Coming from a state where Greek life isn't too big of a deal, I had never really considered joining a sorority in college until I picked a college in the deep South. Pretty much all I knew about sorority girls came from the movie and musical "Legally Blonde," and I didn't really want to be associated with the "Oh, my God" girls. The movie/musical shows the sisters of Delta Nu as ditzy, girly, party girls. After joining a sorority myself I see that's clearly not the case, but there are a few things about sorority girls that were spot on in "Legally Blonde" that make me proud to be one.
We are excited for each other when something good happens.
At the beginning of the musical, all of the sisters were excited because they thought Elle was about to get engaged to Warner. Of course, this was meant to satirize sorority girls who are obsessed with getting their MRS degree, but it also shows how when something good happens to one sister, we're all happy. Since joining a sorority, I've noticed how we all get excited when one of our sisters is admitted into the nursing program, gets into med school, or gets an awesome summer internship. Of course, when someone gets engaged we celebrate, but we also celebrate when a sister accomplishes something that will move them forward in other ways too.
We help each other through difficult times.
When Warner breaks up with Elle, all the sisters of Delta Nu help her through her hard time. They bring her her favorite magazines and comfort her in any way that they can. This is true in real life too. We always have our sisters' backs when they are going through something. We send them encouraging texts, pray for them, sit in the car with them while they cry their eyes out, and promise them that everything will be okay. The support system we get with our sisters is incredible.
We work hard to accomplish our goals.
Elle makes it her goal to get into the prestigious Harvard Law School and is driven to succeed. If you talk to any sorority girl, you'll quickly learn that we have big dreams, and we do everything we can to fulfill them. This ranges from raising money for our philanthropies to school sports to our career goals. Whatever a sorority girl sets her eye on, the values our sororities instill in us helps us accomplish our goals. It also helps that we have our sisters supporting us along the way.
We study a ton.
Although most of the Delta Nu girls are pretty ditzy, and studying seems to be their last priority, Elle Woods sets the example for the actual sorority girls out there. Elle had a 4.0 even before she set her sights on Harvard (true, her major was Fashion Merchandising), and she studied day and night to get the LSAT score she needed. Academics are one of the primary aspects of Greek Life. The different sororities compete against each other to get highest grades on the hill, and getting good grades is a pretty big deal. Sororities often have study halls where girls can go study with their sisters and get help with things they don't understand. I know that at least for me, my nightly regimen consists of hours in the library studying and doing homework.
So maybe "Legally Blonde" doesn't portray sorority girls in the best light, but the parts of the movie/musical that were accurate are things to be proud of. Like the Delta Nu girls, each sorority girl shares a bond with her sisters that cannot be replaced.
