Heh, I'm not exactly the best person to ask about this...my hair was RED (not necessarily primary color red, but very visible, very red natural) during recruitment and during my active years. It's only recently grown out because I can't spare the funds to buy dye at the moment. And I work in art. And I have a proclivity for punk rock (and a distaste of hot topic).

Again, I think it boils down to two factors, campus culture and your desired sisterhood. At my alma mater, we're ridiculously laid back (sometimes to our detriment) about recruitment, and girls with crazy hair, piercings, tattoos and weird socks get bids, as do girls with Betsy Johnson and Lilly what'sherface clothes, sometimes in the same chapter! My own personal feeling is that I'd be extremely uncomfortable with a sorority that didn't take me as I was or that couldn't see my underlying potential. If the exterior is a reason to write off the interior...then I don't want any part of that.

I know, I know, presentation is important, but it isn't everything. If a PNM is intelligent, creative, and fits the ideals of my chapter but doesn't have a natural hair color, hell yes I'd vote for her. A girl that looks put together but has the personality of road apples? nope, no thanks. Ultimately, you end up covered in modge podge, sleep deprived, and desperately trying to start a fire with wet kindling with these girls. In these situations, I'd rather be comfortable in my self, rather than in my appearance.

That all being said, the above posters have spoke the truth. It may hurt your recruitment results. If you're ok with that, then great, on with the dye. If you're not ok with that, then reconsider.

Well I doubt that she wants to be in a crappy sorority when she can be in a good one where she'll feel comfortable. She will be disabling herself from having a chance to be in about half of the sororities, one of which may be the best fit for her. If she felt really strongly about having the weird haircolor and really wanted to keep it then I doubt she would even consider getting rid of it.

I've been lurking for awhile, but I really felt the need to voice my opinion on this subject. I am a guy and although I do not understand all the details of sorority rush, I know most of the ins and outs, at least on my campus.

This is all subjective and can vary from campus to campus. But, as a general rule, you should treat rush exactly like a job interview. If you go into an interview at a big time law firm (or anywhere outside the performing arts, etc) with purple hair, you are NOT going to get the job, no matter how qualified you may be. Rush is the same way, at least at moderately to extremely competitive campuses. Purple hair looks bad, and it makes the organization look bad, whether that is a law firm or a sorority or anything else. If you don't get the hypothetical job, you're not going to say, "well if they're gonna judge me on my hair, maybe the firm wasn't the right fit anyways".

Also, I think another dimension to this issue may be how girls view rush. I go to a very competitive school in the SEC (let's not turn this into another South vs North thing, though) and about 90% of girls who plan on rushing want to pledge one of the big 4 (the top sororities on campus), even after rush starts. It seems like at smaller schools or school that aren't as competitive rush is more about "finding the right fit". The truth is...sororities are big enough here to where girls will find their niche group within any sorority they may pledge so "finding the right fit" becomes a moot point. I can see how purple hair may not be such a problem at a school where a girl's main goal is to find the sorority that best fits her.

I'm trying to put my thoughts into words, but it's been a long day and I'm having a hard time doing so, but hopefully what I wrote makes sense.

I'd like to say that your hair doesn't matter, but let's face it -- first impressions are huge. Unfortunately, some people won't be able to see beyond that. If your hair isn't an unusual color right now, why not wait until rush is over and then decide what to do with your hair?

I am in a sorority at Syracuse. While blue hair might make you stand out, it might not do so in a positive way.

At my chapter I can't imagine it hurting your chance of getting a bid. At my school there are girls with unnatural haircolors in 2 of the other 3 sororities, so presumably they wouldn't care either. If it looks classy, or at least more so than not, it should be fine, so long as you don't have a negative attitude, or go into recruitment expecting to be cut because of it. The way you present yourself as a person matters a lot more than things like haircolor.

