I never got one, but a couple of the guys in my chapter got a tattoo of the badge on their shoulder.

I (very very briefly) considered it, but then decided I didn't want to deal with a tattoo. I think I made the right decision.

That's why you only get tattoos that
A- mean something
B- are in places where weight gain or muscle gain or sagging is unlikely.

I think there are a lot of dumb tattoos out there, but there are also a lot of beautiful ones, with deep personal meanings. I think no matter where you put it, a tattoo for your GLO is fine because brotherhood and sisterhood are supposed to be for life. I have a tiny tattoo of my letters on my heel and I LOVE it.

I don't mean to slam anyone with a tattoo, although it probably sounds like that. I'll readily admit that I'm of an older age and a culteral background that tends to view tattoos as, well, trashy. But I know plenty of good folks view them otherwise.

I quibble a bit though with the idea that that's why you only get tattoos that mean something. What means a lot to someone at 20 (or what you think is beautiful at 20) may be quite different from what's meaningful or beautiful to them at 70. (And really -- have you ever seen any 70-year-old whose tattoos looked good? I haven't.) That's the case even when it involves something like lifetime sisterhood or brotherhood --just ask the guy whose tattoo professes his love for the woman he ended up divorcing when she cheated on him.

If someone wants a tattoo of their letters, fine -- no skin off my nose. But I'm content with my badge.

No, I havent seen many 70 y/o's whos tattoos look good, but we have to think of something here. Techniques have had a LONG time to be perfected since then. Back in the day, tattooing was an underground, down and dirty kind of thing. Now its considered an art form. Artists will apprentice FOR YEARS before they are even ALLOWED to touch skin. Not so for folks getting inked in the 40's and 50's. Its come A LONG way. So much so that at their death, many people with treasured pieces have chosen to have the skin preserved (THAT is a little weird and I would NEVER EVER let DH write that into a will...........I dont want his skin matted and hanging on my wall.......EWWWWW LOL)

Meaning is IMPORTANT. Yeah if you get something lame at 20 sure you are going to regret it. DH has a beautiful phoenix on his back, that means a lot to him and is inspirational-for personal reasons. His half sleeve is scenes from Pink Floyd's "The Wall" which is also highly personally meaningful to him. I asked him that before he got them, "Are you sure you wont think this isnt lame when you are 70?" And he seriously thought about it. The answer is NO. And re the weight thing. DH has fluctuated in weight about 40 lbs and his tattoos still look exactly the same. Thats why you DONT get tattooed in areas that are prone to sagging with age and weight gain. His are on his back and right upper arm respectively.....Hint: Ladies, PLEASE do not get those popular hip tattooes. I have TOO many friends that did that at 20 and 21, had a few babies and now they look like crap.

Like I said, I dont have any because Im terrified of needles. I ALSO cant think of anything to get that I DONT think I will look back on when Im 70 and think, "Why?" The only tattoo I MAY get is something having to do with nursing, when I finish nursing school, or something signifying my children if/when we have them.

That's why I won't get my belly button area tattoo until AFTER I get the tummy tuck :D I haven't quite settled on a design but I know that it will commemorate the two lives that I brought into this world and the two that didn't make it.

i think the thought in this is beautiful. This is when tattoos make sense to me, when they actually truly represent something very meaningful that you're not going to consider to be any less meaningful.

I don't know if tattoos are for me, and I'm not in a social sorority yet (yay fall recruitment) but I think the DG anchor, small (no bigger than an inch) and sort of angled on the outside of a foot could be really cute

Meaning is important, but again, I'm old enough to know that much of what I thought would always be meaningful to me when I was in my 20s just isn't that meaningful -- or not meaningful in the same way -- 20 years later. Like I said, ask anyone who's had a tattoo of a significant other's name when that other isn't so significant anymore.

You and your husband like your tattoos. That's really all that matters.

