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Paint the Town Red

It’s not like the Greek system needed anything else to bring down its reputation. For years, reports of hazing and elitism have dogged fraternities and sororities nationwide. Often students choose not to join houses for these very reasons. At DePauw University however, the atmosphere seemed different, more inclusive. At least that’s what the sisters of Delta Zeta thought, before their national body decided to “revamp” the chapter. Two weeks ago, 23 women were demoted to alumnae status as undergrads, allegedly because they lacked “commitment,” when in fact it was because of their appearance. The former members of Delta Zeta reported that the only sisters kept by the national sorority were “generally pretty and slender” while those cut from the chapter tended to be either overweight or minorities. The sorority justified its actions by stating that those women cut from the chapter were unmotivated in recruitment.

On the one hand, it’s not hard to understand the sorority’s point of view. In a society permeated by images of beauty, thinness and the Anglo ideal, it stands to reason that a Greek house would choose to represent these values while trying to recruit new members. Former sister Joanna Kieschnick stated that Delta Zeta’s national leaders told the sisters that in order to recruit more members, “You need to be more sexually appealing; you need to make the guys want you.”

But what is the cost of this quest for the ideal?

Kim Lee, a former member of Delta Zeta said, “I’ve done everything I was supposed to do — I’m a good student, I’m involved.” But when the national sorority told her that her contributions weren’t good enough, so lacking in fact, that she was being relieved of her sisterhood, she explained, “You take that really hard.” Other former sisters describe similar feelings of inadequacy. In addition, all 23 sisters asked to leave the sorority, plus another six sisters who opted to quit in light of the restructuring, were without housing in the middle of the academic year.

The New York Times, which first broke the story, has gotten letters and complaints from all over the country regarding the Delta Zeta controversy. But why is America surprised? Does America, sex-drenched, image-obsessed America really think that the National Panhellenic Conference is the beacon of racial and aesthetic diversity? Sororities make their name based on which fraternities like them most, by how popular their members are and how successful their alumni are. Is America really surprised that a well-known national sorority, with a chapter lagging in membership — due allegedly to the appearance of its members — took measures to revamp its image?

Any girl who’s gone through sorority rush understands this obsession with appearance. When you walk through the door of that chapter house for the first time, you’re instantly judged. And if the girl in front of you is wearing Pucci Limited Edition snow boots and you’re wearing last year’s Old Navy brand imitation Uggs, well, more’s the pity. But girls go into rush knowing full well that they are joining an institution based on appearance, not character. This may be the most disturbing aspect of all.

The difference between this instantaneous judging and the DePauw case, however, is that the Delta Zetas who were asked to leave had been committed members for two, three or even four years. The members who were asked to leave had actually gone on group shopping trips and put on fashion shows for each other to make sure that they looked their best during rush, and that they upheld the image of Delta Zeta. They tried. For that kind of effort to be written off by a national leadership board as “uncommitted” is a devastating blow to the former sisters’ self-esteem and sense of worth.

But again — this is nothing new.

Sororities are groups that target the most attractive and popular women on a college campus by nature — and the competition between sororities to be the most beautiful and well-liked is fierce. So why would a Greek house offer membership to girls who don’t live up to this standard of physical perfection? One insightful former Delta Zeta senior, Rachel Pappas, commented to CNN that, “Image is the new racism of sorts. You know, image is the be-all and end-all of everything and sorority life is just where it appears the most.”

In a society that obsesses over Britney Spears’ daily breakdowns and Lindsay Lohan’s weekly rehab stints, it is surprising that sororities value looks over quality of character? Is DePauw (or Cornell) proud that arguably the best and brightest women in the nation are choosing to make appearance, clothing and social status the key criteria for selection and popularity? Wouldn’t one expect that character, work ethic, intellectual achievement and positive community engagement to be better factors for selecting a group of people you would like to live and mix with? Who are better role models for college women, Britney, Paris and Lindsay, or Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi and Sandra Day O’Connor? When we cave into these cultural expectations of beauty, status and thinness we have really lost the battle for things so much more important.

Hannah Stearns is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at hes32@cornell.edu. Paint the Town Red appears alternate Mondays.

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