Interesting New Reality show called Sorority Girls

[Greek_or_Geek?]

The dumb Americans keep going on and on about how the chosen pledges will be representing them, held to a higher standard blah blah blah. Meanwhile they are there pretending to represent America's "finest sorority girls" and they are doing all this ridiculous hazing crap that would get them expelled from any sorority here.

[YesNoMaybe]

Originally Posted by Greek_or_Geek?

The dumb Americans keep going on and on about how the chosen pledges will be representing them, held to a higher standard blah blah blah. Meanwhile they are there pretending to represent America's "finest sorority girls" and they are doing all this ridiculous hazing crap that would get them expelled from any sorority here.

Agreed, if a girl in our chapter was still an undergraduate and did a show like this, I'm sure we would pull her badge.

I'm sure that most viewers will understand this is played out like some poorly produced dating show instead of how a real sorority works. However, it still bothers me.

[kobie]

contrary to what most north americans (including the sigma gamma founders on this show) believe, i don't think all aspects of sororities are particularly 'new' to the uk. i am a student at newnham college (one of the constituent colleges of the university of cambridge and one of the only three womens' colleges left today) and a member of a prestigious drinking society within the college and from what i've gleaned from watching various films, talking to friends from the USA etc, there are a lot of parallels. my college mates are like sisters to me and the college is essentially a very large sorority house, with some catering and a couple of 'sorority mom' figures; the college and particularly the drinking societies have numerous unusual customs and traditions, including initiation ceremonies; 'swaps' are our equivalent of socials or mixers; the college parenting system ensures mixing between freshers and 2nd years who effectively act as older sister figures; and standards are painstakingly high with young women obliged to keep up with all the work of a cambridge degree, present a fun, charming and bubbly personality in order to be invited on swaps with a drinking society and make considerable contributions to sporting and society life (we've got to maintain the college's very credible reputation plus mix with boys at some point in order to make friends and suitable contacts for swaps!).

i'd be interested to hear what you guys think about this take on things!

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by kobie

contrary to what most north americans (including the sigma gamma founders on this show) believe, i don't think all aspects of sororities are particularly 'new' to the uk. i am a student at newnham college (one of the constituent colleges of the university of cambridge and one of the only three womens' colleges left today) and a member of a prestigious drinking society within the college and from what i've gleaned from watching various films, talking to friends from the USA etc, there are a lot of parallels. my college mates are like sisters to me and the college is essentially a very large sorority house, with some catering and a couple of 'sorority mom' figures; the college and particularly the drinking societies have numerous unusual customs and traditions, including initiation ceremonies; 'swaps' are our equivalent of socials or mixers; the college parenting system ensures mixing between freshers and 2nd years who effectively act as older sister figures; and standards are painstakingly high with young women obliged to keep up with all the work of a cambridge degree, present a fun, charming and bubbly personality in order to be invited on swaps with a drinking society and make considerable contributions to sporting and society life (we've got to maintain the college's very credible reputation plus mix with boys at some point in order to make friends and suitable contacts for swaps!).

i'd be interested to hear what you guys think about this take on things!

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I suspect you are correct, that they are more similar than different.

[ree-Xi]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Interesting, thanks for sharing! I suspect you are correct, that they are more similar than different.

I also think (hope) that the UK viewers would catch on to the contrived nature of the show, such as the fake deplaning of the 5 sorority girls with matching pink carryons, the weekly "meetings" where the five women wear identical outfits (those weird silk(?) pink blazers), the fact that the "Sigma Gamma standards" the "pledges" are being held to don't exist in reality, etc.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

I also think (hope) that the UK viewers would catch on to the contrived nature of the show, such as the fake deplaning of the 5 sorority girls with matching pink carryons, the weekly "meetings" where the five women wear identical outfits (those weird silk(?) pink blazers), the fact that the "Sigma Gamma standards" the "pledges" are being held to don't exist in reality, etc.

How about the fact that they held rush this week for absolutely no reason?

[Tulip86]

http://www.tv-links.eu/tv-shows/Soro...n_1/episode_7/

Episode 7

[als463]

Originally Posted by Tulip86

http://www.tv-links.eu/tv-shows/Soro...n_1/episode_7/

Episode 7

Tulip86-you are my HERO! Thanks for posting this! I tried to watch it online but, it said it wouldn't go through and I was unable to watch. Oh, someone commented about if these ladies (the American sisters) were still in school then they would be upset or have their badge--I checked on the website that shares where they go to college (on the site for the show) and about two or more of them are still undergraduates and haven't graduated yet. That's weird. I thought they were all alumnae.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by als463

Tulip86-you are my HERO! Thanks for posting this! I tried to watch it online but, it said it wouldn't go through and I was unable to watch. Oh, someone commented about if these ladies (the American sisters) were still in school then they would be upset or have their badge--I checked on the website that shares where they go to college (on the site for the show) and about two or more of them are still undergraduates and haven't graduated yet. That's weird. I thought they were all alumnae.

I know for sure at least one of the girls is still an active at the campus I advise.

[ColdInCanada11]

I don't know why, but Alanna irritates the life out of me.

[aephi alum]

OK, I have to say it. The stick up Dominique's ass has a stick up its ass.

I'm talking not just about her attitude throughout the show ("ZOMG, so-and-so had more than one glass of wine!"), but also specifically about her reaction when she found out what an Ann Summers party was. You would think she was being asked to demonstrate how to use the products in front of the entire sorority and on camera.

[KKGCaroline]

I'm shocked that Katie didn't get booted off, I think she's a brat.

My rush crush is Sophie, I hope she makes the final five!!

[ShyViolet]

So, after not watching this for awhile (the hazing carried out by women from NPC sororities was upsetting), I spent my afternoon catching up. Urgh.

As someone who's seen societies in UK universities, I completely agree with kobie earlier. There are a lot of societies here that are essentially sororities or fraternities, just no Greek letters. In St Andrews, there are the Kate Kennedy Club (for men) and the Lumsden Club (for ladies), and they have recruitment, socials, host balls, philanthropy events, and so forth. They have their own silly traditions, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were intiations of some sort (St Andrews itself has a sort-of-initiation for all freshers/new students called Raisin Monday, it's pretty insane).

The fact that this show is so full of stereotypes - and really not a lot of positive ones - when in reality, British uni students aren't that far removed from what sororities and fraternities actually do, just makes it look more and more of a farce, and paints greek life in an increasingly unflattering light. Who knows, though: maybe the winning "sisters" will take their £25,000 and do something good with it, instead of propagating the rubbish the producers have spewed at them through the American "sisters". :P

[als463]

Tulip,

Would you be willing to post the last video, please? I'd be so grateful! I can't get it to come up.

[ColdInCanada11]

One of my friends in the UK told me who the initiated girls are (don't worry, no spoilers here!), and I think it *might* have a shot (depending on about a thousand different factors)

ETA: (didn't realise hat the whole post didn't go through) If the £25,000 is used to run the sorority, no split up between the girls as a "prize", and if there are real rituals that they have that do not consist of hazing, it might actually have a shot. It *does* seem like the new members are really bonding.