Nice strawman there. Accepting members with tattoos doesn't make them a trash accepting organization. And I'm not in a sorority anymore FYI.

You're seeing things in my posts that don't exist, they have meds for that you know.

I wasn't talking about a chapter that accepts a member with a tattoo being a "trash-accepting chapter." I was talking about any chapter that would accept a person that spoke like you did earlier. That was directly aimed to you, only you and no one but you.

Just because your posts lack the F-,S-, and T- words doesn't make you any better than Dionysus.

May I have some popcorn, catiebug? Someone needs to make margaritas . . .

DITY?

Do I look like I have a stick hanging out where the sun don't shine?

Laughing along with you!

I agree that you probably want to hide the tatoo for recruitment, SEC colleges can be very conservative. :)

Why can't she just wear some nice shoes with some nice socks? I hate to see feet anyway. It's the ugliest part of a woman's body. Forget sandals period, the sororities will thank you.

so basically if you want a sorority that judges you by how much your parents make, where you buy your clothes, or like what country you vaca'd in this summer.... Like totally cover that tattoo... what are you a biker chick?!?!


If you want to join a sorority for the sisterhood and the other great principles sororities were founded on. Be who you are.

"those who mind dont matter... those who matter dont mind."

It gets really hot in the South during traditional recruitment (Mid-August to early September). I would suggest sandals. You can be who you really are and still cover up that tatoo.

Even if she considers it a "spring break mistake?"

That cute little saying doesn't work in many real world settings.

Ok, girls in thongs! (not the sandal ones)

Dionysus isn't in a sorority anymore? :confused:

Well then the relevance of her opinion just dropped 50%. :p

I'm waving my finger at you, and I'm not talking about my index one. ;)

I don't know about what you learned in your English classes, but I was always taught that a question mark implies a question. If they recently changed this in the grammar books please let me know. (I know I don't have perfect grammar before you make a comment about my writing style.) Also I believe it was her mother that implied it was a mistake and she was wondering if her mother was correct. If she felt it was a mistake she could always go get laser surgery to remove it.



Who are you to judge me and how many real world experiences I have been through. I wouldn't use the quote if it hadn't repeatedly proven itself correct to me throughout my life.


I could judge you and say well of course that isn't true to you. You "appear" to hang out with people that judge you based on appearance and social status. <--- but that is not my place to pass judgement.

Whether tats/piercings are "acceptable" or not depends on the school/company you're at and the region you're in. Period.

SEC schools are super super conservative as far as dress and body modification. (From some of the things said on here, I wouldn't be surprised if multiple earrings were enough to get you cut.) If you want to be in a sorority at an SEC school, you should cover your tattoo during rush. If that concept bothers you, you probably will not have fun in a sorority at an SEC school. That doesn't mean you wouldn't have fun at a sorority elsewhere.

OP - if you do choose to cover it up, try Dermablend.

That hurts. :(

Someone recently suggested to me that rush/pledging was somewhat similar to a teacher prior to recieving tenure. After getting tenured/initiated you can let your hair down and be yourself. Prior to that you need to watch your p's and q's.

Is it fair, right or even logical? Nope, but let's face it, SEC recruitment and Bama in particular is highly competitive. I'm sure we've all seen/heard sillier reasons why PNM's get cut (or kept for that matter) than having a tattoo. None of which were fair, right or even logical.

For those who argue this PNM should stand on principle, show her tattoo with pride and to heck with those who dare to make a frivollous judgement based on appearance, that is your right. Hers too. But the OP has recieved fair warning that a tattoo could potentially limit her chances. It doesn't matter if anyone believes that is right or wrong, it's a fact and I speak from personal experience. Now she must make her own decision on how she wishes to proceed.

Ignoring whatever the heck your other tangents were about.

That's personal. But congrats on that. :)

It is important for people to know that there are people who will mind certain things and their opinions will matter depending on the context. Period.

thats so sad that so many of you would actually deny someone a bid just because they have a tattoo.

It is not so many of US that would do that - it is the Greek system at the OP's particular school. I am guessing that 99% of the people posting on this thread would not do that and also find the concept repugnant. So before you get on your soapbox, read and comprehend the whole thread.

And there are certain tattoos and piercings that I would judge someone based on.

