Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash
I’ve never been the girl anyone pegged for a sorority woman. I’m not exactly a “go with the crowd” kind of person. I’m queer, I’ve got multiple tattoos, and I curse like a sailor. These things usually do not a sorority woman make, but my cousin was in a sorority, so I decided to at least give it a shot.
My freshman year was a wild one. I was dating someone I should not have been dating and was having issues with my family. I had also just joined a sorority and was still very unsure if it was the right fit for me. I considered dropping multiple times during my first few months but decided to stick it out because I had made a few friends and didn’t really want to risk losing them.
My depression was at an all time high and only got worse when the guy I was dating cheated on me and dumped me… so I downloaded Tinder to get in some revenge sex (do not do this. 0/10 would not recommend).
The first guy that I go out with, let’s call him the IT guy, is super cute and buys me food which, if I’m being honest, is all I really need in life. I, a young, naïve little freshman who had only ever had sex with one person in her life didn’t understand that this gentleman only wanted sex. I assumed we’d go on a few dates and then maybe do something. Nope! I was wrong. I had (really bad) sex with him on the first date and when I got back to my sorority house and my friends asked how the date went, I instantly started sobbing. Just coming out of a very serious relationship, I wasn’t ready for anything else and I felt absolutely terrible. Luckily, my amazing sisters were there and the just held me while I was crying on the bathroom floor.
If it hadn’t had been for the support network that I made through my sorority then I know for a fact that I would have killed myself. These people helped save me from myself and have watched me grow from a fragile girl into a strong woman.
Yes, sometimes the sorority system itself sucks— we don’t get along with everyone, and we have to do things that we would rather not do but the connections you make in a sorority make everything worth it. I’ve made friends with girls that I thought would never be friends with me. You know, the hair extension, false lashes, full glam makeup everyday kind of girls? They’re some of my best friends now and I’ve never been asked to change who I am. They all just accept my quirks and love me not in spite of them but because of them. Sure, the system might not exactly accept me but my sisters do and that’s really all that matters to me.