Isn't this a big no no? Most mottoes are never to be written I thought.

Some mottoes are open. ASA has an open motto.

She then said it was secret though.

It is alright to write mine. We just can't say it in English to anyone who is not a sister. However, it is in actual Greek so anyone who reads Greek could understand it, we just can't tell them.

Ah ok.

Ugh absolutely. Mine is easily hidden in classy situations and from my grandmother lol.

No worries. I saw it in the mirror, and could feel it (the skin is actually a little smoother on the tattooed part). I also get asked about it when I wear my hair up, and I like to talk about my GLO.

I guess you're right though. It wasn't always seeing it, sometimes it was just knowing it was there and that I felt connected to my GLO because of it.

Hubby is a Zeta Psi and has a very small fraternity tattoo on his forearm just past the inside of his elbow. Thats the smallest tattoo he has LOL! He has between two pieces (back and 1/2 sleeve) over 20 hours of work in. I think they are amazing pieces of art, but I made him PROMISE that any tattoos he gets be in places that wont be seen when he is wearing professional attire, as there is still SUCH a stigma about tattoos. I personally dont get it. And re: the fading. bleeding lines thing-if the artist you go to is good, you wont ever have that problem. You also have to take care of them. Whenever his are exposed to the sun, DH puts like SPF 45 sunscreen on them and they still look as good as the day he got them-his back piece was done about 7 years ago.
I dont have any and likely will not get any-not because I dont like them, but because I am TERRIFIED of needles.

Using the best tattoo artist in the world isn't going to do you a bit of good when aging or an extra 20 or 30 pounds hit you.

I personally don't get why anyone would permanently mark up their bodies with something that seems like a cool idea right now, especially since the result, in my eyes, rarely enhances their appearance. Chacun à son goût.

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.