In contemporary tattooing, the slave butterfly tattoo has been reclaimed or reimagined as a symbol. It often depicts a butterfly with broken wings, chains, cage elements, or a subdued color palette (grays and blacks) rather than vibrant hues.
. In the context of "the life" (trafficking), brands are often forced upon victims as marks of ownership. Choosing to get a "slave butterfly" tattoo—or tattooing over an existing brand with this imagery—is a way of saying, slave butterfly tattoo