Gang members brand themselves to claim their set, while for others, brands are an extension of green Mohawks and multiple nose rings. For some black Greek fraternity members (and fewer white ones) it's a long-standing tradition, but experts say it's also become something of a fad.

Other folks have Greek letters melted into their calves or seared into their forearms.Īlthough doctors warn there can be complications infection, excessive scarring, designs gone wrong around the country lots of people get branded. Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith sported a brand on his left arm for a 1993 cover of Sports Illustrated. Michael Jordan's brand, hidden on his chest, is more discreet. Many people watching this year's NCAA Final Four tournament caught sight of the big horseshoe-shaped scar on the left arm of University of North Carolina point guard Shammond Williams. But the smell of burning flesh can be weird. Then comes the 'hit,' a quick 'Pssssssst.' Or maybe it's a 'crackle' or 'pop,' not unlike the sound of Rice Krispies soaking in a bowl of milk. Or if you think you'll move, you brace yourself, holding onto a sink or table or perhaps you get somebody else to hold you down. Your heart races and instinctively you want to draw back. Imagine a carefully fashioned coat hanger, slow-roasted over the blue-green flame of a Magic Chef range, heading for the fleshy expanse of your upper arm, your chest or the side of your behind.įor a fraction of a second, you can feel the heat before it touches your skin. Christopher Reeve decided life had to go onįraternity brothers display Omega Psi Psi brands.'Janis Joplin: A Cry Cutting Through Time'.Barbara Kopple in the footsteps of Woody Allen.

Omega psi phi brand