1. It's not like the movies
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When you hear about the sorority, you most likely have a certain image in mind gleaned from pop culture. While most sororities have different rules, most come with strict rules - some of which are 100 years old or more! - that requires members to dedicate their college life to making the club look good. Basically, everything's about image.
2. Se*ual assault is a disturbing norm
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While sororities can make a huge campus feel smaller by giving the students a sense of belonging, members are at higher risk of being sexually assaulted than outsiders. The shocking part? This is nothing new. These issues around s*xual violence have been around for more than 30 years. Pretty unsettling if you ask me!
3. Girls do walk around half-naked
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This is definitely not a Playboy mansion kinda situation, but more of a “My hair looks like a bird's nest and IDGAF." The highlight? When you're surrounded by girls all the time and live in the same house as them, you develop some sort of immunity to the sight of unshaven legs, messy hair, and all the other less desirable parts of being a girl. You're free to roam around without being ashamed of those unglamorous sights.
4. Some parts are exactly what the stereotypes say
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Some sororities make their pledges strip down to their underwear and mark an X on their problem areas. Pretty stereotypical, right? While you might say, "My sorority would never do this!" and "Our club dedicates itself to noble causes!" I'd like to point out that I said "some." Some sororities.
5. It's a bit of a cult. Actually, not a bit.
A lot!
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Many ex-members came forward and confessed that sororities can be compared to cults. While this irked some people, it's actually accurate. Sororities have rituals, chants, matching clothes (know those clean-white robes?), specific hand signs, and so on. But what do you expect? It's a whole organization that probably dates back 100 years. You can accept this fact and laugh along at all those cult jokes because, really, they're kinda true.
6. Spoiler alert: The niceties are almost always fake
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While most clubs push a loving sisterhood that's open to all students, we all know that this is all an act, and the members can practice fake niceties. Pretty often, if you ask me! Many ex-members shared how they were constantly berated, shouted at, and treated like children by the girls in the organization. Making friends in a sorority can actually be an impossible feat for some.
7. There's an initiation stage with rituals
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You likely already knew this from movies and TV shows. And yes, these are those cult-like rituals. Just like ancient civilizations did, sororities pass down secret traditions and rituals that need to be kept what they are: secret. Well, it's not like those societies that had rituals like a human sacrifice; think more along the lines of secret handshakes, passwords, and signals.
8. Once in, you're forever one of them
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During the initiation period, you are taught secret information about the organization that nonmembers will never know. This includes mottoes, missions, principles, ideals, and anything else deemed sacrosanct by the club. And once you're in, your membership extends for life (unless you do something that gets you evicted and banned).
9. The initiation can be nerve-wracking
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Joining a sorority is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's kinda like a combination of graduation and a formal welcome. However, what you don't know is that it'll be rather nerve-wracking since you have no idea of what actually happens during the initiation process and don't know what to expect. And this is where movies miss the point with their overly-confident main character that joins a sorority.
10. Hazing is very real
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Once on campus, many college girls look for acceptance from their peers that belong to a certain sorority. However, this run for acceptance can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Seeing their eagerness to belong, members can sometimes resort to hazing just for fun. Pretty disturbing, you know? Some such behaviors include forced alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, s*x acts, and sleep deprivation.
11. The purification myth is accurate
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Some sororities have rather strange initiations. For example, certain clubs require their active members to become "pure" one week before the ceremony. That means no drinking, smoking, eating junk food, or wearing make-up for the seven days leading to the initiation ritual. Then, on the big day, sisters wear white robes and attend the ritualistic ceremony where the new members pledge their allegiance.
12. You have more chances to get in if you're pretty and rich
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Most organizations' ideal candidates are pretty, sociable, rich, and conform to societal beauty standards. Girls are usually chosen based on their looks (and wealth) first, and then their personality. Those deemed "unpresentable" are normally given no chance to wear the sorority's sacred colors.
13. Deliberate humiliation for fun during the pledge
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While some might see certain activities as fun, others can interpret them as humiliating. Prepare to experience this during the pledge phase. Again, not every sorority has the same principles, but there are plenty of others that love to humiliate wannabes just for fun. It's a bad world out there.
14. Discrimination based on looks is in order
Image source: reddit.com Clubs usually include the most beautiful girls on campus, but even so, the sisterhood discriminates between the members. For example, photoshoots always depict insanely attractive girls, while those considered "less attractive" are assigned low-level positions during events and in general. There are also club forums that rank the sisters based on their looks. That's really not what sisterhood means.
15. Members are watched constantly
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Organizations have a "sister mother" whose job is to oversee the members and ensure they do a good job and follow the club's rules. Some sororities don't allow their members to post social media pictures with drinks, smoking, or partying. A few more conservative organizations even nitpick the clothes their members wear on campus and outside. It's a wild ride. Or better said, stiff ride.