I have an elephant with DST coming out his trunk and OOO-OOOP underneath. My roommate has a Z PHI B with 5 stars and 1920 at the bottom. I like my tatt and I like hers also. My brother has a sphinx and ape on both arms.

I am confused as to why women seem to not only want to get tatoos but then vigorously defend their action in getting it or them. I hardly think it is either inaccurate or inappropriate to recognize that women are far more conscious of and concerned with fashion trends and messages sent via appearances. Since tatoos have been around for gazillions of years and since they have traditionally been viewed, in Western culture, as the domain of pond life bottom feeders I find it curious as to why a fad which leaves permanent marking on one's body would hold such appeal. Based on centuries of adverse opinion of and reaction to tatoos I can't understand why women would want to permanently mark themselves considering that the current popularity of tatoos will surely become passe and out of fashion within a few years. Whether one likes it or not tatoos are not viewed with favor in professional circles and in some social settings they are not tolerated. Teen aged rebellion is fine when one is a high school kid but by the time you have become a college woman it seems to run contraty to the the general sense of realistic maturity expected and it doesn't seem to fit within the what your own organizations expect of ladies in their conduct and appearance. Looking like a gang of tatooed biker chicks never struck me as what a sorority woman aspired to (and yes, any tatoo places you more or less in that unfortunate circumstance). Having been out in the world for a while now I have seen just how deeply this prejudice runs. Maybe this is a bit inappropriate, but I always believed that women were far more savvy about the nuances of how one presents oneself.
Now, from the other half of the human species, as an undergrad in my house it was the kiss of death to have a tatoo. We met a few guys from other chapters who had them and it did not sit easy with us. We saw that as the sure sign of a candidate for a bottom tier house or life as a GDI.

I hope it is discreet.

almost every girl in my chapter has our letter tattooed somewhere on her... so i dont think that it is forbidden to have the letters on you...

Or your chapter is unaware of the rules...:rolleyes:

I'm putting bets on Texas State chapter.

Exalt

I have to disagree with both of you. ANYTHING can be tasteful or tasteless. Nothing is by definition all good or all bad.

For example, supposedly, being an unwed teenage mother is bad right? What if that mother was legally married (18 or 19 years old) when she got pregnant but is now a widow because her husband was killed in the war in Iraq? Immediately, this person is transformed into a law-abiding, patriotic citizen, right?

Give me a break, holier-than-thou :rolleyes:

==============================================

If a young woman was legally married and her husband was killed in Iraq that would make her a widow, NOT an unwed mother.

If a young woman found herself pregnant by a man she loved and he failed to stand by her then I would look down on him, not her.

I would argue that there are some things which are of their very essence good or bad. If you think about it for a moment I am sure you can come up with quite a few. However, this has little or nothing to do with tatoos. My question was about why, not about good or evil. My observations over the past several years lead me to conclude that tatoos add extra baggage to those who have them and send a message that does not play well in professional and other circles.
I don't think pointing out a simple fact of reality is being holier-than-thou. Rather, I think this falls under my original question about the lemming-like following of a transitory fad and then the predictable need to defend this action. Knee jerk defensiveness suggests a need to justify a questionable action. "Methinks the lady doth protest too much"!

I am sorry if you think I am being holier-than-thou. My purpose was to present my observations and experiences, identify the simple fact that tatoos are viewed rather negatively in professional circles, and to ask why their current popularity particularly among women who are arguably much more savvy about appearances and the images they project.

It's not being holier-than-thou. It's being realistic.

I think the acceptance of tatts by others depends on several factors, including the region you live in and location of the tattoo. I know MANY bankers, lawyers, doctors, professors and teachers, real estate professionals, ad men, corporate and agency PR people, etc. etc. that have tattoos...but you'd never know it until you go out to happy hour with them one night, or they wear shoes that don't-quite-cover the top of their foot. Tattoos aren't for me, and I think young people who get big ones in places not covered up by clothing are crazy, but I don't label everyone who gets one as trashy. I know too many tatted people from all walks of life to be able to do that.

