Lower Back Tattoo
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Tattoos on the
lower back Lower may refer to: * ''Lower'' (album), 2025 album by Benjamin Booker *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is sit ...
became popular in the first decade of the 21st century, and gained a reputation for their
erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...
appeal. The tattoos were sometimes accentuated by
low-rise jeans Low-rise is a style of clothing designed to sit low on, or below, the hips. The style has also been called lowcut, hipster, bumster, or Hip-huggers, hip-hugger, and can apply to garments worn by all genders. The term can be applied to all garment ...
or crop tops. Their popularity was in part due to the influence of female celebrities. A 2011 study of media stereotypes criticized media portrayals of lower-back tattoos, arguing that they were unfairly cast as a symbol of
promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...
.


History

Although historically in the
western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...
men are more often tattooed than women, in the early 1990s the practice gained popularity among women. Prior to the late 20th century, women with tattoos were heavily stigmatized, and were rarely found in middle-class society. Lower-back tattoos were popularized in the early 2000s, in part owing to the influence of female celebrities, including
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
,
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
,
Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. Ricci works mostly in Independent film, independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box-office hits. She is ...
and
Pamela Anderson Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress, model and media personality. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month. She went on to make regular appearan ...
. The popularity of
low-rise jeans Low-rise is a style of clothing designed to sit low on, or below, the hips. The style has also been called lowcut, hipster, bumster, or Hip-huggers, hip-hugger, and can apply to garments worn by all genders. The term can be applied to all garment ...
and crop tops may have also spurred the increase in lower-back tattoos. Another appeal of tattooing the lower back is that there is little fat there, lessening the chance that images will become misshapen over time. Also, the lower back is often concealed, providing women the choice of when to reveal their tattoo. Although some males have lower-back tattoos, including some celebrities, they are generally not acquired by men.


Perception

Women's lower backs are often viewed by people as an erotic body part, leading to the association of lower-back tattoos with
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
. Lower-back tattoos are also perceived as an indication of
promiscuity Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...
by some, possibly owing to media portrayals of women with tattoos. A 2011 study of media stereotypes criticized media portrayals of lower-back tattoos, arguing that they are unfairly cast as a symbol of promiscuity. The show ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' seems to at least have partially played a role in bringing prejudice and shaming to the placement of the tattoo. For instance, the term "
tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...
stamp" started gaining widespread popularity after being used in one of their May 2004 skits. In another instance, the show also satirized the practice, describing a "rub-on" tattoo remover marketed at middle-age women who received lower-back tattoos while young. ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' once edited out
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's tattoo out of the magazine for her issue. ''SI'' stated Patrick was aware of the edit and responded "The Swimsuit Issue emphasizes natural beauty". Actress
Jessica Alba Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her acting career at age 13 in ''Camp Nowhere'', followed up by ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (both 1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 as ...
regretted her lower back bow tattoo and had it removed.


Medical aspects

Medical practitioners who administer anesthesia have questioned whether epidural analgesia should be provided to people with lower-back tattoos. Concerns have emerged that epidural catheters may cause tattoo pigment to enter
interspinous ligament The interspinous ligaments (interspinal ligaments) are thin, membranous ligaments that connect adjoining spinous processes of the vertebra in the spine. They take the form of relatively weak sheets of fibrous tissue and are well developed only in ...
s and other areas, potentially leading to health problems. There is consensus that epidural catheters should not be placed through irritated or infected tattoos. However, harm has not been clearly documented when placing epidural catheters through healthy tattooed skin; a review in the '' American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Journal'' concluded that "epidural catheter placement through lumbar tattoos is a practitioner's decision based on clinical judgment". In '' Current Opinion in Anesthesiology'', Frédéric J. Mercier and Marie-Pierre Bonnet state that the evidence for complications when placing epidural catheters is unconvincing, but advocate avoiding the practice owing to the lack of long-term evidence.


See also

*


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lower-Back Tattoo Tattooing by body part Back anatomy Female beauty