BLOG.FASHION.BLOG.SMASHION

Looking for the latest in fashion designers, celeb style, trends, what to wear and how-to solutions? Look no further!

 

Cornell Sorority Dress Code: Mean Girls at Work or a Blessing in Disguise?


Future female members of Cornell University's Greek Life will probably reconsider rushing for one of these sororities after the Huffington Post published the "Rush Week Dress Code" guide, measuring roughly seven pages in length. With highlights such as "no muffin top" and "If you're wearing cheapo shoes, make sure they don't look like it", this guide has circulated the internet like wildfire. The reactions have been incredibly varied.

Here's the original article, This review will make more sense if you see this first.

Many women have taken offense to this guide. They are shocked that an entire sorority would listen to the instructions of one girl who seems to have quite an attitude. They complain that college-aged girls should be allowed to dress themselves and represent themselves as they wish, not be forced to adhere to a strict dress code. They feel for the girls for whom this dress code may be an issue, the ones who routinely suffer from the dreaded muffin top, or those who never have the time to get that highlight touch-up, as the Rush Week guide demands.

Others, however, have no problem with this guide. The author is right, they say. Leggings should not be worn as pants, hemlines should be classy and appropriate, open-toed heels should be reserved for the warmer months, and do college girls really need to be told again that sweatpants look sloppy? This dress code, they point out, teaches the girls nothing more than that they should be dressed appropriately and with class. College campuses are filled with sloppy dressers, so maybe this guide was necessary. Sorority girls themselves have pointed out that they would love to have a guide such as this one when dressing for events, as it would make the process simpler and stress-free.

At the same time, reports of other sorority girls at Cornell have surfaced, and these aren't so pretty. Girls have complained of being fined for not touching up their roots, or for wearing leggings as pants (has anyone else seen the episode of Gossip Girl where Blair reduces a girl to tears because the girl wore leggings as pants?) Worse, a girl with naturally curly hair complains of being threatened with fines if she doesn't consistently straighten her locks. 

So what's your take on this? Blessing in disguise, meant to teach girls to dress with class, or just the musings of mean girls taken to a whole new level? Personally, I wouldn't mind this dress code, but then again I don't color or need to straighten my hair. That might cross the line.

Gossip Girl  

If you're curious about the guide and the complete set of rules, it's been posted here.