The media portrays Greek Life as Sorority girly girls and Fraternity macho men. But, those are stereotypical and not an accurate representation of Greek Life. You don’t need to be a girly girl to be a sorority girl, and I’ll tell you why.
The media truly does greek life no favors. Any movie or TV show exaggerates a sorority girly girl in every sense of the word. She’s flawless always, and let’s be honest she’s normally the bitch. She’s the more grown-up version of every teen movie prom queen. But, that’s completely wrong.
Sororities are filled with ambitious women who want to be involved and make connections. The image of a sorority girly girl often includes the assumptions she’s aloof and assumes she’s better than you. But honestly, she’s probably the girl who will talk your ear off if you let her. And she has some interesting things to say if you give her the chance.
Yes, all the pictures you see on Instagram and Pinterest show perfect girls in matching outfits. But honestly, that’s just posed for Instagram. Walk through a sorority house in the middle of a Monday morning and you’ll see all the girls in sweats and hanging out on the couch. They are not the barbies everyone makes them out to be. They’re just college girls who found a place to connect with other girls.
The odds of a group of 200 plus girls having the exact same ideology and personality is a little irrational to believe. The idea that sororities are full of robotic sorority girly girls detracts from the value they bring to the college experience.
Although sororities are based on similar core values, personalities vary from girl to girl. College is about meeting as many new people as possible and expanding your mind. Well, when you’re thrown into a room with 200 plus girls, you’ll likely find someone who thinks differently than you.
You might meet someone from a different political party than you, a different religious background, a different state, or different home life. You’re in an environment that encourages you to talk to one another. It’s hard to meet people in college and sororities help take away some of the barriers. Eventually, you’ll be in classes with only people of your same major. The sorority helps you keep a connection to the rest of the community on campus.
Maybe a sorority girly girl doesn’t bring the image of a kickass athlete on a court, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t. If you loved playing sports in high school but didn’t want to play at a college level, the intramurals offered through a sorority are the perfect in-between. And no, you do not have to wear matching bows and chant during the game.
You do have to bring your A-game and be ready to have fun and kick ass. But that doesn’t mean you have to win it just means bring your best self to the game. Attitude and skills. Sorority girls are ambitious go-getters who want you to perform your best. They are the girls to lift you up during the game. They are not the sorority girly girls who will complain if they sweat or break a nail. They are here to have fun and be the best versions of themselves.
You might have heard rumors that sororities pick member based on a certain look. The typical image that comes to mind is a sorority girly girl in a designer dress and salon blow out and eyelash extensions. That’s not true. Campuses across the country are emphasizing “value-based recruitment.” This means the recruitment process focuses on knowing the woman you’re talking on a deeper level. It’s not a surface level conversation.
The woman in the sorority genuinely wants to know the girls going through recruitment. They aren’t focused on makeup or hair or clothes. They want to know your past, why you’re at college, what your passions and goals are. Those are shallow sorority girly girls you’re talking to.
I was in a sorority in college. I was terrified to join because I’m horrible at putting myself out there and talking to people. So recruitment seemed like something from my personal nightmare. But, during each round, I found these women wanted to listen to me and connect with me. I was guilty of picturing the stereotypical sorority girly girl. And I’m not that. But each time I found a woman who connected with me on reading, hiking, writing, music, and lack of desire to look perfect every day. Here’s a secret they can’t tell you during recruitment, nearly every girl hates dressing up and looking perfect every day that week. That’s not what most of them are comfortable in.
Those women are the ones you turn to when you need a shoulder to lean on, get coffee with, need a study partner, or even a future roommate.
Within and without the sorority you’ll see women putting themselves into leadership positions. They are involved in ways that improve life in the sorority or on campus. They are not sorority girly girl petitioning for more keg parties around campus, they are the sorority girls advocating for their philanthropy.
Often the ones serving on the College senate art those who belong to Greek Life. The relentless chanting of the sorority girly girl mirrors her relentless commitment to progress. They are the women looking to change the world and want experience in positions that let them do that. There are multitudes of successful women who belonged to sororities during their time at college. To name a few, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, Katie Couric, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jennifer Gardner, Aretha Franklin, and so many more.
It’s not about being surrounded by sorority girly girls, it’s about being surrounded by women who empower and inspire you.
With all that said, if your natural tendencies are on what people classify as “girly girl,” you’ll still be welcomed in the sorority. The most important part isn’t being a sorority girly girl it’s just being yourself and finding the people you can do that with.
If you’d rather watch a movie with a full face of makeup and dress, and your sister would rather watch in sweats, that’s okay. So long as you both understand each other’s differences and don’t care. You might love the matching outfits and prim and proper aspect of recruitment more than the next girl. But you know what, that’s when you shine for your chapter because everyone needs a little extra moral that week.
There should be no pressure in any sorority to be more or less of a girly girl. And if you’re being told otherwise, that’s not a sorority focused on the right priorities.
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