Pledged - Secret Life Of Sororities
Author: Alexandra Robbins
Rating: â 3/5
Date Read: 2013/05/30
Pages: 370
Spoiler alert: this book expresses mostly negative opinions about Greek life. If youâre a former sister looking for a book thatâs the journalistic equivalent of Leslie Goreâs hit song âSunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows,â maybe you should just call up your old sorority friends and talk about how awesome you guys all were together. But that sisterly Kumbaya shtick doesnât sell books (which you might have learned in your Business 101 class, if you hadnât skipped it to play vodka pong), so donât expect to be praised in this one.
Anyway, this book talks about sorority girls. As a feminist, I balk at the term âgirlâ used for grown women, even if these grown women are making incredibly childish decisions. For a year, journalist Alexandra Robbins went undercover at two different (unidentified) sororities at an (unnamed) State University. She tells the stories of four young women in sororities, each of whom had mixed experiences in the sisterhood.
In college, I had limited contact with women who had pledged sororities. In my mind, they existed in a benignly inane orbit around the University, the pillar of knowledge that held my universe together (you know, because of the awesome force of knowledge gravity. Sorry, Iâm bad at similes today.). The only greek letters I associate with myself are Phi Beta Kappa (nerds represent!). In general, I found that sorority members were perfectly lovely one-on-one, but werenât great to associate with in larger numbers.
My major issue with sororities was the massive, systematized cheating, which was largely ignored by the university (and the Communication Department, which was widely known to be the easy âsorority majorâ). Sororities held file drawers full of tests, which they passed out to their sisters (to the detriment of anyone else in the course). I was shocked by their lack of respect for higher education: Iâd expect this sort of thing at a second-tier regional state school, but I went to a public ivy.
There are many âscandalousâ behaviors discussed in the book, but none are surprising. NEWSFLASH: college students binge drink, have sex, and smoke weed. I could tell a bunch of shocking stories about college, and I spent most of my time at the library (I wonât, though, because this is the internet). More interesting were the weird rituals associated with being greek, like âserenadesâ (entire fraternities court entire sororities by singing slutified versions of terrible pop songs to each other) and rush. Sorority life seems to consist of endless meetings and lots of parties with fraternities. Learning is clearly not a priority.
Sororities have the air of upper-crust societies, but the women donât seem to participate in many cultural activities. Philanthropy is supposed to be important, but âserviceâ mostly means playing drunken volleyball games. Other activities range from the patently bourgeois (e.g., conspicuous consumption of logo-laden designer duds) to the surprisingly trashy (e.g., Jimmy Buffettâs Margaritaville). These ladies arenât reading experimental fiction and hitting up student art shows. Within the post-collegiate social hierarchy, theyâre the trophy wives of the parvenus of tomorrow.
Young women: I urge you to get involved at your university, but donât do it by jello wrestling your âsisterâ at a frat party. Instead, try to find opportunities for undergraduate research. Attend arts programs and special lectures. Take advantage of the wide range of courses offered, and try to actually study for them*. College is one of few times in life where you can focus on your own education. Donât squander it.
And really, donât drink any blue drinks. Just trust me on that one.
*Because youâve read this far, hereâs my verified, effective method to get an A in any course you take: attend class. Read the books (and any supplementary materials) as theyâre assigned. Do all assigned work. Attend office hours if anything isnât clear. There you go.