This isn't necessarily about hair, but when I went through rush in the fall, I was cut from at least one sorority because I have a lip ring. The sorority I know I was cut from for that reason was the one with 10+ of my friends, one of which cried when they cut me after the first day. The chapter advisor wouldn't let them take on any girls with facial piercings or oddly colored hair.
I did find a sorority who accepted me for who I am, which is great! It really hurt to have a 3.75 GPA, been a member/leader in 7 clubs in High school, and graduated early, but still not being "good enough" because of a lip ring. Oh well. The girls in that sorority and I are still great friends, so it all worked out. :)

how do you know that? Member selection is among members, not advisors...they are there for well..advising...not picking who shouldnt be selected..

Several girls told me that was why, independently of each other. They said the advisor also made an active of that chapter dye her hair back after she'd put pink streaks in it.

Hmm that is quite unfortunate.. that advisor shouldnt be getting so involved like that honestly.

Also, you might want to let your sorority friends know that they can get into trouble talking about member selection to a non member...

Now I got to a uni up in Canada so what I'm saying most likely won't apply to your school, but at my university there are girls in chapters with strange[ish] hair colours...one of my sisters has pink streaks in her really dark brown hair and there are girls in my chapter(and others) with tattoos and peircings. But for the most part, even on our campus that has a small greek life, sorority members are rather on the conservative side of appearance (most of the tattoos are in places that can be hidden, and the coloured hair isn't too extreme)


The only advice I can give is to assess what sorority members are like at your school; conservative? more-laid back when it comes to trendy/funky hair/clothing? and then go from there, but never change who you are as a person. A hair colour shouldn't define you or your personality, you can still communicate your style without having abnormal hair....you could also try having really dark brown/black hair and getting the purple put in after recruitment, then it isn't changing your hair up too much if you do recieve a bid and wouldn't jeapordize your recruitment either.

"The weirder you are going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person."
-P.J. O'Rourke

I wouldn't suggest dying your hair purple and black before rush.

Everyone will be focusing on your hair, and not what's under it, YOU!.

Let's face it, it's a conversation starter or stopper.

While going through rush, with your normal hair, you will have the opportunity to meet more women. Maybe on day one, you talk to 3 girls, and THEY don't like purple and black hair, so they say you are boring, mean, or whatever, and get you released for a bogus reason. The rest of the sorority couldn't care less about your hair color, and would find you a great, cool member. Sadly, they'll never know, because they didn't have the opportunity to meet you. You will be giving yourself more opportunity to meet more girls.

Get your foot in the door, meet as many members as you can, be yourself, by the end of recruitment, you'll know which house would love YOU, purple hair and all, and where you are "at home".

Also, you will be with a lot of PNMs, who can be catty and immature, and recruitment is stressful enough, without this additional hassle. If you join the house that's right for you, and you still want to color it, then color it. Sure, there will always be some who won't like it, but you'll be with other great women who love you for you.

I just don't want 1-3 members that you initially meet, to get you released because THEY don't like purple hair. Also, there are older women who are advisors that if they heard "the purple and black hair girl" would freak, and they could sway some members votes. It does happen.

I speak from experience as a PNM, active, and advisor, and I hope it helps. I like purple! Good Luck!

LOL, if you look like a different TYPE of person, well just do not even think about it as The Girls will go EEEWWWWW!

You are gone in the life of GreekDom.:D

We are Elite as Greeks, ask anyone on site!:)

If you will not fit in as a Pledge, You will not fit in as an Active!;)

If someone has Purple Hair in the Chapter, they may not be very active or productive? Just my take on the wierd folks?

Tom, please do not judge the productivity of people with whom you are not familiar. I'd really like to know why you think purple streaks=not active in a chapter. Spell it out for me.

We've heard from women who say it wouldn't be a problem at their school and/or chapter, and we've heard from women who say it would be a problem at their school and/or chapter. To really put it to rest, the OP asked about Syracuse, and we got feedback from Syracuse sorority members and others familiar with Syracuse.