My sweet sorority sister sent me a link to a new show that has me fuming mad. It is just sick! On several levels. TLC has a new, wretched show called Sorority Girls.
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They take several pretty American girls, who were clearly never in any actual American or Canadian sorority (My sorority, AGD, is in both the USA and Canada, as are several others. So it is not just a southern American thing, thankyouverymuch!) and move them over to England. And have them start the "first sorority in England." It is every made-up or outdated horrible, disgusting stereotype you can imagine. Judging outfits and calling girls horrible names and testing girls on secret things and just tons of stuff that would NEVER EVER EVER actually happen in a real sorority.
For anyone who never went through Recruitment (It's not even called Rush anymore, y'all! I mean, you might call it that but I promise, no NPC chapter headquarters supports that term.), no one would ever ask you about your daily beauty routine. I don't think I've ever asked anyone, anywhere, that question. Do you know what my kids ask? They ask about school majors and minors, collegiate sports, where they are from, extra curricular interests, philanthropy/volunteering and that sort of stuff. Real topics to get to know every woman from the inside out. They are not even allowed to discussing Potential New Members with each other after they leave an event so no mocking or gossiping is happening, as is depicted in this wretched TLC show. Real college sororities are about teaching young women to be community volunteers and campus leaders all while excelling in academics and personal interests.
This show just makes me feel physically ill. It is so bloody harmful to women trying to make their campus, community and world better by joining a sorority. All the hours studying to get the highest grades on campus, all the money raised to support community needs, all the efforts to participate on more campus events than any other group...are overshadowed by this stereotype-ridden fake program.
These women do not even vaguely resemble the true Greek system. Shame on you, TLC! You are officially the most ridiculous network on television. And it seemed impossible to surpass Bravo's hot mess of Housewives and E!'s hot mess of Kardashians. But you did it. Gross, gross, gross!
As a long-time volunteer as Chapter Adivsor for my sorority, I take great offense this. You are mucking up efforts that are so pure and genuine by hundreds of thousands of women across North America each year.
15 comments:
Ugh, this will give foriegners such a WONDERFUl view of America. Just like Teen Mom!
Thank you for your insight on the show. I went to a women's college that did not have sororities, so they have always intrigued me. I watched the first episode and it did seem so odd and scripted. I'm sorry that TLC is putting something that is so dear to you in a bad light.
I went to a small Catholic university and we did not have a Greek system. I think I missed out on a lot of the college experience because I was never in a sorority.
I stopped watching TLC when they stopped showing the Wedding story.
My whole chapter is furious and is everyone on twitter. There is an online petition link below, I don't know who started it but there's 7500 signatures. I also sent an email straight to TLC and got the scripted normal reply. None of this would ever happen at any sorority in the US. I just want to know where on earth they found the 5 American girls.
http://www.change.org/petitions/tlc-the-learning-channel-pull-the-reality-show-sorority-girls-off-the-air?utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=autopublish
One of the beauties of living overseas without American television or commercials is that I get to miss our on hearing about garbage like this. I didn't know about the show at all until it popped up in my newsfeed that several sorority sisters across the country had signed an NPC petition to get the show off the air. I immediately had to click the YouTube links for the show and was horrified. I am also a chapter advisor and was an advisor for one other chapter, and I am glad that neither chapter is like this. The whole thing reminds me of the MTV Sorority Life Trainwreck.
I signed the petition.
Amen.....I was watching something the other night and this show came on and I said, "This is not one we'll be getting into."
Oh, it was Toddlers in Tiaras, which by the way, lets ban that show while we are at it too. I'm sorry, but this whole pagent thing makes me sick to my stomach and I can't say much more about the other show because I turned the channel 2 minutes into the intro.
AMEN. Ugh. Pan would never let cameras infiltrate and distort any of their soririties, so it ends up being odds and ends.
I am an AXO and my daughter is rushing (that's what we called it back in my day :) at Rutgers U. I was HORRIFIED to watch this staged and downright vulgar show. It portrays nothing like what a sorority truly is. I hope the petition is successful!
I am an AXO and my daughter is rushing (that's what we called it back in my day :) at Rutgers U. I was HORRIFIED to watch this staged and downright vulgar show. It portrays nothing like what a sorority truly is. I hope the petition is successful!
Oh my. I went to a private college in California and sororities were a HUGE thing. I didn't rush because I thought it ridiculous to pay for something where they didn't have Greek housing. Anyway, this show is absolutely ridiculous!
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I saw a preview for this and wanted to watch it but now I'm not so sure!
I've watched the whole thing - I realised it was camped up a bit (in the last epsiode the initiation involved a COFFIN), but most people haven't experienced the real greek system in the US like I have and WILL think that is how it is. It's a shame because the UK is crying out for a sorority system to give girls the support and networks they need when leaving home. Perhaps some of the bigger sororities should look at venturing over the pond and doing it as it should be done?
When I heard about this show I immediately thought of the MTV Sorority Life show. Do you remember the backlash from that show? People didn't realize that it was a local sorority with no national system. So basically it was like the social clubs that we had at my high school. As someone who really loved and benefited from the relationships I made in my sorority, it hurts me to know that people actually see that mess and think it is true. Would you mind if I posted a link to this post on my blog?
I miss the old TLC too. This show is so wrong. They are making it look like what people who hate the Greek system think we really act like. I am going with it was someone who hates Greeks who came up with this idea and the extreme of it.
I get so upset when movies and tv shows, and now reality tv, take every sorority stereotype out there & focus on them. Forget about all the good, philathropic, scholastic achievements we have all worked so hard to meet. Ugh!! I hadn't even heard of this show but surely won't be watching it.
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