# Now that lower-back tattoos are commonly called "tramp stamps", why do young women still get them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770 "2010-02-12T20:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/61 "2010-02-14T08:05:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t the whole point supposed to be to reject popular culture and its views? Whatever gave you that idea? > [@Chimera](#): > > I can’t wait until the Carny Decade\* is over. Shouldn’t “decade” be plural? I think your wait will be long. ---
**Author:** ![alexandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@alexandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alexandra)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/62 "2010-02-14T12:19:39Z")
I agree that it’s an ideal location for convenience reasons. Also you would not get bored of it. I’d probably get a tat off-centre though, cos I imagine it would be really painful right in the small of your back. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/63 "2010-02-14T17:20:59Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > My friend has one that is a crossword puzzle. Make sure to do it in pencil. It’s only considerate for the next guy. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/64 "2010-02-14T17:38:50Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > I’ve also heard them called “targets” because you need someplace to… well, you know. That’s exactly what they are and what most younger men think of when they see those tattoos. I’ve even seen a girl with a bullseye tramp stamp. It’s either “gives me something to look at while I bang her from behind” or “Gives me a target upon which to drop my goo” Take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/65 "2010-02-14T17:39:45Z")
> [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](#): > > Honestly, if someone is getting a tattoo in that location, they are thinking about the bedroom, not the boardroom. Referring to women thinking of sex as “slutty” or “trampy” is so loaded with baggage that I don’t even want to open that can of worms. You kind of get at that in your own comments. “Slutty” is only negative if involves being sexual in a way that the person using the term “slut” disapproves of. > > But I think the number of women getting a tattoo on the lower back without thinking of it in sexual terms is vanishingly small. This would be true both before and after the emergence of witticisms to describe said tattoos. This really just is not true. I know tons of women (mostly over 25) with lower back tattoos (and usually plenty in other spots) and none of them got them in that location for their sexual partner’s benefit. It’s simply an attractive (symmetrical) spot on the body, something that can be public or private if you so choose (a small top or a bikini will allow you to show it if you like, and a good choice because it’s firm and won’t change with your weight. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/66 "2010-02-14T18:12:45Z")
Honest question - no snark: if you are getting a tattoo for yourself, why locate it somewhere you would almost never see it? The only one I have is on my left wrist - easy to cover when I want, easy to look at when I want. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/67 "2010-02-14T18:18:20Z")
I prefer women’s tast in ares that are not seen except at the beach or bedroom. The buttocks, breats, and shoulders are nice. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/68 "2010-02-14T18:33:08Z")
Quoth **Nziga, Seated** : > [@](#): > > I have a tattoo on my boob. I hear people saying things like, “you will regret that when you are 80 because it will look silly” and I’m like, no dummy, I won’t. When I am 80, I hopefully will be kicked back with a smile playing on my wrinkled lips every time I think about my youth and the way that I rode the wheels off this ride of life! Who the hell cares about a wrinkled tattoo at 80? I laugh at anyone that is dumb enough to tell an 80 year old woman that she looks ‘silly’ now because of anything at all. You know what would be really awesome? An 80-year-old woman _getting_ a tattoo on her breast. And I’m not even a big fan of tattoos. It’s one thing to say “I don’t regret my wild youth”; it’s another to say “And I’m going to keep on being wild in my old age, too”. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/69 "2010-02-14T19:07:11Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Honest question - no snark: if you are getting a tattoo for yourself, why locate it somewhere you would almost never see it? > > The only one I have is on my left wrist - easy to cover when I want, easy to look at when I want. The only area I can think of where you would be able to see your tattoo easily and as it’s meant to be seen (not upside-down and backwards) is the lower arms. Men seem to more often get tattooed on their more public body parts (arms in particular upper arms, back, chest, stomach, neck) and women more often in more private ones (back, groin, hips, chest). Not very much easy viewing. I don’t get it either. I know a lot of people with tats and it seems the most popular place for them is the back - which you can’t ever see except in the mirror or photos. If I ever got tattooed (not likely) I would do the tops of my feet so I could look down at them. I’m always barefoot when it’s not freezing. