‘Tramp stamps’ again

Ug. Reviving the ‘tramp stamp’ phrase again, the Daily Mail has published a ridiculous rant by Liz Jones about how women shouldn’t get tattoos.

She lays on the classist and sexist bullshit very thick. A taster:

They are a mark of temporary insanity, instantly turning the classiest, chicest woman into trailer trash. Not for nothing are they known as ‘tramp stamps’.

That’s one of my “tramp stamps” in the photo, by the way.

She makes some points about how tattoos are not really very rebellious, now that they’re so fashionable. Which is, obviously, correct. But not everyone gets inked to be rebellious – it can be about marking significant moments in your life, about owning your body – or, hey, liking the way they look.

So what if some of them are a bit silly?

This is just another instance of the media treating our bodies like public property. Who’s business is it of anyone but ourselves if we decide to tattoo ourselves? Women are not actually under an obligation to be ‘classy’ (ick!) or ‘chic’.