You've probably seen the video the Alpha Phi chapter at the University of Alabama released to promote themselves during recruitment. Dozens of blonde beauties flash across the screen with million-dollar smiles and bronzed, half-naked bodies. In an article published on al.com, A.L. Bailey said the video was "worse for women than Donald Trump."
However, in Alpha Phi's defense, this isn't the first video of its kind. For the past two years or so, sororities have been putting out highly-produced videos of their members skipping around hand-in-hand with their friends in full hair and makeup, resembling a small clan of real-life Barbies. The idea is to attract potential new members to their sorority, but despite the cute outfits and beautiful girls, the videos reflect no real values, no real friendships, and no real representations of what sorority life is actually like.
I think I speak for the majority of sorority women when I say I don't spend my free time running through a field while blowing bubbles with my pledge class. These videos are creating a false reality of what sorority life is like, and are turning off women everywhere from going through recruitment. Since coming to college, I have rarely seen the stereotypes of sorority women fulfilled, but have rather experienced a very real and selfless love from the 250 women I call my friends.
A recruitment video should reflect the achievements of a sorority's members, the values they embody, and the passions they support. The video Alpha Phi and dozens of other sororities have made are tarnishing what it means to be in a sorority, and are resurrecting any previously demolished stereotypes. Sororities are full of diverse members: members of different races, different cultures, and different backgrounds. These idyllic, Malibu-Barbie videos reflect anything but that. Furthermore, flashing half-naked bodies across the Internet sends women 10 steps backwards and encourages the objectification of the female body.
As a former recruitment chair, I understand the need to compete with other sororities through social media. Between Instagram, Tumblr, and now these videos, sorority members often spend a large portion of their summers producing captivating content to entice new members. However, as this season of recruitment winds down, I would like to encourage members to promote real values and real beauty. In turn, our new members will be more passionate about their new sorority, will be more likely to remain active for all four years, and will embody everything your chapter really values.
