# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/102 "2011-02-02T23:08:13Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Honest question - no snark: if you are getting a tattoo for yourself, why locate it somewhere you would almost never see it? I have the same question. I’m 52 years old and just got my [first tattoo](http://robson.org/pics/tattoo.jpg) last month. It’s my Scottish clan crest, and I put it on my forearm so I could look at it when I want to. My wife got her tattoo on her 50th birthday, and it’s a butterfly on her calf. Again, she can see it when she wants to. We both like our tats, and we want to enjoy them. I know quite a few people with tattoos on the backs of their necks, their shoulders, their lower backs, and so forth. That just never made sense to me. > [@Tahssa](#): > > Seriously. tramp stamps are old hat. All the cool kids these days are getting eyeball tats. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30s6d67xCFA](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30s6d67xCFA) There is no way in _hell_ I’m going to watch that video. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2011, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/103 "2011-02-03T07:23:40Z")
> [@MichaelEmouse](#): > > 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. Yeah, I thought this was odd, too. I have found that the people who act as though they’re independent/above it all do have a lot of opinions when it comes to something being seen as “generic,” though… ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/104 "2011-02-04T09:35:12Z")
Re. hidden locations: If I ever get a tat (probably won’t) it will be on my back. The design I want is as politically provoking as it gets, so not something I want to be sharing with the immense majority of the world. It’s the only place that’s: satisfyingly-large enough, not guaranteed to wrinkle into shitdom by the time I’m in my mid-60s and easy to conceal/protect from the sun. And all it takes to see it is a mirror: the design is simetrical, so looking at it that way doesn’t distort the image. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 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/528770/105 "2011-02-04T17:22:08Z")
Please tell us what it is! ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 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/528770/106 "2011-02-04T17:39:15Z")
The thread took a vacation and came back and still I don’t believe anyone’s answered this, > [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Honest question - no snark: if you are getting a tattoo for yourself, why locate it somewhere you would almost never see it? If you are going to be wearing makeup, why locate it somewhere you would almost never see it? About the same thing. Tattoos aren’t _for_ the tattooed person to look at. People get ink, or put on makeup, to change their physical appearance for others, and often their _self-image_ for themselves. And self-image is in the mind, not what you see looking down at yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/107 "2011-02-04T18:17:45Z")
I’ve got a tramp stamp. I designed and drew it myself, and I kept the art in a box for two years to make sure I was happy with it. I was still a virgin, had no clue about sex, and got it on my lower back for five reasons. 1. Few stretch marks or wrinkles as I aged. 2. Somewhere easily covered by work clothes in a hot climate (rules out shoulders/arms and legs/ankles) 3. Everyone I talked to said that the easiest way to get sick of your ink was to put it somewhere that you saw it all the time. 4. I was a prude and didn’t want the tattoo dude to see my cleavage or boobs. 5. Everyone told me that the stomach, sides, and feet hurt like bloody hell, and I’m a big wimp. That pretty much eliminated most of my body, and I wanted to reserve my middle back for a larger design which I’m still working on. I don’t much care if people see it and think I’m trampy. If they are seeing it, I’m either at a club or the beach, and it therefore doesn’t matter what they think. What does matter is that where I work, no one knows about it, and that’s where my presentation and image, and other’s opinions of me \*\*are \*\*important. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/108 "2011-02-04T19:31:00Z")
[quote=“Gary “Wombat” Robson, post:102, topic:528770”] I have the same question. I’m 52 years old and just got my [first tattoo](http://robson.org/pics/tattoo.jpg) last month. It’s my Scottish clan crest, and I put it on my forearm so I could look at it when I want to. My wife got her tattoo on her 50th birthday, and it’s a butterfly on her calf. Again, she can see it when she wants to. We both like our tats, and we want to enjoy them. [/QUOTE] Off topic, but howdy! We’re Gunns on my mom’s mom’s side. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/109 "2011-02-04T19:55:47Z")
> [@Pullet](#): > > I admit, I haven’t seen it. And she refuses to tell me which words are in the puzzle. Tease. 6 Down - 7 letters, second to the last is an e - Rhymes with Orange I suspect the lower back area is popular because it doesn’t sag or change shape over time (like bellies, flabby arms, etc.), and it’s visibility can be easily controlled. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/110 "2011-02-05T07:05:30Z")
> [@Ladymarmalade](#): > > 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. It was certainly my observation when I was younger (before my wife and I got together) that women with tattoos were likely to be… “more interesting”, if I might employ a polite euphemism. As to the general connotation of “Tramp Stamp= Slut” I have to wonder if a combination of porn movies and confirmation bias have a lot to answer for in that respect? Obviously not every woman with such a tattoo is a “slut”, but properly done tattoos can be very attractive to many men; I was having a look through a Kustom Kulture magazine the other week and… well, the air-conditioning didn’t seem to be working nearly as well as it had been only moments before. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/111 "2011-02-05T07:40:23Z")
A woman that stayed here a couple years ago had one. If you were walking behind her, it said “LIVE” If she was bent over facing you, it said “DIE.” :eek: Yeah. She was a scary bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/112 "2011-02-05T14:10:20Z")
This thread is worthless without pics. (Yes, you all on one have of the debate, keep it up with your derisive condemnation…go ahead…I’m listening.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/113 "2011-02-06T03:52:45Z")
If the stamp fits… ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/114 "2011-02-06T03:59:32Z")
Tramp it? ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/115 "2011-02-06T04:05:11Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The design I want is as politically provoking as it gets, so not something I want to be sharing with the immense majority of the world. It’s the only place that’s: satisfyingly-large enough, not guaranteed to wrinkle into shitdom by the time I’m in my mid-60s and easy to conceal/protect from the sun. And all it takes to see it is a mirror: the design is simetrical, so looking at it that way doesn’t distort the image. A Buddhist swastika? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flipshod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f19dbf/32.png) [@Flipshod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flipshod)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/116 "2011-02-08T05:58:24Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Off topic, but howdy! We’re Gunns on my mom’s mom’s side. I have Gunns in the family too, and since that’s my middle name, that very crest is on the hat I’m wearing right at this second. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-that-lower-back-tattoos-are-commonly-called-tramp-stamps-why-do-young-women-still-get-them/528770/117 "2011-02-08T21:55:58Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Off topic, but howdy! We’re Gunns on my mom’s mom’s side. Howdy, cousin! > [@Flipshod](#): > > I have Gunns in the family too, and since that’s my middle name, that very crest is on the hat I’m wearing right at this second. Awesome! What kind of hat? [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=5)