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/70 "2010-02-14T19:35:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t the whole point supposed to be to reject popular culture and its views? Aside from the fact that most of popular culture is built almost entirely out of the rejection of popular culture, of course. I reject your viewpoint, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/71 "2010-02-14T19:53:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Nziga, Seated** :You know what would be really awesome? An 80-year-old woman _getting_ a tattoo on her breast. And I’m not even a big fan of tattoos. It’s one thing to say “I don’t regret my wild youth”; it’s another to say “And I’m going to keep on being wild in my old age, too”. At a friend’s wedding shower, her 60-year-old aunt showed off the new tattoo that she’d just got - it was a rainbow-colored iguana that started on her belly, traveled down her side and hip, and wrapped its tail around her upper thigh. It was the coolest goddamn thing I’ve ever seen. She instantly became my new role model. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/72 "2010-02-14T20:06:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Nziga, Seated** :You know what would be really awesome? An 80-year-old woman _getting_ a tattoo on her breast. And I’m not even a big fan of tattoos. It’s one thing to say “I don’t regret my wild youth”; it’s another to say “And I’m going to keep on being wild in my old age, too”. I’ve seen a totally-not-safe-for-work photo of an 80+ year old woman. Completely tattooed body, multiple piercings. The thing was, she had nothing that couldn’t be covered with “old lady” clothing. She could be “Grandma” or “Wild Sex Freak” as needed. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/73 "2010-02-14T20:24:33Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > This really just is not true. I know tons of women (mostly over 25) with lower back tattoos (and usually plenty in other spots) and none of them got them in that location for their sexual partner’s benefit. I don’t mean for their sexual partner’s benefit. Where the heck did you get that? Presumably most women get them for their own sexuality. But I’m pretty sure they did it with full realization that their lower back is an erotic part of the body. If they’re over 25, they’ve been alive long enough to realize that. I mean what are they saying “OMG, I had no idea what that would look like right above my butt?!?” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/74 "2010-02-15T05:22:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Isn’t the whole point supposed to be to reject popular culture and its views? Aside from the fact that most of popular culture is built almost entirely out of the rejection of popular culture, of course. I reject the rejection of the rejection of popular culture by having no tattoos at all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/75 "2010-02-15T05:53:13Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > So, why get one of these if you actually are NOT a tramp/slut? Damfino. Tattoos of any sort look like a skin disease and for some reason, the ones that peek out from under the back of the shirt make me think the girl has leprosy or something. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/76 "2010-02-15T17:22:51Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Nziga, Seated** :You know what would be really awesome? An 80-year-old woman _getting_ a tattoo on her breast. And I’m not even a big fan of tattoos. It’s one thing to say “I don’t regret my wild youth”; it’s another to say “And I’m going to keep on being wild in my old age, too”. My dad has promised to get a tattoo (it’ll be his first) at 80. He is a wild man. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/77 "2010-02-15T17:24:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **Nziga, Seated** :You know what would be really awesome? An 80-year-old woman _getting_ a tattoo on her breast. And I’m not even a big fan of tattoos. It’s one thing to say “I don’t regret my wild youth”; it’s another to say “And I’m going to keep on being wild in my old age, too”. I hereby vow to tat my boob when I’m 80. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/78 "2010-02-15T17:37:40Z")
Forget the haters. I will \*never \*regret having the Code of Hammurabi tattooed on my perineum. ---
**Author:** ![czarcaztic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@czarcaztic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/czarcaztic)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/79 "2010-02-15T18:24:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I can’t wait until the Carny Decade\* is over. > > - Tattoos, shaved heads, piercings. When I was younger, this was the look of skeevy carny workers, not respectable people. This. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/80 "2010-02-15T19:19:24Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Damfino. Tattoos of any sort look like a skin disease and for some reason, the ones that peek out from under the back of the shirt make me think the girl has leprosy or something. They look like scribbling to me, like someone was let loose with a Sharpie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770.md?page=5)