Tatoo

[AOX81]

Hey everybody!! My birthday is March 10th and I think I am going to get a tatoo. My question is...has anybody seen any good tatoo sites online. I'd like to start looking at artwork now...this will be on my body for the rest of my life!!

Thanks

[pbear19]

Okay, this may sound a little strange, but...

Try looking up sites that sell rubber stamps for crafts and card making. There's a ton of them out there. The two that just popped into my head are www.embossingarts.com and www.heroarts.com. They have tons of designs with different scenes, animals, some cartoons, etc. It might help. Of course, if you want one of the tattoos that could never be mistaken for anything but a tattoo design, you won't find one on those sites. But if you want something relatively cute, then this is a good idea. The first tattoo I got came from a stamp catalog. The really cool thing was that I could cut the image out, stick some tape to it, and try to decide where exactly on my body I thought it looked best. Now I know that sounds wierd! But trust me, it worked very well.

[Allie_XO]

OK, this is just a suggestion, but why don't you think long and hard about this. Your birthday is in five days. That is a really short time to consider what to have permanently inked into your skin. I also have a tattoo, and it is very special to me. I research symbols and symbolisms for quite a long time before I finalized my choice. Then, on my 18th birthday, I had a lotus flower tattood onto my lower back. The lotus is a symbol enlightenment, or reaching a goal, or coming into your own (so to speak), and it meant a lot to me to have that done. I decided on that long before I actually got it done. So think carefully about something that will have meaning to you, not just something that looks cool on the wall. Like you said, this is going to be on your body for the rest of your life.

Also, beware of those "Chinese" type tattoos - sometimes they don't mean what you think they mean. And try to get something that is classy. I know that sounds odd about tattoos, but think of something that will be cool in ten years, or twenty. It is the trendy things that are going to really piss you off in your later years.

I also recommend getting done on someplace that you can easily hide. And if you want ever maybe possibly want to have children, avoid the belly area.

I cannont emphasize ow important it is to really love what you are getting. I can't tell you how many people I know that got Micky Mouse, or a butterfly, or "Chinese," or a rock-n-rol band's symbol tattoos and they now totally regret it. Make it meaningful!!!

And good luck. The pain really isn't that bad. Nowhere near as bad as a tongue ring.

Allie

[KappaGirl2]

I actually saw my friend get her tongue pierced...and it was CRAZY! I would never have the guts to get that done.

Erin

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Rise and shine and become a Kappa Gamma!

About the Asian-style tattoos. I have "Love"
& "Mom" tattooed at the nape of my neck in Japanese Kanji characters because I love my mom, and it's something that I'll feel for the rest of my life. I also wanted to get something culturally symbolic, and being part Japanese myself, I thought Kanji letters were appropriate. I had brought a book with the characters I wanted, and the guy made a copy of it.

What annoys me a lot is when people get cultural letters/characters when they don't even know the significance of it. I remember a girl in my old dorm who got a tattoo. Her "Western" name is JENNIFER, and she thought that it'd be cute to get her "Hawaiian-ized" name, KINIPELA, tattooed in Old English on her lower back. What she didn't know was that KINI=flesh, and PELA=rotting, decomposing...therefore her "Hawaiian-ized" name means "rotting flesh". If you walk down Waikiki, many booths have things that tell you what your Western names mean in Hawaiian. However, what they fail to tell you is that they simply take your letters and give them a Hawaiian equivalent (there are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet). Usually these letters spell words that are nothing close to the figurative meaning of your given name.

This girl did not believe me until I showed her the words and their meanings in my Hawaiian dictionary. Needless to say, she was in tears that "rotting flesh" was tattooed on her body for life. Last I heard she spent $$$ to get that tattoo removed when she got back to Wisconsin. Still, she was the talk of the dorm for the whole semester.

I can only reiterate what has already been said on this board...do your research on what you really want, make sure it's meaningful...and try to get an idea of what the tattoo parlor's reputation is like. Good luck on your soon to be tattoo!

Oh--Allie and Kappa Girl, getting my tattoo was more painful that getting my tongue ring. I guess it just depends on where you get it--because I felt like I was being assaulted by rubber bands on that one spot. Maintaining that tongue ring during that first week was the most painful.

