Legally Blonde is probably one of the most well-known movies involving a sorority, but are the depictions of sororities in movies fact or fiction?
Here are 6 ways that Hollywood misrepresents sororities in movies and television.
1. Sorority girls are not stupid/ do care about doing well in school
A.k.a. The House Bunny and Legally Blonde. Sorority girls are often depicted as dumb bimbos who only get by with their looks; however, most sorority girls take their grades very seriously and don't even get me started about all of the required study hours we do. Plus, you need to maintain GPA requirements to stay in the sorority or risk losing certain privileges (varies by school). Stats show that college graduation rates are 20% higher among Greeks than non-Greeks.
2. Sororities do NOT only accept "hot" girls
Yep. We are not all tall, blonde, bodacious barbies. But that doesn't mean that we are all not beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in their own right, and each sorority consists of diverse women of all shapes, sizes, nationalities and so on. There will always be some shallow people who may define a sorority by who's the quote on quote "hottest," but for the most part, sororities are not based on superficial things.
3. Sorority girls don't ONLY date fraternity guys
No, Chuck Bass. Just no. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and yes we date frat guys, but plenty of sorority girls date outside of the fraternity pool. Unlike in frat movies where sorority girls are portrayed as sluts, I know several sisters who date outside of the Greek "bubble" or who already had boyfriends/girlfriends before joining a sorority and continue to be committed.
4. Sorority girls do NOT drink/party/sleep around excessively.
We're college students. People drink, party, and some sleep around. But being in a sorority or fraternity does not mean that we do these things any more than the average college student.
6. Sororities do NOT all hate/sabotage each other
The House Bunny was so close to getting it right! The movie depicted the sororities and how much work goes into advertising and recruiting new girls. The only problem? The parts about sororities trying to sabotage other sororities from gaining potential new members. The truth is that we don’t have time for that; we’re promoting our own sorority.
Although some of the things we see on TV and in movies are true about sororities, these portrayals often only show the negative connotations of being Greek, if there are any. What they don't show is the sisterhood bonds, the support system, and all the love that comes with being in a sorority. All I can say is that you are your own person. Do what makes you happy or according to Elle Woods, exercise, be happy, and don't shoot your husbands. ;)
