This past week, images from the Sigma Kappa's Kappa Zeta chapter at Elon University have circulated social media on all of the platforms. Why? The girls of this sorority brought attention to, and combatted, the stereotypical assumptions of sorority life, many of which often appear on the website Total Sorority Move. The ideas of Greek life that society and the media tend to draw not only puts a bad reputation on the sorority world but puts the sisters of each organization into little boxes of what they think a sorority girl is.
The girls of Kappa Zeta decided that they needed to take some action and defend both their sisterhood and that of other sororities. Using the hashtag #ActualSororityMove, the girls posed with sisters in places across their campus such as the classroom, library, and at the park. The captions of each photo present a generalization to each viewer, followed by how the sister doesn't fit into that idea. The album, which is on the chapter's Facebook page, features 24 photos that each shed light on how each stereotype is beyond wrong. The girls in these photos represent the diversity, intelligence, and individuality—among other qualities—that make up a sorority.
"I write molecules more than my own monogram #ActualSororityMove."
"Sorority girls are supposed to be a size 0, but I am large and in charge #ActualSororityMove."
"Worried about surviving rush week? Try surviving military school boot camp #ActualSororityMove."
Total Sorority Move issued a report on April 20th, in which they stated that though they believe that the girls' support of the Actual Sorority Move movement is amazing, it is also shutting down their own "movement." The writer of the response article says that Total Sorority Move is only making fun of the stereotypes of sororities that were already in place. The website does support the many organizations that make up Greek life, publishing material that shows how amazing some sororities are when it comes to supporting one another, raising money for philanthropy, and the like. The author says that anyone who is offended by the content produced is taking Total Sorority Move too seriously and the website "wants Greeks to succeed."
While I believe that these girls' messages were extremely just, I also do think that Total Sorority Move is not at fault. The initial impression of Total Sorority Move is not exactly a kind one. I often stumble upon the articles myself, and with titles such as "18 Ways To Trick People Into Thinking You're Classy" or "How To Successfully Move On From One Guy To His Friend," it's hard not to have an awful first impression of the website, though the articles themselves are sarcastic and funny. That bad impression can make it easy to target them and hold them responsible for supporting these awful, sexist stigmas. With most of the media not on the side of Greek Life, it's a challenge to distinguish what social media platforms and websites are on our side. However, this interaction has shown the Greek world that in fact, we have someone on our side -- and that someone is the staff of Total Sorority Move.
The girls took a stand, and in the end, that is all that matters. Their message may have been explicitly pointed at TSM, but it was something that the whole world needed to hear. These girls gained quite a bit of attention, which means that the purpose of #ActualSororityMove is being spread. In turn, society is being told that their stereotypes of sorority life are essentially, for lack of better phrasing, garbage.
The Actual Sorority Move movement is something I personally hold near and dear to my own heart, as a sorority woman myself. Since I joined my sorority in the fall of 2015, I have heard endless remarks on the topic: What's the point of being Greek? You know you're paying for your friends, right? Harlot. I never saw you as a sorority girl. These comments sting, whether they are said humorlessly or not.
Being a part of a sorority hasn't squished any of my potential as a woman. In fact, being in my sisterhood makes me want to be better, work harder, and prove the world wrong. I have been blessed with an amazing support system, which is especially important to me since I am so far from my home. I've learned leadership, and how important it is to hold yourself accountable. In my future, I can have an instant connection if an employer was a sister herself. Joining a sorority has been an extremely important part of my life, and I wouldn't change it for the world.
The moral of this story: all sorority girls are not created equal, and we do not fit into the stereotypes we have been put in. Try to tell us what we aren't, and we will pull out #ActualSororityMove on you. Sorority girls stand together, never forget that.
They say sorority girls like to be in the lights of the party scene, but I like to be in the lights of the stage, with all of my sisters supporting me in the audience #ActualSororityMove.
(Photos above feature me onstage during a recent performance, and my sisters who came to support me. I didn't have time this past show weekend to make a cool sign like the other girls' did!)
