One of my top moments in my sorority was my big-little reveal as a big. A “little” is either a new or a newly initiated member of a sorority, who is assigned a big. Her “big” essentially serves as a big sister. Not all sorority chapters treat the process the same, but they all participate in it.
I recently took a little, and I love being her big more than anything. In my chapter, every little sister and big sister submit a list ranking their top five members to be paired with. The new member team will then match each little with a big and notify the bigs one to two weeks ahead of the reveal date.
All of the bigs create Instagram accounts dedicated to their little, often posting old pictures of them to show their love. The reveal always happens on a Saturday, and the Monday before starts clue week. Every day, the littles will each get a clue card along with a themed gift. On the day of the reveal, all the littles receive a basket full of merch and other gifts to celebrate.
Although it might seem intense, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love my little, and I loved getting to showcase that to her. I did my best to deceive her about who I was, but we both had the other at the top of our lists, making us a perfect pairing.
I found it to be a fun game, pretending not to be my little’s big, and this is my best advice for successful results.
- Have a game plan
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After seeing the big-little process a few times, I learned different methods that different bigs had used. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted my little to have no idea who her big was and be clueless on the day of reveal. My recommendation is to start by setting an end goal and developing a strategy that fits.
One method is to convince your little that you’re someone else entirely. Choosing someone who was on your little sister’s list and a possible big for them is ideal. I’ve seen some bigs do this successfully, and sometimes they only do that at the beginning.
- Utilize your friends
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My favorite method of deception was when my friends would be logged into the Instagram account designated for my little. I had asked them to message her through the account while I was sitting right next to her.
This is an easy way to trick your little, as they often won’t realize that someone else could be logged in, especially if your phone is nearby and not in use. Just make sure to either turn off your notifications or log out of the account.
Throughout clue week, every little sister in my chapter received five clues. I had different people write whatever they wanted on each clue, and I didn’t touch a single one. I’ve discovered that most littles will either trust the clues entirely or not at all; clues are a great opportunity to lie.
- Never admit defeat
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After a certain point, my little was convinced that I was her big. This only strengthened my game and forced me to be more creative. The day before the reveal, I spent the entire day with my little. We went to a birthday party where nearly everyone was a member of our chapter, and with the help of literally everyone, I doubled down on not being her big.
At some point, one of my friends questioned her about who she thought her big was. Now, of course, she said I was, but after the reveal, she told me how gaslighted she felt and had started to doubt if I was her big.
While this isn’t my own experience, I do have one failsafe that could be used. The night before reveal day, when I was a little, my friend’s big texted her. Her big said something along the lines of how she wasn’t her big and that she should be open to it being someone unexpected. While this may seem harsh, it’s a solid option and will eventually be a funny story.
Big-little reveals will forever be one of my favorite aspects of a sorority. I loved every part of taking a little, especially the trickery of it all. Deceiving my little bonded us more than we already were, so I highly recommend doing so to the fullest extent.
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