Stigma Stigma Stigma

Its finally over, the overwhelming flow of Instagram posts of girls during recruitment have come to an end.  The foundations of sorority life is built on the idea of sisterhood. Having people to lean on, hyping each other up and supporting one another. Sorority life and the values they possess promote feminism. However, the stigma of sorority rankings and tiers contradicts the core meaning of sisterhood and what it represents. In the age of social media sorority life has changed, the pressure and anxiety  girls feel going through the process of recruitment to be in one of the “top tier”  sororities is influenced by the photos and basic social standards of wanting to be “the best”. I know this because I experienced this freshman year going through the process of recruitment.

Coming into JMU I knew some people from my high school that were already in Greek life, being told that “you want to be in this one” or “that sorority is no good”. So, on bid day when I did not get into what was described to me as a “top sorority” I judged myself feeling insecure thinking I was being judged by everyone else. Looking back now I kick myself at the idea that I even let what I thought others would think affect how I felt about myself, not wearing my letters on campus insecure about the whispers I thought I would hear. The reputation sororities have especially from the perspective of fraternities plays a major role in how sororities are ranked. Ladies I am hear to tell you that if Brad judges you or looks down on you because of you’re “rank” in Greek life, please RUN FOR THE DAMN HILLS.

I don’t mean to sit hear bashing on sorority life because I am a member of a sorority and am confident with both who I am and what letters I represent. However, it took time for me to get this point, I am bashing on the stigma that what sorority you are in defines you as individual and how someone even has the opportunity to judge you negatively based off the letters on you’re shirt without knowing anything else about you. Though my recruitment experience was emotionally draining and brought insecurities to the surface that I didn’t even know I had, I wouldn’t change any part of what I went through because it formed me into the person I am today. I believe that everything happens for a reason, if I ended up in what was described to me as  “top tier” sorority I never would have grown as a person or have learned genuine self love.

 College is a time of finding yourself and becoming an individual, making yourself the main priority and doing and being around the people that make you genuinely happy. The purpose of sororities is to have a support system and practice values that you feel strongly about with other girls, not a competition of who can get the hottest girls and be ranked the highest by the frats. The only approval you need is from yourself, because you are you’re biggest supporter and hype man, not Brad with a nicotine addiction and a snapback. Trust me.

I do not own any images featured in this blog The images featured in this post are credited to:

https://www.racked.com/2017/8/30/16218066/sorority-dress-code-rush-t-shirts

https://people.howstuffworks.com/sorority.htm

https://www.pinterest.com/

Additional sources:

No, Your Sorority Is Not A Feminist Organization