why do people call lower back tatoos 'tramp stamps'?

Question

i have a lower back tattoo i love it its dolphins so it symbolises freedom. i don't think it makes me a tramp. My lower back is hidden a lot of the time and my boyfriend is the only one who sees it. i don't use it to attract men it there as a symbol of freedom and i can't understand why all girls with them are tarred with the same brush. (i'm from yorkshire if you don't understand that terminology it means thought of as the same)

Answer 1

It's really only misogynistic men who say this, they hate women in general and especially women who own their own sexuality, so if they see a beautiful woman who is proud of herself then they have to find a way to degrade her. Pretty sad stuff. I've been wanting a lotus tattoo on my lower back for awhile now and I'm not going to change my mind because some people are ignorant and think that tattoos are trendy, they are a beautiful art form that has been around for thousands of years!

Answer 2

wow girl I am amazed.....

I supposed you are from America?

because I 'm coming from different background and it is the first time I hear this 'terminology' for lower back tattoos....
I also have a lower back tattoo and as you said it most of it is hidden and only me and my boyfriend can see it. It is angel...and I wanted an angel because it symbolizes something noble and pure and ironicaly it is the opposite of a tramp! and I did it at that part because I didn't want to be marked when I will be old, and end up an old lady with a big tattoo that anyone can see...

and despite I have a tattoo at a sexy spot I don't think I'm a tramp either. I think I'm quite ethical in my love life, if you consider that I'm 25 I've had only 3 boyfriends in my life, I do only serious relationshps and never one-night stands, and I've never cheated a boyfriend.

I don't think that this term applies to all people...
now about the term....I just know from social psychology that people like put labels, categorize people, do lots of stereotyping, because of their insecurity.... and creating all these they feel power to label others so they feel superior.

Answer 3

For a while, only the strippers and porn stars had them. Often if a girl had it done, it was assumed she would be trashy and that she would put out since the tattoo rides above the pant line in a very suggestive fashion.

I don't think it makes you a tramp and I don't immediately label any girl with one as a tramp. However, most girls with one have an unoriginal and boring image, so to me it shows a lack of creativity and if there is no personality to a tattoo, its not worth it. Its also my least favorite place to see tattoos.

Like I said, not everyone with one is a tramp, but if you get one, that's the group you are labeled with.

Answer 4

It's a generalization. You sound like a reasonable girl, its just that a lot of the sorority girl/ "Girl's Gone Wild" types seem to have a tattoo there.

Also, it may have been called a tramp stamp because if you're having sex from the back it's clearly on display.

It's just a silly social prejudice; I wouldnt worry about it.

Answer 5

I have never heard of this until I have read your question. I don't see how a tattoo marks anyone as a tramp, especially on where it is on your body... there are plenty of tramps out there that don't even have one tattoo..

If someone wants a tattoo then they are in their own right to get one, without being classed as anything bad. I know not everyone likes them... But that is down to them, and no opinion should be made about it. Everyone has there own taste.

Answer 6

I can not believe that so many people are saying they never heard of that saying before. Tramp stamp or stripper tattoos are lower back tattoos and they got there name because most strippers have them.

That said, I think they are really cute and I wouldn't let what people say influence you one way or the other, people who talk sh*t, are usually trying to make themselves feel better by making others feel bad.

Answer 7

I'm shock that many people here never heard the term "tramp stamp" I heard that term many many years ago. The reason they are called that people in general like to label people. Thousands of women have tattoos on their lower back and none of them are tramps. Some people just have to label people who are different and like to express themselves in a way that is not generally accepted by the public. This is why I like the Biker Community everyone is accepted doesn't matter if you are tattooed or pierced, skinny or fat, just have a good time.

Answer 8

I've never heard it called that before but I do remember the line in Wedding Crashers where Vince Vaughn's character says "tattoo on the lower back - might as well be a bullseye".

Might as well be bullshit I think!

I have a tattoo on my lower back and as you say, it remains hidden a lot of the time. I don't sleep around, I've never had a baby or even been pregnant, I've never done drugs and have never had an STD. And every man that I've dated has wanted to continue doing so.
Anyone who bases their opinion on someone based on their appearance is extremely sad - despite what the crack-brained research says.

Answer 9

Well now Minxy, I have never heard them being called tramp stamps, and I also think it very bloody rude of any one to use that, I have seen quite a few of these tattoo's and I think most of them are quite attractive, a tattoo is not going to turn a lady into a tramp, have a nice day.

Answer 10

'Tramp stamp' doesn't just apply to lower back tattoos, it's just a general term for a tattoo. I thought it was pretty funny even though I have a tramp stamp on my shoulder!. Your tattoo sounds nice to me, I'd ignore the silly remarks made by some answering your question.