Just like any other sorority girl, I follow different sorority-related accounts on all forms of social media. On Instagram, there are various accounts that spot light different sorority chapters each day with girls doing cute poses holding hands, holding up their Greek letters or blowing glitter into the camera. On Snapchat, there’s Old Row that celebrates “Titty Tuesday” every week. And then on every form of social media there’s the infamous “Total Sorority Move” account, which posts articles pertaining to sorority life. These accounts fill my newsfeeds with pictures, tweets and articles of the latest “fads” going on in Greek life.
These are the accounts that are destroying Greek life. These are the accounts that are ruining Greek life’s reputation. These are the accounts that try to define Greek life. And these are the accounts that couldn’t be more wrong describing what it means to be Greek.
Last week, TSM’s latest columns included articles titled, “I’ve Decided To Become A B*tch” “The 5 Types of Shackers” “12 Reasons Why We Love Frat Pledges” “This Is By Far The Best Position To Take Nudes, Trust” and “The Starting Line Of Guys On Your Hookup Roster” to name a few. These are the type of articles that suck in girls new to Greek life and convince them this is all it is about. Where’s the article titled “5 Best Ways to Raise Money For Your Philanthropy” “How To Build Greater Bonds Within Your Sisterhood” or “The Key to Balancing Sorority and School”? Yes, there’s some articles pertaining to topics such as philanthropy, sisterhood, and academics but this site is mainly saturated with stories on boys, booze and partying.
Of course when girls new to Greek life see this infamous site, they’re going to start to think this is what Greek life is all about. They’ll see the way these girls are portrayed in these articles and strive to be like them because “that’s what the fraternity boys like” or “that’s what will get them a formal date.” If we ever want the negativity around Greek life to stop, then this is where it starts. There is SO MUCH more to being in a sorority than what TSM portrays. Most girls don’t join a sorority because of the partying or because of the guys they’ll meet, they join to be apart of something bigger than themselves, to better themselves and to better the community. That is the truth behind why a majority of girls go Greek. How are we ever going to convince people who bash Greek life that it’s not just one big party? Or that it’s not just to find someone to hook up with?
By retweeting these articles and following these accounts, you are apart of the problem. I’m to blame for the problem as well. I’ve let these accounts fill my social media with their thoughts and fill my thoughts with what sorority life should be. The first step to bettering the name of Greek life is to stop promoting these accounts that tear us down. We should be celebrating chapters that go above and beyond raising money for their philanthropy, not spotlighting a girl who rides around in a Barbie jeep because she got a DUI and can’t drive her real car.
Next time you see one of these accounts on your timeline, ask yourself, “Is this tweet bettering the Greek community?” “Does this article portray Greek life in a good manner?” “Is this an account that I should really be following?”
I’m not asking that you unfollow every sorority Instagram account or ban TSM from your Twitter feeds. I’m just asking you to think about what you want the future of Greek life to be and who you want influencing it.