Dress and the Social Construction of Gender in Two Sororities

Abstract

This study sheds light on dress as it is involved in the social construction of femininity, and in particular how sororities are engaged in this process. As institutions, the sororities in this study trained their members toward a traditional notion of femininity that was visually expressed in appearance. New sorority members (pledges) were actively involved in the social construction of gender as they adopted the sororities' idealized images and roles pertaining to femininity.Enculturation into a sorority began with adoption of the idealized images such as a sorority look. Pledges wanted to at least look like full-fledged members and alleviated status insecurity by adopting the idealized image as they embraced their roles. As competing roles emerged over time, full-fledged members substituted the sorority's idealized images for personal images.Adherence to the sororities' idealized images became a gender role obligation. Benefits of this study to textiles and clothing scholarship include a deeper understanding of the role of appearance in non-verbal communication and in informal social control.

The Social Construction of Female Sexuality in a Sexualized Work Environment (SWE): The Case of a Comedy Club

“…Using the social constructionism perspective, we can make inferences about the individual's assimilation of sociocultural gender and sexual meanings that are ultimately manifested in the scripting of his/her socially constructed sexual practices and experiences. Sexuality, then, results from the accumulation of socially constructed sexual interactions, practices, and experiences that give rise to master personal sexual statuses (Arthur, 1998;Dunn, 1998). In examining the developmental aspect of female sexuality, Laws and Schwartz (1977) emphasized the various physical stages as well as the sociocultural scripting mechanisms involved in the development of gender roles and gender identity.…”

“…Some of the girls modified their uniform by tying up their shirt and wearing short shorts ("hot shorts"). Even though this mode of dressing was not required by management on comedy nights, some of the waitresses chose to adopt it as a reflection of their individuality (Arthur, 1998).…”

“…Wednesday nights were college nights with a typically young, college-age student population and waitresses wearing jeans and logo t-shirts. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays were the actual comedy show nights with typically one or two shows running each night and waitress uniform consisting of black logo t-shirts with black/khaki pants or shorts (Arthur, 1998).…”

The Influence of Fraternity and Sorority Involvement: A Critical Analysis of Research (1996–2013)

“…Much of the literature about women describes their interaction with men in terms of alcohol use and particularly a shift toward competing with each other in number of alcoholic drinks consumed (Elias et al., ; Huchting, Lac, & LaBrie, ), objectification of themselves or of other women (Rolnik, Engeln‐Maddox, & Miller, ), construction of appearance to be attractive individually and as a group to men (Arthur, ; Boyd, ), rewards and events within the sorority (Berkowitz & Padavic, ), or organization of activities to cede control to men (Hamilton & Armstrong, ). This definition of self in relation to men would seem antithetical to mission statements that highlight the value, independence, and cultivation of a female voice (Alpern, ).…”

“…Women's efforts in grappling with body image issues are multifaceted, with elements focusing on weight, a racialized standard, and a particular expression of heightened and youthful femininity. Body image inclines toward a White ideal, no matter the type of organization: lower weight in predominately White sororities, and lighter skin and relaxed hair in predominately Black sororities (Arthur, ; Simmons, ). A considerable area of the literature focused on eating disorders, with a particular emphasis on social pressure to be thin.…”