Gauges in the ears, now that's something I think is NUTS!

It is? This is the first I've heard of this rule.

A few sisters in my chapter had tiny crescent moons tattooed on their ankles.

I don't know that I've ever met anyone that regrets not getting a tattoo. Makes me wish I had invested in tattoo removal technology or gotten into tat removal as a profession. I'd probably make a nice chunk of change in a few years time, when that tramp stamp looks like a gramp stamp.

Just sayin'....

That's different than our crest, greek letters, or name. I'm not much on the idea of tattoos, but I'd prefer a crescent moon to our crest. Plus I don't think the crest would translate well into a tattoo.

LMAO.

It's in the president's book. One of our sisters was going to get our letters tattooed on her, and we had to whip it out and show her that it was against policy. I see nothing wrong with a crescent moon tattoo though.

Wow, I had no idea it was actually against the rules. Not that any of the girls in my chapter probably ever thought of tattooing the letters or most of all the crest. The crest isn't really something I'd ever want to wear, let alone permanently.

I know one of our members has our new member pin tattooed on her, but she had it before she was a member... So I always found it funny, in a prophetic sort of way. :D

Am I missing something here?

It looks like the Triforce from Legend of Zelda...

Except I'm fairly certain it was our new member pin first. ;)

Technically, she IS UNWED (death did them part). Maybe it wasn't the best example.

BTW, your observation is an OPINION, not a FACT. I am sure that you know the difference, right?

First, I don't understand why people keep calling tattooing a "fad"...Tattoos have been around for longer than just about anyone on this site has been alive... Last time I checked, I "fad" was something that came on really fast, was popular for a short time, and then died out really fast...Tattooing has been going on for thousands of years.

Second, a few of the greeks on our campus went to a convention with many other greek organizations and they felt so out of place. Apparently, if you don't like tattoos, don't come to Oklahoma. I believe almost every member of my chapter has a tattoo that refers to Sig Tau in one way or another. My members felt like people were looking down on them or whatever because we all have tattoos.

Third, its ridiculous to outcast someone because of what we have on our skin. Many tattoos today are gorgeous, especially some of the greek ones I've seen. You don't see many naked women on the forearm anymore like you did in the 60's. Many members are doing things like letters, crests, flowers.

In closing, tattoos are just one way that many people use to express pride in what they belong to and have earned. As for myself, I don't care how horrible my tattoos look when I'm 70 years old because I have them because I am proud to be a Sig Tau. When I am old and wrinkly and my tats are the same way, I want to look at my worn out skin and be able to think "no regrets", "mission accomplished." I live by a popular phrase: "Live as if you will die tomorrow, dream as if you will live forever." That's how I want to remember my life. Plus, theres a lot of years to enjoy your letters while they are pretty from age 18 to age 50+.

Tattoos as tribal or cultural practices have been around forever.

In the West, tattoos among sailors and the like have been around 100+ years, and in Western culture were traditionally viewed as lower class.

Tattoos on college students and as part of popular Westermn culture is a phenomenon of the last decade or two. How popular they'll stay remains to be seen.

I'm glad you like your tattoos. Enjoy them. No one is "outcasting" you. But I'm always amused when someone is surprised that they just might be judged on appearance.

Raise your hand if you hate the recent mohawk fad despite the origins and history of mohawks.

You mean, that Mr. T dude???? Yeah, that is some ancient history there ferrrr shurrr!! He started it ALL! (This is dripping in sarcasm. I know DrPhil knows this but others might not.)

Bumping an old topic but I wanted to add that it is pretty common for FIJIs to get the greek letters tattoo on their right/left inner ankle. It is not one of the seven places but apparently it has become an unofficial tradition since the Civil War as a way to recognize fallen brothers. I personally have it on my inner right ankle, as do a handful of brothers in my chapter.

I seriously doubt it's been a tradition since the Civil War. The idea that tattoos are acceptable for college students is relatively recent. When I was in college in the 80s, very few college students would have had them.