Not a Sorority Girl?
 

I keep reading posts that say, "I never thought I was the sorority girl type", or, "I'm not the typical sorority girl" etc. What I want to know is:

Why didn't or why don't you consider yourself a typical sorority girl?
What is the typical sorority girl?

Just wanted to see what everyone had to say! Have a great night!

What I thought when I read the beginning of this thread: "She's completely right. I never thought I was the "sorority type" when I rushed. And the "sorority type," in my mind, was so many awful things."

then, "Wow. We have so far to go." (as far as ending the stigma.)

I have never, until I joined my house, spent this much time with women, without getting so mad at the pettiness. Women can be so obnoxious sometimes, we are ridiclous and so dramatic somtimes.

I never thought I could put up with it all and that is part of it.

Also, i had the image of girls who dressed the same, were always done up. My house is so laid back it is like the anti-sorority. And I love it. :)

:)
Tau Lovin'
Lil E

I think it can be clarified to say the stereotypical sorority girl, so if that is the case, I never thought I fit that mode because I'm not thin, not blonde, not white, and I don't come from money. I'm a little goofy with a very off-center sense of humour, not to mention that I'm in my 30s! ;)

But even when I was at university, and even when I went through rush all those years ago, I never saw myself in a sorority because I was so obviously different from the women in NPC organizations on my campus. Heck, I was different from the women in NPHC organizations on my campus for that matter! I always wanted a place where I would fit in, but that wasn't possible where I went to school. Thank heavens for alumnae initiation!

Until I joined a sorority I had 1 female friend in college. I had aqaintances, but no real friends. And the one I had went to another college and I have known her since I was 3. All my friends were guys. I have two older brothers, so I am so used to boys ways and how up front they are. They don't hold grudges, they get over stuff and if they have a beef with you they just tell you. That is why all my friends have been guys. THat and I meet a lot of guys that think they want to date and then get to know me and say I act to much like their guy friends.
ANYWAY-
I went through rush because my roommate was getting on my nerves and she is the stereotypical sorority chick. So I figured I would get her off my back. But I met a group of girls that were like me, laid back, fun to talk to, looking for a laugh and a good time, interested in what they can do to help others and just good natured.
Don't get me wrong, I am the petite, long blonde hair, green eyed girl from Kentucky that some picture as a sorority girl, but the two chapters at my school that are like that- well we didn't get along. They thought I was too, well, independant I guess is the word. I don't care what others think of me, I am happy with myself, and I don't care for GOSSIP, Pettiness, childish backstabbing, talking behind backs, etc. these girls were like that.
Anyway, I joined a sorority and you know what it did for me...
Gave me self esteem, helped me become comfortable with the woman side of me and empowered me as a female.
Besides that, all my guy friends loved chilling at a sorority house. And a lot of my sisters were the same as me, they had TONS of guys friends, and we bonded that way too!

Yeah, I would definitely say I'm not the "sorority girl" type. At other schools in North Carolina, that stereotype is out in full force... I could never be in a sorority there. But at my school, I'm starting to develop a new definition of a sorority girl, a good one:

A sorority girl is a girl with a smile on her face walking to class... a girl who likes to have fun... a girl who is not necessarily gorgeous but there is just something CUTE about her...a girl who not only enjoys fraternity parties on Friday night, but school basketball games on Tuesdays and watching Friends with her girls on Thursdays... a girl who keeps herself busy with school, work, and good times!

I love this definition! :)

I also never saw myself as a "sorority girl". I always thought of sorority girls are girls who always have to look perfect, always partied, superficial stuff like that. And then I took a closer look and noticed how close the bond is between sisters, and how there is no "sorority girl" look; each girl is beautiful in her own way. Especially my new sisters!!

I love Delta Gam!

I never, ever thought of myself as a sorority girl. I didn't come to college looking to join a sorority because I thought they wouldn't accept me because I'm not blonde, blue eyes, rich, and skinny. Then one of my best friends went through formal recruitment my freshman year. She just went through it to see what it was all about and absolutely fell in love with the girls of Alpha Phi. She introduced me that semester to her future sisters and I fell in love with them as well. I joined because I felt accept by people of all shapes and sizes who joined because they needed female companionship. (The ratio here is 5 males to 1 female.) Now I can't see myself having done anything else. Yes, I still am no where near the stereotypical sorority girl image that people still think exists everywhere (they should come see my chapter), but there's more to being in a Greek Letter Organization than what you look like. I honestly don't know where I'd be right now if I hadn't joined Alpha Phi.

On a related note..
 

I had an interesting experience in class this afternoon, but first a little backstory.

I drink a lot of water, but I'm too cheap to buy bottled water. So I usually have a tumbler with me that I refill from the water coolers in my department. Today, I packed my "I (heart) AF tumbler and was drinking from it in class. During a break from class, one of my classmates -- who I also consider a friend -- asked me if the tumbler belonged to me or if I got it for free and was just using it. I told her it was mine, and that I got it at a sorority conference. She looked at me and said, completely surprised, "You're in a sorority?" I couldn't tell from her tone of voice was surprise that someone like me was in a sorority, or that someone she likes and respects would be in a sorority.

