Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, by Alexandra Robbins

August 12th, 2011

by Meredith Nudo

By its very nature, even the most straightforward examples of undercover and investigative journalism will inevitably end up with some pretty nasty accusations slapped onto the reporter in question. It definitely happened to Alexandra Robbins when Pledged hit the shelves, to the point many Greek organizations outright banned members from reading it. Some even accused her of jealousy and ripped apart the book's content…despite admitting that they never read it and never will! In her preface to the paperback edition – which, by the way, should not be skipped over – the author very candidly addresses all the issues and insults. She doesn't pretend "the chapters committing atrocities accurately illustrate sorority life as a whole" (ix), but many sisters, brothers and administrators "[wear] blinders that peg the Greek system as flawless and any criticism of it as lies" (x). Pledged should not be read an outright condemnation so much as a passionate call for reformation. 

Four Sisters

Although Robbins interviewed waves of sorority sisters and visited countless campuses to try and piece together an entirely alien (to her) culture. However, the book's crux largely rests upon the four young women she shadowed for an entire year. Obviously stripped of any explicitly identifying characteristics, "Amy," "Vicki," "Sabrina" and "Caitlin" all struggle against some exceptionally wrenching social pressures. Sabrina's issues stand out as particularly egregious. Hailing from a poor African-American family, both racism and classism preclude her from forming sisterly bonds. Unlike her Prada-toting peers, she must work a part-time job in order to pay the required dues. This means skipping many of the events her money goes towards in the first place – an exceptionally unfortunate Catch-22 experienced only by "the less privileged sisters" (95). But even beyond financial discrimination, Sabrina's reality involves listening to her sisters casually toss out passive-aggressive comments regarding her racial heritage. It's some incredibly appalling behavior from women supposedly all about promoting community. The most shocking moment comes when a peer fondly reminisces about painting her face black for a high school skit. Sabrina sits shocked over how "girls would laugh about blackface right in front of an obviously black girl" (231), but feels too powerless to say that's not exactly sensitive, smart or acceptable behavior.

But it's not like the other women Robbins follows fare much better, even if they do fall into the wealthy white demographic. Reeling from a steady stream of lying, cheating and misleading men, she ends up having sex with a man who previously date raped her – and got away with it. Caitlin and her boyfriend boil over into a domestic dispute. Vicki's sisters slowly manipulate her away from a stable relationship and beloved non-pledging friends. In spite – or, more likely, because – of their very human mistakes and insecurities, all four sisters come off as very real individuals. They may indulge in stereotypical behaviors, but rarely ever read as stereotypes. Robbins delves very deeply into the unique sociology of sororities, dredging up some incredibly horrific patterns perpetuated for no reason other than a burning desire to belong. Throughout Pledged, sisters peer pressure one another into severely abusing alcohol and drugs, isolating their family and friends, hook up with questionable men, break up with non-Greek boyfriends (or those belonging to frowned-upon fraternities), completely ignore rape and sexual assault, experiment with extreme dieting and eating disorders and take part in debilitating or deadly hazing rituals. Less serious but still disconcerting is the heavy emphasis on promoting attractiveness over academics. Sure these sisters self destruct, but by god they self-destruct together – and in style!

And the author attributes all of this to a combination of the "Queen Bees and Wannabes" (117) social structure and a national governing body too "'steeped in tradition'" (237) to care. She even attends a Northeast Greek Life Association conference to see just how high up this immature, high school mindset extends. Pretty far, it seems. Whenever participants bring up serious issues such as death, partying and the lack of true philanthropy, their inquiries end up largely dismissed. National organizations seem to care more about money and PR, even declaring a near-universal "media blackout" (170) against all inquisitive journalists…even ones trying to paint a fair portrait! Community service is lauded as an excellent way "to balance public relations for the Greeks" (171) rather than a way to promote unity, equality and friendships. So while chapters watch sisters pile up plastic bags of bulimic vomit because their stomach acid rotted through the plumbing, those holding the power to change everything focus more on looking slick and shiny. Lives and psyches alike would significantly improve if Nationals actually took the less-than-savory components of Greek life seriously. But a tragic brew of institutionalized elitism and foot-stamping unwillingness to admit weakness means such progress probably won't occur any time soon.