Not a small foot tattoo, though, unless it's of something offensive.

And even I wouldn't say someone shouldn't ever get a tattoo, but at the very least, think ahead and make good decisions. Living in the moment is great and I encourage the heck out of it, but you won't always be 19, and tattoos are permanent (unless you opt for the laser thing, but I can still see Billy Bob on Angelina's arm).

Good decision-making ability is an important trait to have and show at any stage of your life and getting that full-arm tattoo that looked bitchin' during spring break will look absolutely absurd when you're 36 if you're trying to be taken seriously in a professional environment. So girls, if you want a little tat, go for the hip, upper thigh, somewhere you can cover when you need to. Top of the foot tattoos? Why? First of all, ouch, and secondly, unless you're going to wear fugly coverall shoes the rest of your life or invest in good makeup and wear it every day, that thing will be staring up at you and everyone else a good part of the time every day. Think it through is all I'm saying.

Amen.

A friend of mine has a hideous astrology tattoo on her shoulder. Covers the whole shoulder and she got it when she was 18. Her mother flipped when she saw it.

It was ugly then but is EXTREMELY ugly now. Faded. 12 years old and her personality doesn't even fit it anymore. Now she can't wear backless or halter top gowns at a formal event in her professional crowd. Something she of course didn't care about when she was 18.

However, also be wary of areas that may be augmented during pregnancy! :eek:

As a member of a sorority at an sec school, I see your dilemma.

In my opinion, use your own discretion, but you know what these schools are like.

If I were you, I would pretend I'm already an active and think of it that way. Say you're an active getting ready to for recruitment at an sec school and what would most likely be done? You would cover your visible tatoos, no big deal. It's just protocol, like in an interview, because that's mostly what recruitment is, on both sides.

I personally would have no problem offering a bid to a girl with a small, tasteful, but visible tatoo that was not covered up during recruitment, but all schools and all chapters are different.

I don't think anyone will hate you if you're part of their chapter and you have a small tatoo, but recruitment is a different playing field. You don't want to regret anything.

It depends. One of my friends got a half circle design of hearts and flowers and vines around her stomach when she was 18 and after her first kid 10 years later, she wore her pre-pregnancy jeans out of the hospital. Three years later, the tattoo still looks good... Of course, she just has amazing genes!

People are denied bids every year because of lots of things that might seem ridiculous. I would bet that you can even think of a less than stellar reason your chapter cut someone. I believe someone said earlier that when you are cutting over 300 girls after round one, you grasp at many different ways to help you do that.

well my org doesnt rush and doesnt have quotas or whatever the case may be like i read about other orgs having so we dont deny bids for riduculous reasons. i've seen people try but to my knowledge it hasnt happened in my chapter. Even if it did i wouldnt condone it. But then again like i said, we dont have any quotas or rush so our applicant pool doesnt require us to deny hundreds of people, if that makes sense to you. I guess to truly understand the quandry at hand i'd have to be in the same position as other people and vice versa.

Obviously if the tattoo is one that is offensive and reflects an attitude that contradicts the mission and purpose of the org then yes, i can understand denying a bid but just for the plain fact that the interest or pnm has one shouldnt be the deciding factor in my mind. everyone is entitled to their opinion and if that is how a particular chapter or org overall operates than to each his or her own.

So, your org takes anyone who walks through the door? Interesting . . .
and might I add that NPC membership selection is 1.) private and 2.) more complicated than a tattoo. The op asked a question, and it was answered realistically. In competitive recruitments small things may matter. EVERYONE makes judgements on seemingly small things - if you apply for some jobs a tattoo will count against you. Whether it is fair or not, the fact is that the first impression you make is hard to overcome if it is negative.

http://www.theburningbiscuit.com/Pic...ividuality.jpg

dont get your panties in a bunch sweetheart. like i said to someone else on this thread, i dont condone denying a bid to anyone who may potentially be an asset to the org whether that means giving bids to 1 or 1000. But i ALSO stated that my organization does not rush or have any type of quota so i dont have to find reasons to deny someone a bid because my applicant pool doesnt exceed a number that i may have to adhere to. Likewise if that is how a chapter or organization chooses to operate than to each his or her own. perhaps you did not read and comprehend my post for its intended meaning. Whatever the case may be, you need to relax.

