this post was submitted on 23 May 2026
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Don't know if this breaks the rules but in the ots why were tramp stamps so popular? Meaning the were used to signify a woman who gets around? Were other tattoos like this in history? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 months ago by Patnou@lemmy.world to c/askhistorians@lemmy.world
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[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 16 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I’m not a historian or anything, but I was around and it was my peers that were getting these tattoos.

Shirts that show your tummy/lower back were also popular then (still are? 🤷‍♂️), so getting a tattoo there was a spot you could show it off while also keeping it hidden when needed.

IMO it really had nothing to do with sexuality until the joke started going around about “giving you something to read while doing it doggystyle,” and some people getting sexually suggestive ones lead to the phrase Tramp Stamp.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I was also around then and they were definitely seen as sexual before they became a stereotype.

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I mean if tribal designs give you a boner, i guess.

But no doubt, the dick with butterfly wings is an official tramp stamp.