I just got a lettered sweatshirt made, and I love it. Forest green, shamrock print, edged in green and gold. (For the record, my sorority's colors are royal blue and silver). I chose this combination of print-cloth and colors for my sweatshirt because I like it, and it means something to me. I am representing my love for my sorority; simultaneously, I'm representing my pride in being an OU College of Engineering student. I see no conflict of interest in representing my sorority and my personal taste/personality simultaneously. I don't dispute the merit in all sisters wearing lettered clothing in strictly royal blue and silver - it would certainly make a visual impact.
There's a few points I'd like everyone to consider:
(1) Even though I have the opportunity to choose colors/print-cloth that don't necessarily represent my sorority, I would never wittingly choose another sorority's colors and/or symbols for my lettered clothing. I think this is true of any greek who has this option in their lettered clothing. It's respecting one's own affiliation, as much as it is respecting another organization. Why would you
want your affiliation to be mistaken?
(2) I would hazard a guess that greeks who have the option of having letters other than in their colors choose either (a)colors that flatter them or that they like, or (b) a pattern/print that is special to them. Example: I once saw a lettered sweatshirt that had a stars and stripes theme (this greek came from a family with a long history of military service). Another example: I was debating trying to find some material with owls or cannons on them (as well as the shamrock) for my letters (the owl and the cannon have some significance for OU engineering students) - but then I remembered that more people know the owl to be associated with Chi Omega than with Sooner engineers! So I decided against that design. Another example: my Sister Artimis has a lettered sweatshirt that has a heavenly bodies (sun-moon-stars) theme to it - this is a theme she loves, if something has midnight-blue-with-stars-and-moons-and-suns, you can bet she owns it (or will shortly!)
(2) It
could be that the colors have much different meaning for some greek organizations than others. It might be that there's a specified protocol for when and how colors may or may not be used. Perhaps colors are reserved for special occasions, and "mundane" use (such as in clothing) is frowned upon. At any rate, I would imagine that even with letters, clothing after all is clothing, and its color/pattern scheme comes nowhere as close in importance as, say, one's badge or pin, other than to proclaim to the world, "Look, there's goes a member of XYZ!" (After all, those letters
are anywhere from 3 to 5 inches tall, and pretty darn hard to miss!
)
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equeen
A Lioness has her Pride!
@>--;--
Alpha Sigma Kappa - Women in Technical Studies