There is much talk of Ankle adornments (not just tattoos) and their associations with prostitution, and like anything history has many versions and presumptions.
These words are lifted from another forum, but I think it says a lot of what I feel.
//Once again, this is an urban legend and a myth with little to no truth to it. This turns up frequently with some nasty judgments that says more about the person making the judgment than it does about the person the judgement is directed towards.
The origins of this urban legend are very nasty and ugly. It comes from a time when showing and bare skin, even the bare flesh of an ankle was considered wanton and sinful and obscene: and because in many hot weather and tropical climates and/or primitive societies anklets are worn by almost everyone, this was further proof that good Christian women should not expose their ankles or any other flesh nor should "good women" wear jewellery to adorn the naked ankle. It was a way for these women to make themselves feel superior to these people who wore not just ankle jewellery, but all other jewellery on bare skin. Because at one time naked ankles were considered obscene should parents still ban their children from exposing theirs? Because at one time bare arms were obscene, should today's children wear only long sleeves? That conclusion you have drawn with anklets is just as illogical as these two ridiculous examples.
From a historical standpoint ankle bracelets have ben worn as far back as the stone age. They have adorned the ankles of kings and queens, the ankles of ordinary people, movie stars and and everyone in between. When hem lines are high, ankle bracelets are popular. When shoes are plain, anklets are popular. With today's flip flops and casual footwear, anklets add a bit of colour and sparkle to summer and warm weather dressing.
The truth is women who wore anklets in that era were usually independent, self confident and career oriented. There might be more than just a touch of jealousy in that story. Today anklets are merely an article of personal adornment and there is nothing wrong in any way with personal adornment. Women spend far too much time making negative judgements against each other. So there is nothing wrong with kids wearing ankle bracelets or parents letting their kids express themselves through personal adornment. How about we base our judgements on people by their behaviour and actions and words rather than make snap judgements based on what they wear???