For every Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez sighting since they have gotten back together, one thing noticeable apart from the fact that their chemistry still sizzles is that the actor has never worn anything that would reveal his back. Even aboard on a yacht, with Lopez almost wearing next to nothing, he was still sporting a shirt.

According to a new report, it could very well be because Affleck is insecure about the back tattoo that Lopez clearly hated in the past. After claiming the "ugly tattoo" is part of his identity back in 2019, one can just wonder whether Lopez abhors this part of Affleck's identity and still could not bear to look at the tattoo.

What is the controversial tattoo anyway? Aren't all tattoos supposed to be just respected - "ugly" or pretty?

Ben Affleck's big, colorful back tattoo is what. It covers his whole back and offers an array of colors.

One can recall how when the actor was first spotted with the ink - a HUGE phoenix rising from the ashes back in December 2015, shortly after his then breakup with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, it horrified many, including his then ex Jennifer Lopez and even Garner. Lopez did not even mince her words, saying her thoughts directly on "Watch What Happens Live" at the time. 

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"It's awful! What are you doing?" Lopez said on the said show. "It has too many colors! His tattoos always have too many colors. They shouldn't be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be, like, cooler."

It's not clear whether it was because of what Jennifer Lopez said, but Ben Affleck certainly acted like a shamed person that time. 

He felt compelled to say that the tattoo was "fake for a movie," not just once but several times. In an interview with  Extra host Mario Lopez in March 2016," he explained "I actually do have a number of tattoos but I try to have them in places where you don't have to do a lot of cover up they get sort of addictive, tattoos, after a while."

Or it could also be because Garner was not pleased with it too, even though she said it less hurtfully compared to Lopez.

"You know what we would say in my hometown about that? 'Bless his heart,'" Garner told Vanity Fair in an interview published way back in February 2016. 

However, in 2019, when a new age has seemed to dawn everywhere and people are more accepting of people and what they like, Ben Affleck came clean about his tattoo. 

He admitted that it is real to none other than Ellen DeGeneres.

He said it in a way that leaves no room for people's judgement, too.

He told the comedian that the tattoo "represents something important to me."

"It's meaningful to me, I like it," he explained. "I love my tattoo. I'm very happy with it. Luckily, I'm the one who has it."

It remains to be seen though whether he'll have the courage to show it off while on a date with Jennifer Lopez. Lopez could have grown to love it too, for all we know. But Affleck is yet to don something that would show it off, or be shirtless, for the matter. 

It's actually weird that when they recently soaked up the sunshine aboard a luxury yacht, he was wearing a polo.

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Tags: Ben Affleck Jennifer Lopez