours with a game of pool, the boys are steadily assuming a
tougher image which is worlds away from their early incarnation.
The pair were accompanied by Liam
Payne as they made their way to the legendary studio on Sunset Boulevard
in West Hollywood, California, on Wednesday to add to their already
extensive collections of body art.
Zayn,
19, opted for by far the most dramatic look, adding to the 'ZAP' and
microphone tattoos adorning his right forearm with an intricate half
sleeve design.
Meanwhile, Louis, 20, appeared to
have opted for a large compass etching, adding to the seemingly random
collection of doodles on his right forearm.
Anything you can do: Louis Tomlinson added to his collection of seemingly random scribbles with a large compass design
Tattoo addicts: Zayn (L) and Louis (R) are now sporting fairly extensive collections of inkings on their forearms
Tasty treat: Louis was seen tucking in to some yummy pizza
Although Liam, 19,
accompanied his bandmates on their visit, he didn't appear to have gone
under the needle, instead kicking back and relaxing while enjoying a
game of pool.
The
boys - who jetted into Los Angeles on Tuesday - seemed to be taking
some time in choosing their respective designs, looking through a tattoo
book as they made their minds up.
And
as the pain of the inkings subsided, the group enjoyed some tasty pizza
as they chatted and relaxed inside the relative peace of the studio,
before heading outside and being mobbed by a plethora of eager female
fans.
But it would
seem Louis - who could be seen wincing in pain as the tattooist got to
work - is still keen to have more inkings, tweeting: 'Just seen all
these punk edits of pictures of me, makes me want more tattoos !!'
Moral support: The boys were accompanied on their outing to Shamrock by bandmate, Liam Payne
Intense: Liam seemed to be concentrating intently on sorting his balls out for a game of pool
In addition to the microphone
on his forearm, Zayn gave his cartoon-style 'ZAP' tattoo its first
outing at the MTV VMA Awards back in September, sparking speculation
that the colourful design stood for 'Zayn and Perrie', a tribute to his
relationship with Little Mix's Perrie Edwards.
But
in fact, 'Zap!' is a symbolic reference to the popstar's very own
secret society, 'Club Zappers' in which he and Louis are captains.
The rest of the 1D gang, however, do not
have as senior a membership, with Zayn telling Nova.fm: 'They're a part
of club Zap but they're not Captains, they're just on the board of
Directors.'
Opting out: Although Liam sports a series of
arrows on his right forearm, he didn't appear to have undergone another
inking on Wednesday
Mobbed! Zayn and Liam had to be escorted out of
Shamrock Tattoo Studios by members of staff as a barrage of female fans
descended upon them
Here come the girls! It wasn't long before a
plethora of eager fans were waiting outside Shamrock, keen to catch a
glimpse of the teen heartthrobs
This secret organisation -
which arguably is not so secret anymore - along with Zayn's official
title in the Zappers indicates the love for comic-books goes beyond mere
fashion statements.
It was only at the start of this month that the teen heartthrob had another etching done on his left collarbone.
He tweeted: 'For every1 asking what the new tatt means it says be true to who you are'.
Zayn
a total of 10 tattoos, including an outline of a clothing hanger and
his upper left arm, a large microphone on his forearm, an Arabic
inscription on his collarbone and an outline of a hand with two fingers
crossed.
Smoking hot: The 19-year-old singer indulged in a crafty cigarette as he browsed through a brochure of the designs
Louis - who celebrates his
21st birthday on Christmas Eve - has a flock of birds, a stick figure
on a skateboard with the word 'OOPS!' and 'far away' on his right arm.Meanwhile, Liam has a succession of arrows on his forearm, as well as the inscription 'Everything I ever wanted, but nothing that I'll ever need'.
Bad boy: Zayn now has a collection of 10 tattoos, including his new half-sleeve
In
addition to Harry's new ship design, he has a large pair of birds on
his chest, which was etched at Shamrock last month and unfinished
phrases 'Things I can' and 'Thing's I can't' on either forearm.
Also
on his arms, the star has a series of seemingly random images,
including a small padlock - tattooed on by his singer pal Ed Sheeran -
two zig zags, a skeleton of a fish and the figure 99p.
The
teen idol also has a large star on his inner arm, and recently added
the song lyrics 'Won't stop 'till we surrender' from The Temper Trap
track Sweet Disposition beneath it.
Ouch! Louis seemed to be wincing in pain as the tattooist got to work on his arm
Additionally, Harry
currently has a tiny 'A' in the crook of his elbow, which is believed to
be a tribute to his mother, Anne Cox, who he is extremely close to, as
well as '17 black' etched on his collar bone, an Iced Gem, comedy and
tragedy drama masks, a birdcage and the words SMCL.The words SMCL have led some fans to speculate it means 'smile more, cry later' or 'Simon Cowell' - who famously put the band together on X Factor two years ago.
Leading the pack: Harry Styles had a large ship tattooed on his upper arm on Tuesday
Speaking on X Factor USA, he said: 'I have one [tattoo]. It says, "I love SC", and it's on my bum.'
Harry, Zayn, Liam and Louis all have matching screws inked on their ankles, and have been urging Niall Horan to complete the set.
Harry recently wrote on his Twitter page: 'So Me and Liam joined the crew yesterday and got two screw tattoo’s on our ankles, now we all have it except Niall! Come on @NiallOfficial.'
