There are many things from the ‘90s and early aughts that I don’t miss: low rise jeans and thin brows to name a few. But there are others I scoffed at at the time, that now require a little more consideration. (The whole Janet Jackson/Super Bowl half time show fiasco, anyone?) One turn-of-the-millennium trend that’s getting cultural reconsideration: lower back tattoos—also known as tramp stamps—which are becoming popular among Gen-Z according to TikTok and Instagram. After falling into an internet rabbit hole, I was, at first, flabbergasted. But now I’m starting to understand why the younger generation thinks we’re being too uptight about the comeback.
TikTok is Begging Millennials to Reconsider *this* Tattoo Trend
Did not see this one coming
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Published Jun 17, 2025
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When I was growing up in the Bronx in the early aughts, getting any tattoo was seen as bold. (My aunt was nearly 40 and still hiding her ankle tattoo from my grandparents in fear of what they might think.) But a lower back tattoo was the ultimate in “trashy,” with celebs like Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Nicole Richie always getting made fun of for the way they inked their bodies (yeah the ‘00s were a wild time). A 2004 Saturday Night Live skit only fueled the fire that tramp stamps were a terrible and regrettable idea, and Richie was so shamed by all of it that she publicly went through the process of removing her tattoo, sharing, “It just means a certain thing and I just don’t want to be a part of that group.”
Flash forward twenty years, and Gen Z has a very different take, considering tattoos in general to be no big deal and lower back tats, in particular, as an homage to the baddies that came before them. 25 year-old TikTok creator Callie Wilson recently went viral for getting one (a small butterfly with flames just above her butt, in case you were wondering) and brought her followers along to the appointment. And scores of other Gen Z’ers are following suit, though, for the most part, leaving the butterflies in the past.
According to Juan Pablo Mejias, a professional tattoo artist and brand ambassador for Hustle Butter, the young generation is “asking for that ’90s vibe, but with a modern edge. It’s super stylized now—cleaner, more intentional.” He adds that they’re looking to “avoid those old mashups of the ‘90s and early 2000s, where it was tribal mixed with flowers or random elements. Now they want lighter, more refined pieces sometimes with a chrome-like 3D finish.”
The shift is also happening amongst the celebrity set, with Brat star Charlie XCX singing, “Is it showing off my brand new lower back tattoo?” in a new song and pop icon Chappell Roan surprising fans with her ‘Princess’ ink. Then of course, there’s Miley Cyrus, who walked the 82nd Golden Globes in a low backless dress that put her lower back tattoo on full display.
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As I spent more time hearing these women praise their lower back tattoos, I realized it’s absurd to decide that one area of your body is “trashier” than another to ink up. After all, I remember getting my first tattoo (a small moon design on my wrist) at the age of 29 and feeling confident. Why can’t we extend that courtesy to everybody with a tat? “I get why lower back tattoos had that reputation in the past, but that was a different time. Tattoos were seen in a whole other light back then,” says Mejias. Now, “people are starting to see and understand tattooing as something normal—as a true art form.”
Of course the stigma isn’t going to go away overnight; In the same TikTok video above, many comments suggest that lower back tattoos are still not a “classy” move. But it does seem like they’re no longer considered a dirty little secret or a way to rebel against your parents. It’s just a thing people can choose or not choose to put on their bodies. A thing I, a millennial, no longer feel queasy about.
As for how we name this new era in tattooing, let’s just not call it a resurgence. Let’s call it a chance for redemption. Who knows, maybe I’ll get my own down the line. (I will have to build up a pain tolerance first!)
