Exposé

Wow, it's been awhile. And there's been lots going on. I am going to use this opportunity to uncover the truths about sorority stereotypes, at least as far as my experience has shown me.

So people tend to believe that sorority girls are a bunch of overly tanned fake blondes who only wear designer clothes and have their daddy's credit card and don't eat and are stupid bitches who drink and sleep around.

I have discovered that in part, this is true. Not so much the image part of the equation, but definitely the personality. I have always been optimistic about my chapter (which, for many reasons, will remain unnamed), but after being in a room with the majority of my sorority sisters for 13 hours at a time for five days for recruitment, I am starting to get a little cynical. Or should I say, a lot cynical.

Before I dive in to all the shit, let me start by saying this much. I am really involved in my sorority, and I plan to stay involved. They are honestly the reason I am still at school this semester... I wanted to take a semester off but I decided that I cared more about my responsibility in the sorority than I did about all the crap I've been dealing with outside of it. So that said, let the shit hit the fan.

First of all, here is my theory on sluttiness/drinking/etc... that tends to be the reputation of sorority girls. I think that the greek system is an overall representation of the campus and if you really looked at it, the percentage of girls who are sluts or drunks or druggies in the greek system is probably the same as on campus. However, it is magnified by the fact that it is a smaller concentration of college women and the fact that they tend to be more visible on campus as a group. So yea, there are a lot of sluts and drunks and druggies, but no more than on the rest of campus.

Point number two. That whole idea of sisterhood and being really close with the girls in the sorority and always having each other's backs? Bullshit. Let me start by saying that there are so many cliques that are impossible to break into, and yes, it goes back to the high school dynamic of the popular girls v. everyone else. There is a definite hierarchy and unless you make herculean efforts, it is really hard to move up in the system. I have been lucky enough to make said herculean efforts, and I actually have moved up. And honestly, I like being near the top. Aside from all that high school crap, let me tell you that there is no way you can trust anyone in the sorority. The only experience I have had is backstabbing and abandonment from my friends. Not to say that I'm a perfect angel, but come on. I actually left middle school the good part of a decade ago. I wish everyone else would.

And then there is the trash talking. Sorority against sorority. It's a bunch of crap. Just because a different group of girls wears a different set of letters than you, doesn't mean that they are a better or worse person. They are just different and fit in with different girls than you do. Not much else to say on that.

Hazing... yea we actually don't do that. Some girls do, but as a campus and as a sorority we are very much against it.

And then there are the politics. Absolutely ridiculous. The girls in power have way too much power, and the girls not in power have absolutely zero. Which is one reason why I got a position this year. I'd like to have a say in how things go down. Even with a position, there is so much going on behind the scenes that I don't know about. Especially with recruitment- things like hiding girls by sending them home and being very careful about who picks up what girls when they walk in the door so that we only get "good" people. AKA pretty people.

Now, after I have bitched about my sorority and said how awful it is, I will also say that I am so glad I am involved. It has given me many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. And I have met so many people through the sorority that have become great friends. My big sister from the sorority is one of my favorite people in the world, and we honestly care about each other a lot. She is not the gossiping, backstabbing type. So in the long run, there are a few gems and there are some great rewards. I wouldn't take back my experience ever, even if it has been a bit dramatic and annoying at times. And I would say it's about time for me to stop my rant :P