Throughout life, it is natural and essential for both men and women to establish friendship groups with people who have common interests, similar backgrounds, personal habits, social tastes, and levels of intelligence. It was this basic need for college students that created sororities. Since its founding in 1851 at Wesleyan Female College and expansion nation-wide, sororities have proved to be self-sustaining friendship organizations composed of female students in colleges and universities across the United States. Sororities are devoted to sisterhood, service, and cultural interest while promoting the high scholarship and identities of its members.
Regardless of how sorority life is presented as a kinship and camaraderie, discussions often leave out- or simply ignore- the critical examination of the extreme pressure brought to young women who seek to join or are recruited into a secret society, and the effects that come along with these extreme pressures on young women. As a first-year student at the University of Denver, I was interested in becoming a member of a sorority such as Kappa Phi Lambda, Tri Delta, or Alpha Phi. But, after speaking to my peers and briefly reading on the experiences of sorority members online, I discovered a darker side to sororities and wanted to focus more on why they may be harmful to those who join them. Through a variety of research methods, I was able to identify common themes that relate to the issues within sororities that most fail to acknowledge.
This ethnographic study reveals how sororities have great expectations for their members- and how these pressures ultimately lead to unhealthy psychological and physical habits. It is important to note a quantitative study that used propensity score matching and instrumental variable methods evaluating a possible causal link between sororities and weight-related behaviors and eating disorders. The study found that eating disorders affect 12-25% of college women and confirmed that sororities exert a negative effect on weight-related behaviors on their members (Averett, 2013). This statistic is key in adequately comprehending the existing problem with body image, self-esteem, and eating disorders on college campuses. A comparison of five essays offers a foundation for evaluating sorority pressure and their subsequent implications: altered body image, self-esteem, and the development of eating disorders. Methods A mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches was well suited for evaluating sorority life on college campuses and the impact sororities have on their members. These studies aimed to evaluate existing research on sororities, reveal overall public opinion on sororities, and analyze personal experiences of current/ex sorority members. The overall objective of my research is to explore the interpretation and promotion (or lack of) of independence and well-being of sorority members.
A primary issue discussed in the next five essays is surrounding college female body image and self-esteem- and how it is superficial and detrimental to the health of its members. All five essays at some point acknowledge, that members of sororities inevitably develop eating disorders and negative ideas on body acceptance due to the expectations and social norms members feel early on. Giles is the broadest, highlighting the originations of weight-related perceptions, then moves on to pointing out how even parental influence and peer norms carry on into college. He explains, “on residential campuses, the proximity to other students in residential halls and sorority houses may afford students opportunities to observe disordered eating behaviors and to subject them to derisive comments about body shape. This may be particularly true for freshmen, who may be at increased risk for eating disorders” (Giles, 2007). While Giles offers a brief explanation of where weight-related perceptions come from, Reno is the most explicit about the negative influences on members of social groups, like sororities, indicating that the messages of these groups shape the college women’s attitudes and actions concerning their eating, exercise, and other aspects of their appearance (Reno, 2015).
In a broader context, Adams assesses the relationship between conformity to feminine gender role norms, self-objectification, and body image surveillance among undergraduate women. The study found regardless of sorority membership, conformity to feminine gender role norms was found to significantly contribute to increased body consciousness, negative body image, and feedback on physical appearance (Adams, 2017). Reno and Adams provide an outline of the negative impact of sorority life on young women but do not provide significant detail nor give examples of how sororities negatively impact young women. Even though resources do bring attention to the issue and do not evaluate the reasons why these problems exist in sororities, they do not supply the in-depth accounts, experiences, and opinions of current/ex-sorority members and everyday observers of this social group. The upcoming research goes over what has been done to address negative body image, lowered self-esteem and the risk of developing eating disorders among young women in sororities.
Tackling the Issue: the ‘Sorority Body Image Program’ The high risk of eating disorders and negative body image within sororities is an important issue that needs to be addressed under certain real-world circumstances. Some college campuses have taken initiative in implementing the “Sorority Body Image Program”, which aims to individually educate young women on positive thinking, healthy habits, and prevent disordered eating. This approach met its challenges due to not meeting the overall needs of relevant social systems (in this case, a sorority). As a result, the argument Perez makes is with complete integration of science and practice, these programs can be sustained and ultimately end up being a great resource to its participants (Perez, 2016). Becker, on the other hand, proposes that instead of targeting individuals within these social systems, it is better to have sororities participate as a whole because “women feel more comfortable, have greater ease in expressing themselves, are more likely to reveal sensitive information, and report greater overall satisfaction with programming and greater group cohesion” when they attend with their friends (Becker, 2008). Perez and Becker’s studies demonstrate that prevention programs like the “Sorority Body Image Program” is a good start for colleges to teach young women on the potential problems they could face as being apart of a sorority.
