Recently, the internet has been full of buzz about modern-day feminism. The Odyssey article “Why I’m Not A Feminist and That’s Okay” and HC Penn State’s amazing feminist response have ignited powerful conversations across the web. Young women everywhere have been raising their voices to speak out and share their opinions. One interesting perspective comes from what it’s like to be a feminist and be in a sorority, so I interviewed a friend who is Greek-affiliated and also a feminist.
Maria is still in her first year of Greek life, so the first question I asked her was about her rush experience and whether or not being a feminist influenced her decision to join a sorority. She admitted that at first she was hesitant.
“I knew sorority girls had the reputation of being airheads and generally very unintelligent and unmotivated,” she said. “That’s generally how I found girls to be portrayed in the media and I didn’t have a lot of older friends in sororities that could contrast that stereotype, so I went into rush with an open mind.”
Luckily, Maria’s open mind led her to an amazing community of sorority sisters. When I asked her if there were many girls in her sorority that also were feminists, she replied with an enthusiastic yes.
“They are so awesome,” she said. “And they really encourage growth and development into strong female leaders.”
When I asked her about the common belief that being in a sorority and being a feminist are incompatible, I think her words speak for themselves.
“I think that’s really false,” she said. “If anything, I found a huge community of feminists or at least girls that have very feminist beliefs. You would be surprised by how the structure and governing body/executive board of sororities tends to adhere closely to feminist beliefs that women should develop leadership skills and have power. A lot of the girls in my sorority hold leadership positions outside of my sorority, which I think is really encouraging to other girls in our sorority and in the Greek community. I think it’s also really cool because they gained those positions based on merit and experience, which I think really speaks to their ability to have power and show the world that females that females aren’t ‘weak’ and ‘powerless.’ The emphasis on academics in the Greek community is also really cool because I think sorority girls have the stereotype especially as SEC schools as going to school to get their ‘MRS degree’ and not an actual education.”
Thanks so much for sharing your insight with us, Maria!