When I say “sorority girl,” what comes to your mind?
Thanks to media portrayals, plenty of negative images will most likely float to the surface.
Over the years, a certain stereotype has formed for members of sororities. A skinny, blonde, party girl has come to represent female Greek life. Not only is this representation inaccurate, but it is also degrading, especially because sororities are beneficial to the thousands of girls that join them every year.
Movies like The Neighbors make it seem as if girls opt to join these organizations simply to attend wild parties, but sophomore Indiana University of Pennsylvania student Rachel Clippinger explains that this is simply not the case.
“I joined a sorority because it was very hard for me to make friends during my freshmen year,” says Clippinger, a member of Alpha Xi Delta. “The students in my dorm were not very friendly and they were not interested in being my friend. I needed a new big group of friends and joining a sorority gave me just that!”
This feeling of community begins right at initiation, making each new member immediately feel like part of a family.
Another misconception of sorority girls deals with their intellect. Films such as Legally Blonde portray these girls as “ditzy,” but in reality, they have a strict study schedule.
“[During initiation] we had mandatory study hours in the library. We had to complete between 9-12 hours in the library a week with our pledge class to study for classes,” says Clippinger.
Not only do members of sororities work hard in the classroom, but they also work hard to contribute to their community as well. For example, Zeta Tau Alpha, a sorority at IUP, works hard every year to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. They do so through bake sales and displays such as “Bras for a Cause,” in which organizations in the Indiana community decorate bras in a creative way. People vote for the most unique bra by placing money in a jar, then the bras are auctioned off.
“[People] forget about how much money Greek organizations raise a year for their own philanthropies,” says Clippinger. “They forget about the hours of community service Greek organizations donate year to year.”
All in all, sororities are an opportunity for young women to form a lifetime bond, and for any girl who is contemplating going through with initiation, Rachel has some advice: “Just do it! You will not regret it! You are going to be transformed from a girl to a woman after it all and it is so beneficial to a resume. You will grow with these beautiful women and it will truly take your breath away how much something can mean to you after you look back on it all!”
In this day and age, hatred and insults are much too prominent among women. It is time to start empowering young girls and encouraging them to make decisions and judgments that they want to make. Sororities may not be for everybody, but whether you choose to go Greek or not, it is not okay to reprimand somebody for doing something that they love.
“Joining a sorority was the single best decision I have ever made in my life,” says Clippinger. “It has made me into the leader, passionate, and loving person that I am today. I have learned to work alongside a group of girls that are so diverse and that bring me up when I am even a little bit down. I have met my best friends in this sorority and outside of it.”
Girl power!