16. You can't always trust your sisters
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Shocking! Well, not so much. While sororities market themselves as supportive groups of like-minded girls, Greek life can be brutal in some clubs. It's not real friendship and sisterhood. As you see in those reality TV shows where a bunch of attractive girls are cast as a group, they're quick to despise one another. That's how the world works, unfortunately.
17. But sometimes, you can
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Remember the secret signals that are shared during the initiation phase? They come in handy when one of the girls is in danger during parties or embarrassing circumstances, whether it is a rush week or a group night in the town. A simple tug on the lower earlobe, a touch on the eyebrow base, or a half smile are all signals used by sorority members when they need rescue. In such cases, you can count on your sisters to figure out you're uncomfortable and need to leave.
18. There are many,
many secrets to keep
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Sororities are known to harbor plenty of secrets. But why all that secrecy? Mostly, it's out of respect, but partly to maintain that distinction between organizations. Nothing would make a club special if everyone knew all their rituals, secret signs, and initiation processes.
19. Secret weekly meetings are also a thing
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Ever heard of "chapter?" These are weekly meetings where the sisters discuss things that never leave the room. While some topics can include scandalous things no one should know, others take into account study hours, possible themes for future mixes, important events to mark in the calendar, and so on.
20. Psychological damage for life is a reality
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There are sororities that take their pledging process to the next level. And we don't mean it in a good way. For example, you can be blindfolded, escorted into a private room, and quizzed about the other pledge girls. The part that no one tells you? All the pledge sisters are in the same room. It can be pretty psychologically shocking to hear the other wannabes talking about how they don't like you and why.
21. Bullying a girl instead of kicking her out is something normal
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Once you get on the bad part of an executive, your days in the sorority are over. You likely won't be excluded but bullied and pressured into resigning. Unfortunately, you can quickly become unpopular through behaviors such as breaking the rules a few times, being late with the paid membership fees, or inability to attend a couple of meetings. So, beware!
22. Interaction with fraternities is mandatory on some campuses
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Not all sororities make this a requirement, but if you got into one that does, you might want to brace yourself. You can be pressured or even bullied into participating in events organized in collaboration with a fraternity. Some clubs make their members pay for every hour of the event they miss.
23. Top-tier sororities only pair with top-tier fraternities
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Most sororities that associate with fraternities do so only with clubs that are "their level." In other words, they won't pair with fraternities they consider low-tier. If you only partner with a few frat boys' clubs, cutting one out would eliminate a significant portion of the sorority's social calendar, so these collaborations are thought of very carefully.
24. You are stalked before joining
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Before joining a sorority, you will most definitely get stalked. The members will look through your social media accounts, make a background check on you, and so on. The most disturbing part? Because they can do it at such an advanced level that you won't even know you're stalked. They won't follow you, you won't see an accidental like. We're talking about CIA-level stalking.
25. Social pressure is overwhelming
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People say you won't be pressured into drinking, smoking, or partying, but once you're a part of the sorority, that's mostly all there is to it. Again, not every sorority is the same. But let's be real; everyone wants to have fun in college. They will all encourage you to party and live your life rather than study. Be careful, though; one too many drinks can lead to embarrassing situations you don't want to be in.
26. Once in, you're branded
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Most girls are branded once they join a sisterhood. A personal brand is a fact nowadays, and changing that is a rather long and perhaps unpleasant process for many. Suddenly, from an IG feed filled with family vacations, nights out, and friends, you'll get plenty of sorority events and other such stuff. The change can be kinda drastic.
27. Lawsuits are becoming a norm
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Remember the mandatory presence at events paired with frat boys? Well, things can get wild there, not to say illegal. Spiked drinks, too-drunk-to-consent, and such things happen pretty often in these kinds of environments. Hence the lawsuits. Which, by the way, are becoming a growing matter in the limelight.
28. You might feel forced to look a certain way
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Members of a sorority might feel compelled to look a certain way. Some clubs even give the sisters the option to pay for the clothes they offer. You've most definitely seen sorority members on campus wearing certain t-shirts or clothing that set them apart. Now not only do you have to abide by plenty of rules, but you can't dress the way you want either!
29. Some clubs are very conservative
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Your whole life belongs to the sisterhood once you get into one. For example, some clubs forbid you to attend parties if you're late on your rent or did something to embarrass the organization. If you keep in mind that some customs are passed down for 100 years and counting, that makes a lot of sense.
30. Your eating habits might change
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The one thing TV shows and movies got right is the amount of food sorority houses have. If you're used to eating home-cooked or healthy meals, get ready to change that. Members consume a lot of food, particularly junk food. It also takes many pizza nights, lots of Taco Bell orders, and plenty of cookies to make friends.