# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/81 "2010-02-15T19:23:30Z")
Personally, I miss the days when to get a tattoo, one had to walk ten miles through the snow, uphill, both ways, skillfully evading the occasional sabretooth. Also, get off my lawn. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/82 "2010-02-15T19:24:19Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > They look like scribbling to me, like someone was let loose with a Sharpie. Every time I see someone with poorly done or monochromatic “sleeves”, I want to tell them to go wash up. Then I catch myself and go "oh, it’s a sleeve. :rolleyes: " ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/84 "2011-02-02T05:38:12Z")
I dont care about the location, but I hate those big, blobby, black tattooes that look like permanent bruises. A nice elegant tatoo … or a witty one, like the crossword puzzle, fine. Though the one that consisted of two discreetly sized words on top of either buttock WAS a real tramp stamp. One word was “Your” the other was “Name”. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/85 "2011-02-02T06:28:25Z")
> [@Gruntled](#): > > Now that lower-back tattoos are commonly called “tramp stamps”, why do young women still get them? Because they’re tramps. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > Now that sports cars are commonly called “overcompensating (for a small penis)”, why do men still get them? Because they’re overcompensating for a small penis. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/86 "2011-02-02T06:44:07Z")
Is it at all possible that they don’t care if you think tramp stamps are slutty? I dunno about anyone else but I don’t tend to make decisions about my life based on what would Gruntled think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/87 "2011-02-02T13:55:49Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > That may well be, but I think the one I saw on a young lady on the escalator the other day indicated otherwise. It said, “Thank You For Coming”. Was it on her upper lip? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/88 "2011-02-02T14:47:31Z")
My wife was talking about getting a lower back tattoo until she heard the name “tramp stamp.” So a little social pressure via slang does work, just not so much on youngsters. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/89 "2011-02-02T15:04:06Z")
I know I’ve shared this before but I’m old and I like to repeat myself. . . I’ve had my “tramp stamp” for about 19 years. Not sure how popular they were around the US at the time but I sure as hell had never seen one here in Florida when I got mine - it was totally the artist’s idea and it seemed interesting. Flash forward to 2005 or whenever it was when “The Wedding Crashers” came out and I find out that not only are lower back tattoos ubiquitous but they’re referred to as “tramp stamps” (what do you mean how could I have not noticed before that? I told you, _I’m old_). I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bummed at first, unwittingly having become a laughing stock of sorts. But I got over pretty quick and if I had it to do over again, I would. It looks good to me (on the very rare occasions I even remember I have it). ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/90 "2011-02-02T15:38:31Z")
A womans looks can be what she was born with or what she chooses to work on about herself. A woman’s style is who she is. I was always under the impression that some women really like to be known more for who they are mentally than who they are genetically. Its like that person might be saying, “I’m not a cookie-cut fill-in-the-blank. I’m ME…and here’s something that represents an important part of who I am. If this interests you, Ask.” I’ve probably just insulted all women by painting everyone with a paintbrush wide enough to paint a football stadium with one swipe. Please understand that its just my opinion & proof that I know absolutely nothing about women. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/91 "2011-02-02T16:10:24Z")
“Tramp stamps? I thought they were sign-in sheets!” ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/92 "2011-02-02T17:41:20Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > It’s easy to hide if you want to, and that particular spot isn’t prone to stretch marks. The end. Technically, it’s a bit \*above \*the end. Right where the end meets the small of the back. > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Forget the haters. I will \*never \*regret having the Code of Hammurabi tattooed on my perineum. Tooth for a tooth, eye for an eye? ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/93 "2011-02-02T18:00:32Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Unlike anyone else in this thread, I know what an 80 year old woman with a tattoo looks like. My dad, at one point, was a rep for AGVA, the Associated Guild of Varity Artists (basically, acts that had appeared on Ed Sullivan or aspired to do so). There was some overlap with carnival people. So I had met a former “Tattooed Lady”. > > This was someone who actually had a good reason to get tattooed - to earn a living. And she regretted them. And they were as ugly as sin - faded to a smeary blue bruise. These days there is a lot more stress on tattoo aftercare than there was 60 years ago. When you get a tattoo nowadays, you’re instructed to always wear sunblock or keep it out of the sun, and to get it retouched every ten years or so to keep the tattoo’s edges sharply defined and avoid the smeary bruise effect. I doubt that someone who got her tattoos in the '50s wore sunblock regularly and got periodic touch-ups. Maybe at 80, no amount of touch-ups can restore the tattoo completely, but I still think people who properly care for their tattoos will have better results when they’re old. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/94 "2011-02-02T18:00:35Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > My sister got her tramp stamp to cover scars from her spinal surgery. Not a tramp stamp, but someone I know got a zip tattooed on his surgery scar 😃 I think I might get meself a tramp stamp, maybe around age 50, don’t want to wait 'til I’m 80, that’s when I plan to start on the heroin. Besides, that’s a great age to embarrass my future kids. ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/95 "2011-02-02T18:02:57Z")
> [@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”. Or you could get those tattoos when you’re 101: [http://www.popfi.com/2010/08/23/101-year-old-woman-gets-her-third-tattoo/](http://www.popfi.com/2010/08/23/101-year-old-woman-gets-her-third-tattoo/) ---
**Author:** ![Ladymarmalade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@Ladymarmalade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ladymarmalade)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/96 "2011-02-02T18:05:22Z")
I can’t know everyone’s reasons, but I have one in a private place and being “slutty,” aka naughty or whatever, was exactly the point. Because it’s fun to be bad. Especially when you also have the option of hiding it whenever you want to. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 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/528770/97 "2011-02-02T18:12:02Z")
When my friend and I got our first tattoos on her 18th birthday (I had already turned 18) in 1997, I got mine on the inside of my lower calf and she got what would now be considered a “tramp stamp.” We both chose our locations simply based on a) privacy and b) location that wasn’t going to stretch/shrink with weight. Mine’s more public than hers. She’s a waitress and didn’t want anything visible but did indeed want it visible in a bikini and in the bedroom. I wanted to be able to see mine to admire it. I never thought of it as slutty - it was just a personal preference. Her experience is pretty much like **WOOKINPANUB** ’s. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/98 "2011-02-02T18:15:43Z")
The fact that some people consider them “trampy” just means that if you get one you are showing you don’t care about that. In other words, it is an expression of independence and confidence, which is attractive. I would think the better reason to maybe avoid them is if they are seen as “generic”, rather than “trampy.” So “stamp”, rather than “tramp”, is the important word in the expression. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/99 "2011-02-02T18:29:39Z")
> [@Carmady](#): > > The fact that some people consider them “trampy” just means that if you get one you are showing you don’t care about that. In other words, it is an expression of independence and confidence, which is attractive. > > I would think the better reason to maybe avoid them is if they are seen as “generic”, rather than “trampy.” So “stamp”, rather than “tramp”, is the important word in the expression. Wait, if other people think it’s trampy, getting one anyway means you don’t care about that which is a show of independence and confidence. If other people think it’s stampy, then that becomes a problem? Shouldn’t it follow that getting one anyway means you don’t care? If you’re motivated to get one because other people dislike it, you’re influenced by the views of others and how you want to be seen by them just as much as if you’re motivated to get one because other people like it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/100 "2011-02-02T20:42:30Z")
Regardless of what you call them or think of them today, in 25 years the kids will be calling them old lady tattoos. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/101 "2011-02-02T21:26:04Z")
> [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](#): > > Regardless of what you call them or think of them today, in 25 years the kids will be calling them old lady tattoos. Seriously. tramp stamps are old hat. All the cool kids these days are getting eyeball tats. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/30s6d67xCFA/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHkA4ACxAKKAgwIABABGGUgTyhJMA8=&rs=AOn4CLA1uSQQ1FugZJ6y5GhDoXEa9GUblQ "TATTOOED EYES") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30s6d67xCFA) [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=4) [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=6)