The Mask: Sorority Girl Edition
I stood in front of my first sorority house on the first day of recruitment.
One by one, girls filed out wearing four inch wedges and sporting the best contour jobs I'd ever seen, all with perfect smiles plastered on their faces.
Soon, a girl picked me up and began to guide me through their house, which looked like it came straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog.
"One of our sisters has a mom who redesigned our house for us", she said nonchalantly, as if it didn't cost thousands of dollars.
She then proceeded to show me an entire wall decorated with paddles, explaining to me that everyone crafts one for their sorority bigs.
We continued to walk past clones of the girl I was talking to, and I remember barely being able to carry the conversation as I looked around at what they called, "sisterhood."
Before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to her and I walked out of the house, honestly speechless.
Looking back, only a dumbass would even consider finishing out recruitment after that first interaction with Greek life (I was a dumbass). Naturally, the stereotypes sororities are given can be explained through stories like that. Through social media, I'm sure we've all gathered that sorority girls are just rich, basic bitches who care about appearances, boys, and partying. Yet, somehow, these girls are still idolized by young women coming into college. Blinded by the glamor of Greek life, you're immediately conditioned to want to join the house that has the prettiest girls and the best Instagram feed. I would know; I was one of those girls.
But if you're lucky enough, you stumble across a woman and a house that makes you realize that there's a human being behind the mask that is, "The Sorority Girl." For me, that girl was Nikki. Nikki was that super pretty, yet cool chick, who pulls off a nose ring better than anyone I've ever seen. To be honest, I was obsessed with her. I watched her eyes light up as she talked about her plan to get her MBA after graduation and I was immediately drawn to her ambition. When telling her my major, she didn't respond by saying, "Wow that sounds hard," like every other girl I'd talked to all week. Instead, she asked me why I chose to study computer science. With her sense of curiosity and authenticity, I found myself telling her my fears about college; whether I could handle the workload that came with my major or how I only knew two people in this state, both of which lived three hours away from me. In this way, Nikki, the sorority girl, became Nikki, my friend. She was the reason I went Greek.
Like Nikki, every other girl in that house is just as admirable as she is. In that mix, I was somehow accepted like family and I got to meet some of the most inspiring women I know. Megan's a student athlete who throws javelin for the Varsity Track Team and still manages to study Industrial Engineering. Jenna is a recent alumna who graduated with honors and now works at Apple as a Software Developer. Anna, my big, is the strongest person I know. She's been through so much adversity, yet she still greets everyone with a smile and a warm heart. Celine, my little, is my treasure. I'll make another post dedicated to her, but for now, let's just say that I love her like she's my first-born child.
Uncoincidentally, the founders of my sorority are also the most B.A. women in the world. Bettie Locke was a student at DePauw University who wanted to join a fraternity but was denied access to the organization's secrets because she was a woman. Instead, Bettie, along with three other women, created the first Greek lettered fraternity known among women, naming it Kappa Alpha Theta. They wanted to create an organization for women in an environment where they were looked down upon for choosing academics over the traditional path of marriage. Sororities were created as a form of empowerment for women; a safe space where they could encourage and motivate one another. That's where the sisterhood stems from.
Sororities have the potential to impact and influence young women to become amazing leaders. The strong, passionate individuals that I've gotten to know are the women who will change the world. In this way, Theta has enriched my college experience more than I could have ever imagined. The people I am lucky enough to call my sisters inspire me to chase after my dreams everyday. Even if those dreams include going to In-N-Out at one a.m., they've got you.
Looking back, only a dumbass would even consider finishing out recruitment after that first interaction with Greek life (I was a dumbass). Naturally, the stereotypes sororities are given can be explained through stories like that. Through social media, I'm sure we've all gathered that sorority girls are just rich, basic bitches who care about appearances, boys, and partying. Yet, somehow, these girls are still idolized by young women coming into college. Blinded by the glamor of Greek life, you're immediately conditioned to want to join the house that has the prettiest girls and the best Instagram feed. I would know; I was one of those girls.
But if you're lucky enough, you stumble across a woman and a house that makes you realize that there's a human being behind the mask that is, "The Sorority Girl." For me, that girl was Nikki. Nikki was that super pretty, yet cool chick, who pulls off a nose ring better than anyone I've ever seen. To be honest, I was obsessed with her. I watched her eyes light up as she talked about her plan to get her MBA after graduation and I was immediately drawn to her ambition. When telling her my major, she didn't respond by saying, "Wow that sounds hard," like every other girl I'd talked to all week. Instead, she asked me why I chose to study computer science. With her sense of curiosity and authenticity, I found myself telling her my fears about college; whether I could handle the workload that came with my major or how I only knew two people in this state, both of which lived three hours away from me. In this way, Nikki, the sorority girl, became Nikki, my friend. She was the reason I went Greek.
Like Nikki, every other girl in that house is just as admirable as she is. In that mix, I was somehow accepted like family and I got to meet some of the most inspiring women I know. Megan's a student athlete who throws javelin for the Varsity Track Team and still manages to study Industrial Engineering. Jenna is a recent alumna who graduated with honors and now works at Apple as a Software Developer. Anna, my big, is the strongest person I know. She's been through so much adversity, yet she still greets everyone with a smile and a warm heart. Celine, my little, is my treasure. I'll make another post dedicated to her, but for now, let's just say that I love her like she's my first-born child.
Uncoincidentally, the founders of my sorority are also the most B.A. women in the world. Bettie Locke was a student at DePauw University who wanted to join a fraternity but was denied access to the organization's secrets because she was a woman. Instead, Bettie, along with three other women, created the first Greek lettered fraternity known among women, naming it Kappa Alpha Theta. They wanted to create an organization for women in an environment where they were looked down upon for choosing academics over the traditional path of marriage. Sororities were created as a form of empowerment for women; a safe space where they could encourage and motivate one another. That's where the sisterhood stems from.
Sororities have the potential to impact and influence young women to become amazing leaders. The strong, passionate individuals that I've gotten to know are the women who will change the world. In this way, Theta has enriched my college experience more than I could have ever imagined. The people I am lucky enough to call my sisters inspire me to chase after my dreams everyday. Even if those dreams include going to In-N-Out at one a.m., they've got you.