What Shouldn't Matter on the Row
By Mark Love ‘16
The Row. Aside from Tommy Trojan himself, the Row may possibly be the most famed site at USC. I’ve had the luxury of attending a few Greek parties — without actually rushing any of the fraternities— and the experience was like no other. The raging house parties with boundless amounts of alcohol pretty much mirrored a modern American Pie movie. But besides the rowdy soirees, the Row lauds itself for promoting brotherhood and sisterhood throughout each perspective fraternity and sorority. Many actives proclaimed they have created bonds that will prosper far beyond the barriers of USC. However, a recent scandal in one of the sorority houses disputed the claims of affability and enforced the superficial reputation that hovers over the Greek life.
About three weeks ago, an email for the sister of Alpha Chi Omega were leaked for the world to see by the popular blog website Jezebel. At first thought, I could care less about the contents of the message. Nine times out of ten, the email would contain mundane information that every perspective sorority girl must know: rush events, bid night, and semester dues. To my dismay, the email featured a barrage of authoritative 'beauty tips’ that the actives encouraged the potential girls to follow during rush week to guarantee a bid. Unfortunately, the emails revealed just how shallow and image-obsessed some sorority girls can be.
One of the suggestions encouraged the girls to wear Spanx throughout the week to cover any “awkward humps” that they may have. Another proposal asserted the importance of maintaining a straight, unicolored hairstyle. Yes, you’ve read that right. The girls were persuaded to flat iron if they had wavy hair, and to avoid any hair dying during the rush process. The flagrancy does not stop their either. The email demanded the prospects to apply at least eight items of makeup during each day of rush. But not just any makeup will due of course. They must wear “neutral colors”, which means black or brown eyeliner and “pinky” lip gloss. Oh, and the girls don’t have to worry if they forget about the makeup policy. In the email, an active generously volunteered to apply the makeup on herself if she sees any sister breaking order.
Obviously, the email sparked public outrage as Alpha Chi Omega refused to release a public statement about the matter. I normally don’t write about Spanx, hair, or makeup, but reading the contents of that email shocked me too much to keep quiet about it. And I’m not shaming Alpha Chi Omega at all. I’m pretty sure majority of the sororities and maybe even the fraternities set some strict standards for their potential counterparts, but they were just the ones who’ve gotten caught. I just hope that these girls, along with the Row in general, can reread this email and see how outlandish these rules sound. I support some attributes of the Row: bonding, partying, and giving back to the community. The fraternities and sororities have donated their money and time to assist impoverished families and to raise awareness on health diseases in the past. Nonetheless, the makeup, fashion choices, and hair styles should not dictate entry to any social group.
