Much of the criticism leveled at the female Greek system is its frequent inauthenticity: the masquerade of perfection over social media, the superficial and critical process of sending in applications beforehand, the known practice of perusing sorority prospects’ Facebooks and Instagrams to shallowly test for a visual fitting-in to this specific organization based on looks.
And these criticisms are totally valid. And, further, extend largely into the realm and particular process of rush. For those unfamiliar with the term in its definitive understanding, rush entails a week (typically) on-campus, going from door to door and meeting a girl or two at fifteen-minute intervals for brief conversation, paired up based on interests found in the application process. Then, after a day of this, rushes (the individuals participating in rush) and the sororities themselves mutually rank one another, getting invitations back to certain groups based on this process or getting finitely rejected if not.
While it is obviously easy to say from the outside that this process looks kind of flawed, there are some good and bad pieces. Naturally, there is a sort of superficiality and judgment that inherently permeates a fifteen-minute conversation that decides whether or not you are going to be permitted entry into a group – however, based practically on the number of girls who enter the rush process and the number of sororities, accomplishing more actual social interaction over the course of a week is a near impossible task.
Thus, while sororities and Greek life in general could use reform with such practices, they still are important social organizational tools and help people find some of their closest lifetime friends.
The process of landing in one, however, could benefit from a little tweaking on the sorority side.
For most frats, the process of rush typically extends over a semester, going to pong nights, hang out sessions, and the like at each house in a much more relaxed manner, really getting to know the guys and making some friends that just might transcend the bounds of specific Greek letter systems. In fact, most of the closest-knit groups of guy friends are thus formed across frats, a few from each always making time for one another because of the diversity and interconnected process of genuine friendship-development that happens through this process of “dirty rush.”
Sororities could obviously benefit from these same practices. Those criticisms of superficiality and inauthenticity that are so often aimed at these sororities are a result mainly of this minimal rush process. Much of this does come from the fact that this social destiny is so heavily reliant on minimal interactions that can define the next four years of a college girl’s social life because of one bad conversation, one bad hair day, or the inability to make a good impression through social media and the application process to get themselves entry into selective socialization groups.
By creating this means of more organic entry into what is truly designed to be a natural, cohesive group of female friends who support and empower one another, these criticisms may face a logical rebuttal and help to advance the more positive aspects of female Greek life that aren’t about appearance, aren’t about catering to the male gaze, aren’t about becoming a submissive actor in a systematically sexist Greek life system – but rather, an empowered female who found a social niche with a really kickass group of dope girls who are like-minded, fun, and share the same ideals based on a process of thorough getting-to-know-one-another like real humans in the world do. But only better.
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