TV's 'Greek': Get Real
Issue date: 8/29/07 Section: Opinion
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Tri Delta is a veteran in the war against the sorority-girl stereotype in popular media. I was a junior at SMU in 1992 when Melanie Hutsell of "Saturday Night Life" introduced the world to my sorority. When she said "Delta Delta Delta, can I help ya, help ya, help ya?" our sisterhood's name was indelibly engraved into the public's consciousness. I know this firsthand, because when I introduce myself and my line of work to any one over the age of 25, typically about seven out of 10 people smile and repeat that phrase to me as if I've never heard it before. If I had a dollar for every time someone has said that to me, I could have a building at SMU with my name on it.
But on the other hand, if you believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity, then I guess you could argue that Hutsell's choice to use Delta Delta Delta as opposed to a fictional sorority was a tribute to a popular women's organization. I personally think she chose us because our name is easy-only one fairly simple Greek letter repeated three times. Either way, our organization and our name received a lot of attention that year. Incidentally, as a member of Tri Delta's professional staff, one of the top five questions I get when I talk to people about what I do is, "Did you sue 'Saturday Night Live?'" We did not.
Earlier this year when the cable network ABC Family announced that they would be airing a show about Greek life called "Greek," our leadership team made a plan. Keeping in line with Tri Delta's philosophy of offering a proactive voice from the Greek community whenever possible, we reached out to the show's producers and offered to help consult on storylines and subject matter. We wanted to do what we could to ensure that the female characters were well-rounded and the stories were authentic. We sent messages to our chapters and our members nationwide about the show and offered suggestions about how to talk about the show's themes with potential new members and each other. We wanted our members to be prepared to articulate their own sorority experiences to try to fill in where we knew the messages in a one-hour, fictional television show would fall short.
But on the other hand, if you believe that there is no such thing as bad publicity, then I guess you could argue that Hutsell's choice to use Delta Delta Delta as opposed to a fictional sorority was a tribute to a popular women's organization. I personally think she chose us because our name is easy-only one fairly simple Greek letter repeated three times. Either way, our organization and our name received a lot of attention that year. Incidentally, as a member of Tri Delta's professional staff, one of the top five questions I get when I talk to people about what I do is, "Did you sue 'Saturday Night Live?'" We did not.
Earlier this year when the cable network ABC Family announced that they would be airing a show about Greek life called "Greek," our leadership team made a plan. Keeping in line with Tri Delta's philosophy of offering a proactive voice from the Greek community whenever possible, we reached out to the show's producers and offered to help consult on storylines and subject matter. We wanted to do what we could to ensure that the female characters were well-rounded and the stories were authentic. We sent messages to our chapters and our members nationwide about the show and offered suggestions about how to talk about the show's themes with potential new members and each other. We wanted our members to be prepared to articulate their own sorority experiences to try to fill in where we knew the messages in a one-hour, fictional television show would fall short.
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Michelle
posted 8/29/07 @ 10:41 AM EST
Hey if you are interested in discussing/debating the show 'Greek' we've got an ongoing group on www.sororitylive.com - log in and add your opinion, it's important that Greeks follow Ms. (Continued…)
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