It just goes to show you that we really do have a long way to go toward dispelling sorority stereotypes.

I always thought of sorority girls as the girls I HATED in highschool, the girls who think they are great and get all the boys...granted some of them are, but so many more are girls like me or not like me, they are all so diverse...I learned that there is no "sorority" girls, like my lil for example is like this girl who listens to underground hardcore music and that is like a big part of her life, so she is the last type of person I would expect to join a sorority, but she joined for the same reason as all of us, for sisterhood and now that I am part of a sisterhood, I understand.

This thread is giving me warm fuzzies. My chapter talks about this all the time...how we are stereotypical. It is kinda nice to see out there that women do join for the empowerment and connections with women like themselves in some fashion. I love being a part of my house. It gives me time away from the boy and time to be a girl (though not always a lady ;) )
So i just wanted to say
WARM FUZZIES!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad that people took this thread in the spirit it was meant. I'm so enjoying reading what each of you have to say!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled program. Carry on.

It took me a long time to start thinking of myself as a potential "sorority girl." I always thought I was too smart for it, too shy and quiet, not pretty enough, not superficial enough, not rich enough. Fortunately I had a camp counselor whom I absolutely loved, and she was in a sorority at the University of Minnesota, and it made me completely re-think my idea of what a "sorority girl" was actually like. As I got older, I also got more outgoing, more confident, more involved in extracurricular activities, less serious -- and I started to wonder if maybe I would like being in a sorority after all.

I have to admit that my school does have many of the stereotypical sorority girls -- but it also has an equal amount of non-stereotypical ones.

I love CarolinaCutie's definition of a sorority girl too.

Well...
 

...I don't think anyone who pictures herself as "the typical sorority girl" will post here and say, why yes I AM the typical sorority girl :D

Personally I think whether we admit it or not...we all have some sort of stereotype in mind -- Legally Blond? Animal House? Otherwise how can we say we are NOT a typical sorority girl?

There are some who say they aren't typical but they actually fit the "mold" pretty closely...and then there are those who, no matter which way you cut it, are not even close to being sterotypical! That would have been me -- as an ROTC cadet in the mid 1970s at a liberal southern California university going thru rush, I was as far from being a typical sorority girl as Tom Hanks! Even during my 22 year Air Force career, I had many colleagues, commanders and subordinates express surprise -- almost bordering on shock -- when they found out I was in a sorority! For some reason, even though I am retired, I still get that stupefied reaction nowadays :rolleyes:

I recall my late grandmother one day tsk-tsking my youngest sister about sororities and I could tell she really had the stereotypical sororoity girl in her mind...it wasn't until I pointed out to her that her favorite author -- Pearl Buck -- was in a sorority that she started softening up!

Re: Well...
 

Well, then I'll go out on a limb and say I think I was a somewhat typical sorority girl :D

I wasn't "typical" because I wasn't a size 6, blonde or rich. My family didn't have a rich tradition of GLO membership until my generation (at Christmases with my dad's family, we girl cousins represented AOII, Theta, Phi Mu and Pi Phi in our college days! The boys were Phi Taus or independents.)

Even so, in many ways I was a "typical" sorority girl, especially for my school back then. I was a brown-eyed brunette, very preppy, involved in extracurricular activities, went to a local private all-girl HS, and my daddy was a lawyer (not a rich lawyer, but one nonetheless.) I think I fit every part of CarolinaCutie's definition of a sorority girl! It really sums up what many people considered a sorority girl to be at my school 'back in the day.'

I always knew I wanted to be in a sorority, but the sororities I knew about didn't have chapters at my school. AOII found me, I found AOII, and the rest is history! I'm a sorority girl. I always was, I always will be, and I like it like that :)


Christin

Definitely atypical sorority girl...
 

I got married when I was still a teenager. Talk about atypical!

Outside of my religious beliefs, joining AOII has been the best decision of my life.

AOIISilver

FYI: Yes, I AM from rural Tennessee. Yes, I am still married to the same wonderful guy.

I'll go out on the limb here too... I ALWAYS (like from the time I was five) saw myself as a sorority girl.

People often tell me that I am "so" sorority girl. It's not that I'm a total materialistic, backstabbing brat (although I do like nice things... clothes, jewelry, etc.). It's just that I am from a fortunate family, and I am blonde and happy all the time. I like to go out and have fun -- you know, the cheerleader kind of persona.

You know those things about being a sorority bitch? Well, that's sort of me... but I'm not a bitch... I'm sweet! :)

The funny thing is, I chose to join one of the less "typical" sororities on my campus... I don't think I could handle being around a hundred of me all the time -- it would be overwhelming. :)

Honestly, I don't think I fit the stereotypical profile of a "sorority girl," but a lot of people in my chapter do. And you know what- I like them just the same. We have a lot of different girls in the chapter- lots of independents, lots of cliquey girls, but all in all, it works out. We have our bad moments, but it STILL works out. And that's what i feel true sisterhood is like... I dont think anyone can claim they have a "perfect" sisterhood...

