A tattoo of a teardrop, under the eye of a person that has been raped in
prison.
The teardrop tattoo is humiliating as the prisoner had the tattoo forced onto them and it may also indicate they're someone else's property, to be sold and traded throughout the penitentiary.
An urban myth exists in some circles that the teardrop means the wearer is a murderer; this myth was likely started by those that have been raped and 'teardropped' in
prison. Some will even foolishly get these thinking it will earn them
respect because they've seen tough looking lifers and
ex-cons wearing them, not realising these guys were once weak/jumped and raped when they first entered
prison long ago.
When you think about it... Can you imagine a murderer who wants others to fear them, asking a tattooist, 'Please place a tiny tattoo on my
face that makes me look like I'm crying."
Hahahaha it just doesn't happen. Except for a few circumstances, crying is frowned upon in the penitentiary; it's a sign of weakness. A murderer and a rape victim are polar opposites of the prisoner spectrum and realistically, would you cry after murdering someone or after being raped?
More recently, trendy rappers, hipsters, etc. who want
people to feel
sorry for them, get the tattoo thinking they'll
fool others into believing they're grieving and perhaps some of them are, not realising that in
prison terms it means they are in fact grieving their anal virginity and 'street' innocence.