I’m sure that attitude is less prevalent now than it was in the past, but it definitely existed at the time when the rules about alcohol in sororities were being adopted and it does still exist today to some extent, especially in parts of the country where people tend to get married at a younger age and are therefore looking to date instead of just hook up. There are plenty of guys who judge women harshly for having too many partners and who want to be date “classy” women. This is a broad generalization, but think about the traditions of debutante balls and all of that kind of stuff…
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I guess I could see that at somewhere like BYU or some other really religious school. But those places seem like a minority and it seems weird that the high-priced sorority consultants are giving advice that is perfect for those places but seems suboptimal for most everywhere else.
You’ve oversimplifying the dynamics here. Sororities compete with each other for status, as do frats. They don’t all have the same standards for status, but a lot of the ones that consider themselves as having the highest social status expect their members and recruits to be Aristotelian ideals of hot without being either unattainable or slutty, intellectuals without being nerds or bimbos, and socially connected community members without being party animals or book worms. After all, they want to hook up with frats that consist of guys who are hot but not just jocks or gym rats, guys who are going places after college but who aren’t nerds, and guys who are fun to party with but who aren’t obnoxious drunks.
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You also should think along the lines of certain classic SEC schools (Georgia, Ole Miss, etc) with “traditional values” and old money elite schools in the Northeast. The types of places where family connections and reputations are important to gain or maintain social status. Also, remember that the consultants are advising on image much more than actual behavior. Doing the partying is not the same thing as being perceived as “a partier.”
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I think people have figured out that Greek organizations provide value in the form of networking that can provide post-graduation advantages. They’re looking for people who will be successful. Of course, having the social skills to navigate parties is an asset. And they want to interact will potential spouses who have desirable traits.
This all being said, hoooooooo boy do I think campus life would be better and safer if sororities were the gatekeepers of alcohol and parties that frats had to compete to get in, rather than the other way around. Some 19 yo has too much to drink her first time really partying? Let’s see, is she better off (a) walking upstairs, going into her room, and locking the door, or (b) faced with a decision of crashing where she is with people she at least thinks she knows or stumbling home alone in the dark? Would you rather (a) women mixing drinks for men, or (b) men mixing drinks for women? Give the people in danger home field advantage.
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For sure. Male gatekeeping around alcohol in college is a much larger topic. My school didn’t even have traditional frats and sororities (my knowledge comes from a brother who was in a frat and lots of friends who were in sororities at other schools), but there was a similar dynamic that revolved around the off campus party houses. Some senior guys would rent nice big houses just off campus and throw big parties most weekends. If you were a cute freshman girl (or, more often a group of girls) who wanted to party on a Friday night, you could probably just walk around for a few minutes until you heard loud music, knock on the door, and get an invite. A group of freshman guys knocking on that same door was pretty much never getting in.
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Well, this whole sorority thing has definitely been enlightening. I guess that is to be expected since I went to college somewhere without them.
Missed the sorority thing. Lemme guess. Human frailty?
Lol at thinking fraternities serve any purpose. And Lol at spending 4K to act a certain way to get in a sorority. Wtf is happening in this thread.
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Fellowship
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Mostly we’re doing this:
But there are some tangents as well.
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Had zero interest in entering a frat when going to college. Have zero regrets looking back on that.
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Matt Damon is so well spoken. He would crush a presidential debate. If Democrats weren’t the Washington Generals, they could just run celebrities and cake walk every presidency.
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Successful actors and actresses would never give it up to be POTUS.
I mean what reasonable person takes a 95% pay cut to a more difficult job? Plus, they’re guaranteed to be hated by 50% of people when they were previously liked by the vast majority.
It depends on how big their egos are. Once you’re already rich, the idea of saving the world as President is pretty appealing.
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I (obviously) went to VT, hardly a traditional southern school or religious institution, and the sororities here were the same way. Any time we were talking pictures at a party, any girls from a sorority would have to make sure there were no drinks in their picture. They couldn’t throw parties. Meanwhile the frats get to do whatever they want, often including hazing…
Totally agree with wookie’s post that a bizarro reverse universe where the sororities throw the parties would be far superior to the current method.
Yeah but that can be done in a movie and for a way higher salary.
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