Anyways, off the topic... I actually never even contemplated joining a sorority until I was being stalked by my ex during freshman orientation and because he was so timid around large groups of girls, I figured I could just join in the conversation with some sorority girls and he would leave me alone... he did for a while, but he rushed and joined a house same time as me... we don't talk though and I like to keep it that way... strange how things work out...

I never thought I would be a sorority girl because I am a guy.

I am not the typical sorority girl. My boyfriend was actually shocked when he learned that I am in Sigma Kappa. He found out on our second day of knowing each other, but what he has told me has made me see what he means. It took me 3 years before I would rush, so that may explain it. I am very independant, I hate havign to ask help from others, and have been so my entire life. I have also been a loner. My boyfriend describes me a strong, independant, willing to do my own thing, intellegent, upbeat, and almost always in a good mood. His experience with girls in sororities has always been the total oposite of me. He says he even has a hard time thinking that I am in a sorority. I see myself as a part of an organization that is wonderful. I see the smiles on my sisters faces when we enter our suite because we know why we are special. We have laughed together, cried together, and shared our fears together (even me). In my chapter the atypical is the typical, that is the way I like it.

whew... sororitygirl2, I'm glad you said it... because I'm the same way. I never really knew what sororities were before college, so I didn't really have any stereotypes, but I guess had I known them I would have fit it in... tall, blonde (well, by way of bottle), skinny, outgoing... bitchy on occasion, LOL.

I too ended up joining a less traditional sorority... strange how that works out!

I'm about as far from the stereotypical sorority girl as you can get... not tall, not thin, not blonde, hardly ever wear makeup, don't spend zillions on my clothes and hair, etc. But most of the women at my school weren't like that anyway - any chapter that restricted itself to that stereotype would fold in about 5 minutes.

CarolinaCutie, I love that definition :)

It's funny because although I always knew I was going to be in a sorority (I come from a very Greek family), people are constantly surprised to find out l am a sorority girl! My school was very populated by the "traditional" sorority girl stereotypes, and I attempted to go against the grain as much as possible. I was actually put off by people instantly stereotyping me if I wore my letters, so many times I wouldn't wear them to classes and etc. But when the classmates who had gotten to know me found out that I was in a sorority they were always surprised. They had that bitchy, conformist stereotype in their minds and I was the opposite of that. I'm a down-to-earth and friendly person to anyone and everyone, and fit CarolinaCutie's definition better than any of the pre-conceived stereotypes ever would!

Last spring I was telling a girl about a fundraiser my sorority was doing and she said, "Oh you're in a sorority. You know, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm really not surprised you're in a sorority. I mean your parents probably make a lot of money, you dress really nice and look at your eyebrows." I was like, my eyebrows?! But I realized she meant that they're waxed and shaped well. I really love clothes and would be dressing the same way... and I'd be making sure my eyebrows' shapes were maintained even if I wasn't in a sorority....
Then two weeks ago, we had to interview each other during the first class of this course I'm taking. The guy, who's like 28 years old, asked me what I do outside of school. I said that I'm in a sorority. He was like, "So would you call yourself a sorority girl?" And I paused... and he said, "It's not a bad thing." And I replied, "Yeah." Then when it was his turn to get up in front of our class to tell everyone about me, he said, "And she doesn't mind being called a sorority girl." I didn't care that he included that, but I didn't like the tone in which he said it, especially the way he said "sorority girl." It was almost in this jokingly but making fun of way. Then right after he went up, it was my turn. I went up, coincidentally wearing my Anchor Ball t-shirt....

I never EVER consdiered myself to ba a typical "sorority girl", although I secretly always wanted to be in one. I remember in 8th grade looking at my folks' callege yearbooks, seeing the sorority pictures and thinking "Wow, that seems like so much fun....I want to be in a sorority in college", and I even remember being really young, going to College Park "my alma mater as well as both my parents'), and drving around frat row and being in awe of the houses with the columns in front. But in High School, I was definitely an outsider. My freinds and I were the Drama Geeks, and dressed in the punk rock/skater vein. in fact, many of my HS friends were both shocked and horrified when I joined a sorority. I think joining my chapter was the best decision I ever made, though.

it still surprises some people that i am in a sorority. i never thought i would join one....even until about 2 months before i joined. prior to going to college, the only knowledge i had about sororities came from movies and hearing really brief stories from my aunt's pledge period in the 70s. i knew there was NO WAY i as going to eat a goldfish, so i would never join a sorority...lol. the summer between my first and second year of college, i met some phi mu sisters and we became friends. they were really down to earth, fun, and just great to be around! honestly, i never had a ton of girl friends before, just lots of guys. so i also thought i would hate being around so many girls!!! i am glad that i did join phi mu and i love having lots of girl friends.