How My Clothing Got Me Recruited by a Sorority
February 15, 2010 | ama83
Whenever I have come across sorority girls or fraternity boys, I always thought that it looked like it was the cool people who made up the crowd. And although I did not want to stereotype against my fellow students, I just figured that sororities and fraternities were made up of similar people because those are the only ones who want to join…I was only half right.
Although I was correct about how particular people join particular sororities and fraternities, I was wrong about how it was done. It isn’t the people who want to join who stereotype; it is the people who recruit who stereotype.
I have never considered myself one of the popular people because I was never outgoing enough to be known as social. Therefore, joining a sorority had never called my attention before. I had never even known any friends or family members who were in their own sororities, so I was a little unknowing of how joining one would benefit me at all.
The one day I finally learned what being part of a sorority was about was a hot day on campus when I decided to cut the heat by wearing a cooling turquoise halter top and style my hair carefully (I was trying to impress a guy in class). Feeling extra confident that day, I was attracting some complimentary stares as I walked through the stretch of flyers and event tables. And for the first time in two years that I had walked past those sorority tables, I actually had one girl come up and ask me about joining her sorority. She made a quick joke about her t-shirt’s color matching my own top. I smiled politely and told her I really did not know or understand the point of being in a sorority. And before I could walk away, the girl slowly followed me a couple of steps to fill me in on the advantages of being a sorority sister.
Sororities do charity work, she told me, which goes great on a person’s resume. They become more involved in the community, making contacts with people in the city. Not to mention the fact that joining a sorority also means that many new friends are instantly made. Sorority sisters support each other in both academics and emotional strife as fellow students.
I listened to this girl and politely thanked her for all of her information before taking her number for future reference as I considered the proposal she offered. As I walked away and contemplated how enriching the sorority sounded, I was stopped again by another sorority sister in turquoise. She also wanted to invite me to join her sorority, which was the same sorority as the other girl I had just spoken too.
As I slowly scanned the crowd, I realized that the girls who were recruiting that day were all wearing the same color I was, and they were all pretty looking girls with nicely done hair. Considering I had never been given an invitation when I walked through campus wearing my baggy red sweater with Donald Duck on the front, I can only guess that the reason these girls were picking me out was because I happened to fit their image that day.
It’s too bad really. I almost believed that there was more to a sorority than fitting in with the popular crowd.
There have been other experiences and observations made in some recent blogs on Studentstuff, particularly on dress codes, but have any of our readers had any similar or different experiences of their own with sorority or fraternity recruiters?
I admit it, I laughed when I read your story. I don’t dress to impress on campus, and those Greek Life tables never attempt to recruit me with my kind of wild hair, t-shirt and flared pants (darn whoever decided skinny jeans were in!).
And now you have made me laugh,too! I suppose the point to keep in mind is that if we are comfortable enough to be who we are, then we probably wouldn’t want to be in a group that judges people on their jeans, sweaters, or haird
I wonder how much community service is actually done compared to partying and mindless initiation practices
I had never heard of such a thing as a sorority when I was in school, and now, from everything I hear about them, I don’t think I care for them. Not for me, at least.