“I asked myself, ‘Where would people never notice a town full of robots?'”
It’s 10 p.m., the air is cool, the campus is quiet with the exception of an occasional vehicle passing and it seems that things have finally settled down for the day. Then come the distant sounds of clicking, simultaneous giggles and that familiar wave of perfume, all foreshadowing what draws closer.
What turns the corner, on this breezy fall night, is nothing short of creepy and would no doubt succeed in sending the likes of Ira Levin into cardiac arrest. They’re beautiful, slender and perfectly manicured. Call them the Plastics. Call them the Stepford Wives. Call them perfection – I’m sure they’ll enjoy that.
It’s rushing time and that means that the ETSU campus will be crawling with sororities for the next week. They’ll paste on their smiles and perfect their manners, while inside, fear of not being invited to the “house” of their choice will bubble.
Is she pretty enough? Is her dress cute enough? Should she have straightened her hair or had her nails done before rushing? My sympathies, girls.
It’s silly to pretend that anyone who joins a sorority truly wants to make a difference, whether in their personal academics or in their community. If that were the case then perhaps every girl might not be a carbon copy of another, their outward appearances wouldn’t affect their chances and their parent’s income wouldn’t far surpass Oprah’s.
It’s not that I’m bashing sororities (or fraternities), but I can’t help but notice everyone who joins must meet a standard. So what if there is community service involved or the chance to make new friends? Both of those activities can be done any day at any time.
There’s no need to impress anyone or doll yourself up so that people tend to question whether or not the word Mattel is branded on your ass. Am I a bad person for thinking this, for stereotyping entire groups? Perhaps I am.
The media tells us to look, speak and live perfectly and sororities only fuel this desire. How many average looking, dressed and mannered girls do you see pledging? How many actual girls are honored with an acceptance? This reminds me of the Dove commercials in which real females were depicted, oftentimes a bit plump, and there was an immediate disgust from viewers. It’s not hard to see that it is ingrained into our society – beauty, perfection, beauty, perfection. Remember it, for this is how you must live.
In the end it might be that I am completely wrong. All I’m attempting to say is that the standards, from what I’ve seen marching down the sidewalks and will continue to see, are sad. Is it possible that my idea of what a sorority means is flawed? Yes, but is it possible that the girls who join, the “sisters”, have their own flawed idea of what one should be? I’ll leave that one unanswered.

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