Vanessa Hudgens gets name tattoo

Vanessa Hudgens got a butterfly tattoo because she was named after the beautiful insect.

The 'High School Musical' star recently had an image of the creature etched onto her neck and says it's something she has always wanted to have done because of the significance of the animal to her life.

She said: "It was very last minute, but I've actually wanted it for years. A butterfly landed on my mom's stomach a week before I was born and that's how I got my name, because Vanessa means butterfly - it's a Latin derivative."

While the tattoo may look very pretty, the 22-year-old actress says she feels quite rebellious getting it done.

During an appearance on 'The Late Show with David Letterman', she said: "It's my very first tattoo, and I kind of feel like a bada*s now!"

As well as getting a piece of body art, Vanessa is moving on from her 'High School Musical' days and wants to be taken more seriously as an actress.

Speaking about the Disney franchise - which she starred in alongside ex-boyfriend Zac Efron - the 'Beastly' star said: "It was so much fun. It's kind of a thing of the past now though."