To ensure confidentiality of participants and increase trustworthiness of the results in the following studies, participants were informed consent of their answers to be used in the study, were assured their identities would remain anonymous, and given the choice to review their responses (in this case, the two interview participants did). A survey was conducted and posted online for viewers to fill out. Questions within the survey were scale-based (Strongly Disagree-Strongly Agree). The following questions revealed the most information in relation to the research question:
- Sororities promote the high scholarship and identities of its members,
- Sororities put extreme pressure on its members to act or appear a certain way,
- A young woman is more at risk of developing an eating disorder and/or body dysmorphia if they join a sorority,
- A young woman is more likely to have unhealthy behaviors related to body image and appearance if they join a sorority, and
- Young women in sororities repress their own natural instincts, desires, and inclinations in order to fit in. 36 responses were recorded.
Then, two short interviews were conducted and each participant chose a pseudonym for confidentiality. The first participant, Sara, is a current sorority member at the University of Colorado Boulder and the second participant, Emily, is an ex-sorority member at Colorado State University. Five of the following questions were asked:
- Why did you join a sorority?
- Does/did your sorority expect you to look or act a certain way?
- Have you observed any changes with weight-related behaviors of your fellow members?
- How is/was your experience in a sorority?
- How do sororities promote the health and well-being of its members?
The results of the survey and interviews were drastically different from one another. The survey provided sufficient quantitative and qualitative data of public perspective on sororities than those in or seeking to join sororities, whereas the interviews gave in-depth quantitative information into the lives of sorority members. Of the 36 responses from the survey, 12.5% were in sororities and 87.5% were not in sororities. Those in sororities had more positive opinions regarding sororities. Those not in sororities had more negative opinions regarding sororities.
Due to the vast majority of answers leaning to one side over the other and skewing to the left, I felt that another research approach was suitable to obtain enough data for analysis. Interviews of two types of sorority members (current and ex) was going to give a deeper understanding of sorority experience. In the interviews, Shannon, a current sorority member, reflected on her experience as a sister. “I have been in a sorority for about two years now. In my sorority, nobody expects you to dress or act a certain way, except for the events. At the events, we have a dress code and are expected to behave to appropriately represent the group. When it comes to eating, I have seen other girls going on ‘diets’ to be skinnier and pretty like the other girls.” Moreover, Emily, an ex-sorority member, explicitly explained: “I was in a sorority for two years, then decided to leave for multiple reasons. I did not like having to conform to somebody else’s expectations.
Dressing the exact same, acting shallow, pretending like everybody is best friends when they’re really not. It was as if every girl around wanted to be the same exact person to ‘fit in’. Actually, a friend of mine in the sorority did have eating disorder tendencies, and it was eye-opening for me to see somebody go down that path. It wasn’t for me anymore.” Discussion The outcomes of the survey suggest that the public has strong, critical opinions towards sororities that are mostly negative- that may be due to social media, stories, and other reasons that do not necessarily relate back to body image and eating disorders. Contrary to that belief, responses from the interviews suggest that sororities do have strict rules for their members, and begin to reveal a broader reason as to why sorority members end up developing negative body image and disordered eating. In “The Influence of Fraternity and Sorority Involvement: A Critical Analysis of Research”, Biddix implies that women’s efforts in facing body image issues are “multifaceted, with elements focusing on weight, a radicalized standard, and a particular expression of heightened and youthful femininity” (Biddix, 2014).
Biddix’s point unveils a new idea that altered body image and disordered eating could be a result of many things, not just being in a sorority. In a study examining disordered eating prospectively among sorority and nonsorority women, Allison found that “first-year women who choose to join sororities are similar to women who do not join on a number of dimensions, most notably, factors associated with binging and purging and body dissatisfaction” (Allison, 2004). In conclusion, through analysis of my own research methods and other studies, there is indication that sorority membership does not dictate whether or not a young woman will be susceptible to these issues. Conclusion There is enough evidence to acknowledge that there is an unhealthy body-image and eating disorder problem within sororities. Prior research expressed how sorority members often sacrifice a lot- often their own sense of independence, natural beauty, and confidence- in order to fit in and be apart of such an organization. Additionally, more initiative should be taken to promote the health and well-being of sorority members.
