by Dorothy Snarker

The tattooed lady has been turning heads since long before Groucho Marx made Lydia the most famous one around. Before the lower back tattoo became the calling card of a generation of wannabe wild children, lesbians were rocking the ink with defiant flare. The tattoo even made No. 3 on the definitive list of Top 11 Lesbian Fashion Accessories (beaten only by the white ribbed tank top and the tie). But before we start a discourse on the geopolitical and sociological significance of tattoos on women, let's be honest with ourselves: They just look hot. Really, really hot. And on these ladies, they look even hotter.

With that, I give you my completely unscientific, but totally smoking, list of the Top 10 Tattooed Ladies.

10. Helen Mirren: The queen's got ink. The tattoo -- a small, interlaced symbol on her left hand -- is a remnant from her bad girl 20s when she "got very drunk on brandy and woke up with it the next day." I couldn't love her more.

9. Drew Barrymore: Doesn't part of you miss the old Drew? Sure, she is America's sweetheart now, but sometimes I long for the girl who would flash her tats — not to mention David Letterman — with pride.

8. Lena Headey: After Imagine Me & You made her every lesbian's favorite florist, fans were left wondering whether those tattoos were real. Turns out, yes. Yay for flower girls.

7. Eve: Placement is everything.

6. Amy Winehouse: Girl's got soul. And girl's also got naked girls tattooed onto her body. Works for me.

(Click "read more" to read the top 5.)

5. Ani DiFranco: The do-it-yourself music goddess has an assortment of body art, including a design that runs the length of her collar bone and several on her hard-strumming fingers. Now that's righteous, babe.

4. Pink: While I worry that she might start to give Travis Barker a run for his body art, the tatted singer rocks her ink, and her abs, like nobody's business. Plus, her latest piece is a tribute to her late pooch, Elvis. Say it with me: awwww.

3. Jenny Shimizu: Back when Calvin Klein picked a mass of androgynous models to market CK One, one stood out. It was the striking girl with the more striking tattoo of another girl riding a wrench that said "Strap On." Subtlety is overrated anyway.

2. Leisha Hailey: Alice is adorable. Leisha is adorable. And, for sure, that multi-colored star arm band tattoo is adorable. Did I mention that she is adorable?

1. Angelina Jolie: Yes, this is a no brainer. No, I'm not phoning it in. The tattooed blood-vial-wearing-wild-child turned tattooed goodwill-ambassador-and-international-child-adopter has done more to make body art sexy than mayo has done to make sandwiches tasty. She has, at current count, at least a dozen designs. And, just to keep things interesting, her ink is ever evolving.

Remember when she had that dragon and then (shudder) "Billy Bob" on her arm? Now that arm bears the coordinates of her son Maddox and daughter Zahara's birthplaces. We can only assume that Shiloh and Pax's coordinates are coming. Good thing she has long arms. And lots and lots of skin. And what lovely skin it is.