The Pi Phi Sorority Dress Code Causes a Stir
February 3, 2010 | Jen Smith
When I saw a bevy of girls trekking through rain, parading from house to house in high heels and wet cashmere sweaters, I realized just how brutal rush week for a college sorority can be.
And when it comes to dress code, the Greeks really don’t mess around. A rush week dress code has been circulating the Internet, leaving people baffled, offended and in some cases, in stitches. IvyGate received seven pages of dress code requirements for Pi Phi’s Cornell chapter, and the stipulations range from strict to silly.
Some notable passages:
- “Denim-legging” is appropriate as long as it’s done right: aka, not from American Apparel and worn with chic, cool chunky boots over them and a longer top. NO camel toe.
- No: Muffin tops or extreme low rise!!
- Preferably no short sleeves–recommended: full coverage aka elbow length, 3/4 length, long, thin layers.
- Yes: Nice flats: Tory Burch. Boots: love…worn OVER pants.
- Yes: Shaved legs
- No: Satin. No one looks good in satin dresses unless its from Betsey Johnson or Dolce and Gabbana, you weigh less than 130 pounds, have 3 pairs of spanks on and it’s New Years Eve.
- I’m not saying you have to be wearing the Harry Winston wreath for me to like it, but I am saying I will not tolerate any gross plastic shizzz. Remember: less is more.
- You best have a mani pedi when you get to Ithaca
- No frumpy!
Maybe the rules lighten up once you are a sister, and surely vary from house to house, but it seems the stereotype of sorority girls all dressing the same has some validity. There are pros and cons to going Greek, and whether you want to go through all the pomp and circumstance of pledging is up to you.
Still, note that a degree of individuality goes out the window when you start donning the same dress code as the rest of the house.
Read the full dress code at Fashionista. Do you feel this dress code is overblown? Or an accurate portrayal of rush week stipulations?
What is this, a real-life version of Mean Girls? (”You can only wear jeans once a week, on Fridays, we all wear pink…”)
Don’t people go to college in part to get away from being petty, shallow, unimaginative, and to not have to follow ridiculous social rules?
Brutal is definitely not the term I would use. I’d pick cruel, mean-spirited, grossly out of line, and heinous. God, I want to like the Greek system, I really do. But tales like this make me want to stand up and put my 132 pound self in a satin Betsey Johnson dress and parade around campus just because darn it, I can. Guess I’ll have to pray the Tri-Deltas are okay with that.
Are we talking about the rules listed above? Because those look like good rules to me – you’d hear the same thing on What Not to Wear. I don’t enjoy seeing camel-toe or muffin tops. I’d even like to add one: no low slung pants with high slung thongs. So trashy.
The mani-pedi thing is a bit extreme (and expensive), but the rest of it should be posted inside every college closet as guidelines to civilized dressing.
I’m all for individuality, but I don’t see these particular rules attacking individual style – unless your individual style is that of a camel-toe toting, muffin topper. In which case, I guess it does attack your individual style.
But then, I went to college at UCLA where the student population tends towards skinny, tan, mani-pedied blonds, and my perception of appropriate college-wear may be tainted as a result. If I had gone to UC Santa Cruz, I’m sure I’d have quite another perspective.