More specific to the tattoo issue, if the tattoo does reflect an attitude that is possesed by the interested lady that is in direct conflict with organizations goals, mission and or purpose then that IS grounds for not extending a bid.

wooooo-saaaaaah okay, wooooo-saaaaaah!:D

I dont know if you were talking about me but if you were, of course the answer is no. We take ladies that show a legitimate interest in our organization, live their life according to the morals set forth by our org, and will be a benefit to our sisterhood. c'mon now. just because we dont deny people for frivolous reasons (which is the point i've been trying to make by the way) doesnt mean we dont deny people at all. as im sure is true with most organizations, greek or not.

Matsimela - I appreciate your thoughts on tattoos, rush, etc. but I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, "I guess to really understand the quandry at hand, I would have to be in the same position as other people."
The type of Greek system the OP is involved in DOES have rush, quotas, etc and it is offensive for you to pass judgement on an organization you are not familiar with. We are here to help, support, and learn from each other. I am sure you did not mean to sound so accusing in your original comment.

As you stated, you have NO IDEA what goes into NPC membership selection. You admitted that, but can't seem to stop commenting. You are not helping the original poster - so what is your point?
NPC groups have literally hundreds - sometimes thousands - of young women who want to be members. In order to preserve the sisterhood that is such an important part of our groups, we have to limit our size. Just because that isn't your GLO's problem doesn't mean you should comment on those groups who do have it. We can have so many otherwise qualified women coming thorugh recruitment that seemingly small things like tattoos might come into play. And again, appearance does count, in recruitment, in job interviews, in life. It is neither good nor bad, it just IS. And if your appearance is going to reflect on our group, then it is something that has to be considered. It shouldn't, imho, be the most important, but realistically speaking it is a factor. Everyone here has stated that it shouldn't cost you a bid, but it could count against you. So, original poster, covering it up would be in your best interest.

Please excuse me if you think im trying to pass judegment. Thats not my intent. I've said like 2 or 3 times that everyone's intake is different so obviously no one person, including myself, is going to have the final answer. But i have continued to comment because there were people here, unlike gee_ess, who were calling both myself and my org out when i did not do that to them so...thats that

Back to the OP: I think that if you were considering any org than you hopefully have done your research about the org and see yourself as a good fit in said organization. Go with YOUR better judgement. If possible, ask people that you are close to who have been through recruitment for the org you are interested in if your tattoo is going to be a big deal. No one on the net can see it and therefore can only give you limited insight. Good luck in your pursuit.

This would be where you started to get into trouble. The point of previous quotes was not that anyone here would deny someone a bid just because they have a tattoo, but in a competitive SEC recruitment it would possibly be a negative. You passed judgment ("That's so sad . . " is a judgemental statement) and now want to plead that you are the poor picked upon victim. Of course you are going to be "called out" when you do that.
You really, REALLY are not in a position to help the op. You don't know anything about the type of recruitment she has chosen to go through, so can't give her advice. I wouldn't dream of advising anyone interested in your group as to how to go about having a successful experience, because I am not qualified to do so.

eta - We don't need to see the tattoo to know whether or not ANY tattoo would be problematic. And the people BEST able to comment are those SEC NPC members who have taken the time to post.

So you never ever ever denied someone membership because you just plain didn't like her - even if she fit all the above requirements?

Yep. That's what I thought.

Zeeplane - I think the activity on this thread just reinforces your mom (and even your) fears. Tattoos are controversial and can (like it or not) cause you to be judged in a way that might not seem fair. The first and most straightforward responses to your question were the best but the ensuing discussion regarding judging others based on appearances are the supporting arguments for the reasons you should cover up your tattoo.
Actually, if you were my daughter (and I have one your age at an SEC school) I would tell you to definitely cover it up for rush, then enjoy it during your college years, AND to save your money for laser removal later on. If you continue to live and work in the conservative south, then the tattoo is only going to be a potential liability.

I forgot to ask this...since you'll be a sophomore when you go through, do you have friends in any chapters? If you do, do those friends know you have a tattoo? If they know, ask them for their opinion if you should cover it.

We've already had one member of a Bama sorority say (summarized), "Yes cover it, but if they don't notice by bid day they probably won't care". That is probably true and solid advice.