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I think that attitude is the most important point made here. I didn't realize how much the reputation and self-identification with a certain image affected me and how I interacted throughout college until after I graduated. We all have stories of women in "Top" houses with bloated egos, but equally as common is the woman in a smaller house who believes she always has to prove herself.
I recently visited a chapter who suffered from a slight lack of self-esteem, and I was amazed how obvious the "we're not worthy" rhetoric was to me. Any of those women would probably have defended their comments and attitude as simply telling the truth or being realistic, but this was exactly the attitude that hurts them during rush.
I think the weight of any image sorority women buy into affects them during recruitment just as much, or more than, the reputation itself. How many recruitment stories have we read where the PNM heard something negative about a house, but wound up really liking the chapter? I think most PNMs are still basing most of their decisions on their personal experience at the chapter, and dropping houses because they got an awkward (probably nervous/defeatist) vibe from the women.
Other things I've noticed about smaller chapters from various campuses: defense mechanism to drop some of the red hot PNMs because you feel they wouldn't accept your chapter, don't want your chapter, or are judging your chapter. Also distrust and meanness to the 'hotter' PNMs. I've seen small houses that pride themselves on how small they are, and not always for legitimate/healthy reasons.
Moral of the story / Sophia Loren Quotes:
"Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go so much further than people with vastly superior talent. "
"Sex appeal is fifty percent what you've got and fifty percent what people think you've got. "
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I heart Gamma Phi Beta
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