They are making theta's with their mouths. Looks strange to me.

Sigh.... yes, they are making the Theta sign. Many of us older alumnae really dislike this, me included. Really does not look lady-like at all. Please stick with the kite, ladies!

I also like the large 2-person kite with a third person sticking her head out the middle. I probably didn't describe it well, but it looks cute. My significant other's cousin is a Theta alum, and she's at that age where her friends are getting married every other month, so she's always posting pictures from weddings where she & her Theta sisters are making kite hands.

The "Sailor Salute," "Popping the Gamma," "DG Salute," whatever you want to call it is popular in DG photos these days. I think it started with one of the Florida chapters in the past 10 years or so (I pledged 10 years ago, and it was just starting to get noticed...now it's in almost all DG group shots!). Here is what we are going for:

http://media-cache-lt0.pinterest.com...rMbUnVkD_c.jpg

This is the only handsign for an NPC group that I like. I think most of them look silly and try hard. But what do I know? I'm old.

DG hand sign
 

Thank you, amiblue!

I like our diamond. Simple and cute.

I see lots of photos online where NPC sorority women will get a celebrity or famous person to pose doing their hand-sign. This is odd to me, because for my org. and most other NALFO orgs., it is highly inappropriate to allow someone to do your hand-sign in your presence.

Isn't that decades old? I swear I've seen vintage pics with it too.

And lord the backlash when it does happen, like MediaTakeOut seeing the following picture and running it as a story:

Waka Flocka with the Alphas

http://a1.img.mobypicture.com/815474...981c4_view.jpg

Waka Flocka with the Kappas

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sck8jn3Y0j..._8216430_n.jpg

Please note, we do not like this generally.

As for the use of the hand sign, I had a fun experience while a bunch of my non-greek friends and I were driving down to Florida. Someone pointed out an ADPi bumper sticker, so I told the driver to get even with the car. When we were even, I put my two fingers in the half-diamond onto the car window facing them, and they all excitedly made the other half of the diamond! Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of it, but it truly was fun!

I think one difference may be (and please someone correct me if I'm wrong!!!!) is that I don't believe any of the NPC 'hand signs' are official with their respective HQs. So it's not like they are sharing some that is official/secretive with a non-initiated members. From my understand (again, correct me if I'm wrong), there ARE organization that recognizes hand signs as something official--and in those situations I can see why it's problematic.

I think you're on the right track. It's also, in my experience, a relatively new phenomenon for most if not all NPC groups. I was initiated in the 90s, and hands signs were unheard of for us.

There are probably some organizations that have made hand signs "official" (perhaps in their constitutions or by-laws), but from my understanding, many of these hand signs are "unofficial" and have just been passed down through the years. Either way, for many culturally-based GLO members, allowing a non-member to throw up your hand sign in front of you (and worse, to take a photo) is just something you would never want to do, no matter how famous or cool that non-member is.

And Gamma Xi Phi....I'm not sure who Wocka-Flocka is, but those pics could not have gone over too well (especially posted together)!

SigEp has a whistle which is used pretty rarely. A fair amount of guys that I did my 4 years with know it, but I think the current undergrads probably don't know it. I always like doing it, though, if I'm walking through the store because it's call and response. Just fishing for someone to answer. :P

SigEp doesn't have a widespread hand sign, either. Whenever I've seen them they're just by chapter.

What I've seen, though, is:
- one that looks like the Kappas' sign, but with the three fingers open,
- one that looks like the Sigma hand sign but with the thumb out,
- & one making a heart with index fingers and thumbs with other fingers in the air, making a crown.

I like them all and use them on occasion in photos.