When Bella Hadid unveiled her latest tattoo earlier this week, the internet immediately rushed to debate the meaning behind her new body art. But whatever its significance, the supermodel's delicate new ink proves that micro tattoos are here to stay.

Hadid opted for a minimalist, blink-and-you'll-miss-it rose design, placed just above her left elbow. It was drawn by celebrity tattoo artist JonBoy of Bang Bang Tattoos, who has also inked the likes of Hailey Baldwin and Kendall Jenner, and who posted a close-up of the black-and-white design on Instagram.

Micro tattoos first started to gain traction as a quirky trend about two years ago, but as JonBoy's Instagram account attests, the concept has reached mainstream levels. They are particularly popular with the fashion world -- Cara Delevingne has a tiny diamond inked on her ear, Rosie Huntington Whiteley has a heart on her inner wrist, and Victoria's Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo has a tiny dotted line along one finger. Hadid herself has a growing collection -- the new rose follows a pair of miniature angel wings that JonBoy inked onto her ankles earlier this year.

We've seen fine-lined tattoos appearing everywhere from the ears to the feet, but according to UK tattoo artist Kevin Paul, who counts Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles amongst his clients, the most popular place for micro tattoos is the fingers and hands. This could be down to the high number of stars such as Kendall Jenner and Hailey Baldwin, whose hands are adorned with multiple subtle designs.

However, as Kevin points out, tattoos on this area of the body can fade fast. "Most people are having them on the fingers or hands, which I have found to be two of the worst places to hold the ink," he told Relaxnews.

So why are tiny tattoos so fashionable? Well, there is one obvious reason.

"Discreet miniature tattoos are easier to hide in the corporate setting," says Wicky Nicky, an artist at the famous NYC parlor West 4 Tattoo, another favorite with celebrities.

And what holds true in the business world also applies to the fashion industry -- it makes sense that models whose careers depend on their image are opting for subtle tattoos that can be easily covered up if necessary.

Tiny tats also tie in with the millennial trend for minimalism, so it's not surprising that Generation Y poster girls such as Jenner and Hadid are leading the trend. Either way, it looks like delicate inkings will be around for a while yet.