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*I'm an Alpha Gam...Yes I am, Yes I am!*

[This message has been edited by OohTeenyWahine (edited March 05, 2001).]

[Hootie]

I went a day in advance to the tatoo parlor to look at their work. I knew what I wanted but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something else. That's my only recommendation!
Good Luck and let us know what you got!
Sisterly Love,
Hootie

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What do you get when you cross and Alpha Omicron Pi and a Sigma Phi Epsilon? A beautiful Chi Omega!!!

[ZChi4Life]

I have 2 tattoos...a butterfly (I love them) and the symbol for Libra (not the scales, but the other one...I forgot what it's called). I also have my tongue pierced and the tattoos were definitely more painful than the tongue piercing. Although, my tongue was in quite a bit of pain after I got it. I just sucked on ice and ate oatmeal for a week (instant diet ). I agree what everyone has said. Just make sure you think about what kind of tattoo you want before you get it. You don't wanna be 50 yrs old and totally regretting what you got. Make sure it's something you can live w/ for life. Have you ever thought about getting your sorority letters or something symbolizing your sorority? That's something to consider since you'll be a member for life.


[This message has been edited by ZChi4Life (edited March 06, 2001).]

[AOX81]

Thanks for the suggestions

Just to let some of you know...I am 25, I have already graduated, and I am married. I have been thinking about getting a tatoo since I was 18 and I would really like to finally do it!! I didn't want people to think that I was just rushing into things!

Have a nice day!

[Hootie]

Speaking of tatoos, why did you all get yours and what does it mean to you?

Mine is a little lady bug located on my lower back to the right.
I got it because
A) I LOVE lady bugs
B) They're Good Luck
and
C) While I was a Senior in High School my Grandpa got really sick and went into the Hospital the night before my scholarship auditions at a college. I am really close to my grandpa and so I was more concerned about him and his health than the stupid auditions.
So my mom realized this and went out and bought me the lady bug beanie baby for Good Luck the next day. Her name is LUCKY and my mom told me to think about Grandpa while I was auditioning, and to remember that he'd want me to give it my all (tears rolling down my cheek)....sigh. Thankfully he's still alive and ticking
But I wanted a constant reminder of him so I chose my LUCKY lady bug to be with me for the rest of my life. And I was rather spontanious about getting it too!
Hootie


[This message has been edited by Hootie (edited March 07, 2001).]

[Franny Granny]

I have 1 tattoo on my right shoulder, It is the comedy and tragedy dramatic masks...( some people choose to call it laugh now, cry later, but that ain't what it means to me). I am a thespian and I chose something that represented my love for the dramatic arts.

[Billy Optimist]

Originally posted by Franny Granny:
I have 1 tattoo on my right shoulder, It is the comedy and tragedy dramatic masks...( some people choose to call it laugh now, cry later, but that ain't what it means to me). I am a thespian and I chose something that represented my love for the dramatic arts.

Alright! there's another actor on this board

[Franny Granny]

Ah, yes....

[HeidiHo]

Are you allowed to get sorority symbols tatooed? For some reason I thought that it was a no-no.
Allie-how did you do your research? I try finding symbolism like that on the 'net, but never find it.
Heidi

[Siobhan]

Hootie: That is such a sweet story - brought a couple of tears to my eyes .

I don't think I could ever get a tatoo because I am always changing my mind about what I like, etc. I guess if I ever did I would probably use my zodiac sign (gemini), or some symbol from my sorority. As far as body piercing goes I think I'll stick to my ears, eventhough I have been dappling with the idea of a bellybutton ring.

AOX81: hope you find a design you like

[Hootie]

Originally posted by HeidiHo:
Are you allowed to get sorority symbols tatooed? For some reason I thought that it was a no-no.
Allie-how did you do your research? I try finding symbolism like that on the 'net, but never find it.
Heidi

When I first joined Chi Omega that was one of the things we were told we could NOT do, along with drinking with letters on. I think it's a pretty good rule because you never know how tactfully people would permanently wear their letters .
I do know of girls that have done it anyway. I was even wondering if it was okay to get our mascot tatooed? I wouldn't think it would be a problem, but you never know!