Tramp Stamp Tattoos [PORTABLE]
We use the term tramp stamp to humorously label a lower back tattoo, but this phrase is also a way to drag down the reputation of women who receive it; illustrating even though tattoos have become more socially accepted, they still hold some negative stereotypes.
Tramp Stamp Tattoos
Research indicates the phrase was hatched between the mid-nineties and early 2000s, quickly gaining an erotic undertone. Arguably, the tramp stamp was born in California. According to records taken from multiple tattoo studios in California, a large number of women requested lower back pieces in the late '90s echoing judgments from society about feminine sexuality.
Why do women choose lower back tattoos? Because it's one of the few areas that doesn't change much over time, with weight fluctuation or age. Another motive for a lower back tattoo is it's easy to conceal compared to an arm, chest, or wrist tattoo. Lastly, the pain level is low compared to other places on the body.
A recent study showed men found women with tattoos more approachable. But of course, the same men said these women gave them the perception that they had a better chance of sleeping with them. In time it's unlikely that tramp stamp term will go extinct, but there's a good chance that the women wearing them can feel less shamed by society with tattoos growing in popularity. Most won't make fun of a "tramp stamp" if their wives, sisters, Mothers, or Grandmothers have them.
It will be interesting to see how Gen X and Elder Millennials react to this trend. If there will suddenly be a bunch of middle-aged people flaunting their tramp stamps all over the sand from people who have been hiding them for years.
Of course, as much as tattoos may be seen as a modern phenomenon, the truth is that the impulse to decorate our bodies with ink has been ubiquitous throughout human history. In fact, the curious thing about this new discovery is not necessarily that the Ancient Egyptians had these tattoos, Austin told IFLScience, but the fact that we haven't seen much evidence for them before.
Teigen bares her booty in a few snapshots documenting the tattoo process, ultimately showcasing the finished product next to her newfound friend. The tramp stamp reads, "It's a prank, bruh" in dark black ink.
We've discussed lower-back tattoos (aka "tramp stamps") before: some of you have one and wear it proudly, some of you have one and regret getting it, and some of you have always found the idea trailer-trashy. Whatever your tramp-stamp stance, take a peek at this photo from New York magazine, which spotlights Kate Moss's lower-back tat.
You can find Kate's whole New York photoshoot here; in it, she has gorgeous platinum, wavy hair and black liquid liner, a la Marilyn Monroe--and she shows off a few more tiny tats on her various body parts (hip, wrist). Then check out our list of the best and worst celebrity tattoos or play a round of guess the celebrity tattoo.
While we were eagerly polishing off our fried fish and fish curry while waiting for the anchovies to be re-fried crisp (big mistake, as it took the taste away considerably), I noticed a rather sombre looking chap picking up a take away from the line of fish stalls, which cook your own fish for you on order. I was amazed to see the orange sign for tattoo behind that fellow's head. Somehow, I never associated India with tramp stamps. (tattoos), though thousands of Indians do wear a tramp stamp, I've never seen this advertised so openly anywhere in India. Though temporary tattoos with 'henna' (a ground leaf past that stains your hands red) has always been part of Indian culture, proper tramp stamps (tattoos) have recently been catching up in India as well with many places offering them now. Don't ask me where- I hate tattoos and will have nothing to do with them. My calling the tatoo a tramp stamp should say should say enough about my dislike for them! (Cochin/ Kochi, Kerala, India, Apr. 2016)
Lower back tattoos, or 'tramp stamps,' were worn by Egyptian ladies for more than 3,000 years before they became trendy in the late 1990s. Researchers think the ancient women carved their lower backs as well as other body parts to protect themselves throughout childbirth.
Numerous figurines were discovered beside the corpses, which also exhibit identical marks in the same areas - upon that lower back as well as upper thigh - but also scientists claim this gives even more proof that perhaps the markings were used for preservation. Anne Austin, one of the academics engaged, told DailyMail that while they are unsure why the black-inked tattoos were created, other societies have employed soot or charcoal.
Those who lived in the old settlement were considered commoners, and some of the mummies discovered bore tattoos. The most recent study was carried out by two academics, one from the University of Missouri at St. Louis and the other from Johns Hopkins University, who examined two mummies. In 2019, the team published its findings, in the scientific journal, Sage. The more tattoos they discover, the more they worry when they've been overlooking them in other ancient Egyptian human bodies, as remarked by Austin.
The researchers identified the tattoos using infrared photography, which employed infrared light to reveal false colors thus allowing the scientists to investigate the mummies without destroying them. They took photographs of the tattooed epidermis with a scanner, allowing them to rebuild the ancient patterns.
I was only able to enjoy my LBT for a few years before it became a complete and total joke. "Tattoo on the lower back?" asks Vince Vaughn's character in 2005's Wedding Crashers. "Might as well be a bullseye." Branded a whore. Must want sex. There's no equivalent phrase for men, no flip expression for the thing Nick Lachey has encircling his bicep even though it's equally emblematic of the early 2000s. It's so hard to come up with a name for bad man tattoos because it's so hard to demean men sexually and boy, do they get upset when you call them date rapists. Herpes early warning signal? Creep signature? American slang has failed me.
Somehow, the joke of the tramp stamp has managed to endure. It's got legs. Aside from Wedding Crashers, it's cropped up belatedly on SNL and How I Met Your Mother. Nicole Richie, basically my tramp stamp style icon, struggled with it on an episode of her show Candidly Nicole in 2013. "It just means a certain thing," she said about the cross descending into her butt crack, "and I just don't want to be a part of that group."
Historically, women's tattoos have been much more controversial than men's. According to Margot Mifflin, the author of Bodies of Subversion: A Secret History of Women and the Tattoo, tattoos conflict with the belief that "women should be pure, that their bodies should be concealed and controlled, and that ladies should not express their own desires, which is implicit in the very act of permanently marking the skin with imagery that reflects individual tastes."
Maybe that's why it's so popular for women to get tattoos in places that can easily be covered by clothes. As little foresight as I put into the design, I did make a strategic decision about its placement. This dragonfly wouldn't hurt my aspirations of climbing the corporate ladder. It wouldn't become a shapeless blob if I got pregnant, or gained weight.
Still, tattoos on women are much more accepted today than they were even 15 years ago. In a sociology journal, it was estimated that in the 1990s, only seven percent of women were tattooed, compared to 10 to 20 percent of men. The year 2012 was the first that more women than men got tattoos. 041b061a72