Curious readers hoping to follow Amy, Vicki and – to a much lesser extent – Sabrina and Caitlin now that they've graduated can do so at the official Pledged website. Interestingly enough, none seem to really regret their sorority time. While they undoubtedly waded through Hell at many points, all four ultimately value the healthy friendships forged within the Greek system. Although such a perception does weave throughout the book as well. While sororities and fraternities certainly need something of an overhaul if they hope to truly promote healthy, loving communities, their successes do warrant acknowledgement. The book's central figures no doubt underwent some extremely trying times as a direct result of their sorority involvement, but over time learned some valuable lessons both about themselves and what qualities they seek in a true friend. That shouldn't go ignored. Neither should statistics revealing that "Greeks are more likely to graduate from college than unaffiliated students" (320), though Robbins notes how many sororities prioritize landing men over academic achievement. 

Diversity in Greek life

The author takes great care to illustrate some highly successful, sometimes experimental, sororities impressively challenging the overarching stereotypes. Although Robbins steadfastly challenges Greek shortcomings, she does not shy away from celebrating chapters who really push the core values of deep friendship, love, tolerance, diversity and community service. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of these spring up at the local level and never answer to a national governing body. After facing rejection from every sorority at the University of Alabama, Melody Twilley organized the independent Alpha Delta Sigma. Though not recognized by the school's Panhellenic Association, the sorority launched with 50 members of all races, all of whom actively promote diversity on a still partially segregated campus. University of Pennsylvania's Subrosa structures itself after a sorority, but "doesn't believe in hierarchies" (305), owns no house and centers all of its events around community service rather than dolling up, drinking and dating fraternity brothers. Zeta Delta Xi at Brown University accepts both male and female members, who vocally pride themselves on their willingness to accept all races, gender identities, sexual orientations and mental and physical abilities. They prefer "'Having a good time all the time" (295), "prioritizing character over composure" (295), making friends and relishing the fact that "none of them, appearance- or personality-wise, were ever mistaken for a mainstream Greek" (294).

On a national level, Robbins juxtaposes the sociology of traditionally African-American and Latina Greek organizations and their caucasian counterparts. She attended the Alpha Kappa Alpha North Atlantic Regional Conference and noted how the main conversation never dealt with "boosting numbers to fulfill a quota" (241) or "mandating specific types of clothing" (241), but rather "efforts to improve health care and literacy" (241) and community service. An obvious departure from the NGLA discussions, of course, but the author still points out that "some of the drawbacks of white sororities [hazing, skin color discrimination] pertain to black sororities as well" (244). Though the latter demographic can still learn quite a bit from the former's focus on "service and networking opportunities" (243), events "open to the campus and the community" (243) rather than a closed group and devotion to academics. Robbins sadly notes how one white sorority held a special ceremony for a girl who landed a cute boyfriend, but rewarded their top student a bag of potato chips. By contrast, "a 2002 study found that black and other minority Greeks achieved higher GPAs than white Greeks" (243) because of this priority shift. Latina sororities similarly zero in mostly on academics and "support[ing] each other in an unfamiliar environment" (246), sometimes forming their own little families instead of friendships. 

All of these organizations branched out from the original, traditional sorority formula, sloughing off the rigidity and preference for wealthy, conventionally attractive white women to make it their own. In doing so, they preserve many of the Greeks' purported values without perpetuating some of the negative stereotypes. Robbins admits she has "mixed feelings" (319) after witnessing the positives, negatives and downright tragedies either firsthand or via interviews. But, like everything else humans create, sororities – and, by extension, fraternities – are not above criticism when counterproductive, dangerous or discriminatory patterns emerge. Along with her commentary, the author provides excellent solutions to the more popular problems, many of them culled directly from minority and independent organizations or progressive chapters. They're all viable, realistic and easy to implement. The problem lay with nationals unwilling to admit they have a few serious problems. Until then, books such as this might very well fuel change at a comparatively more grassroots levels. Parents, administrators and the sisters themselves must start demanding safety, equality, community building and scholarship if they hope to see it all happen. While the Greeks might see Pledged as a threat, I personally think it a clear, concise and wholly straightforward call for considerable reform. One that will hopefully be heeded before any more young women end up dead or damaged.

Bibliographic Information

Robbins, Alexandra. Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities. New York: Hyperion, 2005

Pledged was suggested by Halie Hartman, so big thanks to her! If you have any suggestions for future book reviews, feel free to contact me at mnudo (at) oedb (dot) org! I'm emphasizing reads about college and college life, so try to stick with those particular themes. Thanks!

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