Precarious alcoholic concoctions are poured into red solo cups as floorboards unmistakably creak under the weight of dozens of dancing feet. Earsplitting music mesmerizes the minds of college students as dark, humid basements are lined from wall to wall with sweaty, intoxicated people. Skittish, little freshmen nurse their beverages wearily, standing in a corner. Tall, beefy frat bros press their bodies against any breathing thing, and a massive tornado of girls wearing thick make-up and short dresses seductively whirl around the room.
This familiar scene is a typical Friday night for me in college. Sounds fun, right? Before you get excited about the wild frat party happening this weekend, I suggest you read this.
Despite efforts to equalize genders in America, sexism is still prevalent. Women are still being labeled as “sloppy” and “promiscuous” for the way they dress, drink, and dance at social gatherings. Regardless of how many beers boys messily shotgun or how many frat boys attempt to dance with anything that moves, the blame game is still targeting women. At the end of the night, women are being labeled as “sluts” while boys earn the titles “champs.”
Gender inequality permeates all aspects of our lives, especially in the party scene. Men are expected to have impeccable beer-pong skills and an unwavering high tolerance for alcohol consumption. If a guy possesses these traits, he will be positively portrayed in a social scene.
Females, on the contrary, are faced with two extremes. We are either labeled as degraded, sinful women who seductively drink in hopes to captivate the attention of men, or as pure, virtuous maidens who would never dare allow alcohol into their holy temples. Both extremes are being negatively illustrated on college campuses, making it a lose-lose situation for all women. This Madonna-whore dichotomy is becoming more prevalent each day, and this issue needs to blow up in order for it to blow over.
Image source: Trinity Kubassek
To be clear, Greek life is wonderful; it grows life-long friendships, extensive social networks, and professional opportunities. However, almost a year into being involved in my organization, I have reached the understanding that gender inequalities regarding alcohol are severe in Greek life. My goggles have cleared and I now see the sexism that’s so deeply rooted into the Greek system.
Men join fraternities and women join sororities, organizations separated by gender. The idea that males involved with alcohol is positive while females involved with alcohol is negative is a concept that appears to be deeply-seated into the very policies belonging to the Greek system. These brotherhoods and sisterhoods were founded for similar purposes: the promotion of sacred rituals, the advocacy of values, and the upholding of philanthropies. Was there any mention of alcohol? No, because alcohol was not the reason that any fraternities or sororities were founded. Nonetheless, the news and entertainment media act as if it’s the driving force behind the very existence of these Greek organizations.
Have you ever wondered why fraternities are allowed to host parties with alcohol and sororities are not? Let me tell you why: gender stereotypes.
Greek women are not permitted to drink alcohol in sorority houses because we are responsible for upholding the image of the innocent, chaste Madonna; however, Greek men are held to no such standard. Paying less housing insurance is not worth the lack of power sorority women hold in these party settings. If we could break this system and establish equality, instead of women drunkenly walking across campus late at night to attend a social event, women would be able to responsibly consume alcohol in a safe, comfortable environment. Furthermore, giving women the opportunity to consume liquor in the confines of their sorority houses could potentially lower rates of sexual assault occurring in Greek life.
Brotherhoods and sisterhoods are about empowerment, so anyone involved in the Greek scene should be fighting to demolish the gender stereotypes that promote gender inequality. If Greek organizations want to bring about any change, then the stereotypes surrounding alcohol should be the first to fall.