Sisterhood is Easier Said Than Done
Why sisterhood is hard to come by and maintain?
In the article Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Between Women, Hooks’ describes the importance of solidarity to produce a real form of a sisterhood, which in turn, drives a united feminist movement of different race and class. Sisterhood has been portrayed throughout time through movies, TV shows, and is seen amongst college sororities, friendships, and other forms of women interaction. But what is a sisterhood? Why does it play a role in feminist movement? Is it inclusive of all race and financial status or is it specific to a particular group?
Defining a Sisterhood
A sisterhood is defined in various ways and in different forms. It is showcased incredulously in mass media, especially of the white culture. Not only is it present for entertainment purposes, but can be seen in every day life. Most common form seen is amongst friendships and is particularly showcased in sororities.
Sororities: A True Depiction of a Sisterhood or a False Pretense
In college, sororities is a prominent feature of the college lifestyle. They portray a sense of sisterhood and this belief that they all get along and support one another. Brie Leifker describes in her article, What is a Sisterhood?, what she believes a sisterhood should be defined as, which was basically a support system for one another. But that isn’t always the case. In an article, Dartmouth Sorority Girl Goes Public With Her Hazing Nightmare written by Cassie Murdoch illustrated a hazing incident of a Dartmouth Kappa Kappa Gamma pledge, who almost died of alcohol poisoning, instigated by the older members. When she was first admitted in the hospital, Ravital Segal and a fellow pledge, who was also admitted for alcohol poisoning, agreed that they would not come forward because they did not consider it hazing since they drank on their own accord. She then goes on to tell that to the administration of Dartmouth, which in turn lead to no severe consequences for the sorority. Now, Segal realizes she was hazed, despite having the choice to drink the amount of alcohol, because she was pressured by her fellow “sisters” and so she did to feel accepted by them. A sorority is built on this idea of sisterhood and the idea of having all these women as your sisters. But how does forcing one to drink to the point of almost dying demonstrate sisterhood? This is because of ranking in a sorority. In a sorority, you have the new members, who are the newbies in chapter, and then you have the older members, who have been an active member of their chapter for quite some time. The clear distinction between the newer and older members is where the idea of one being better than the other comes from, leading to the idea that it is okay to “haze” the new members to prove themselves and their loyalty to their chapter. The higher rank of the active members gave them a sense of entitlement to treat the new members however they want, instead of treating all sisters equal to create a unified sisterhood rather a divided sister good of strong older member and a newer member class.
In my experience as an active sorority member, a unified sisterhood is definitely a significant factor in a successful chapter. If we take out the idea sisterhood out of a sorority, then what you have is just a group of girls who have no sense of loyalty to one another and are more inclined to attack and go after one another, which is the opposite of sisterhood and the opposite of what feminist movement is about. Lack of sisterhood leads to women talking shit on one another, going after one another and finding ways to “destroy” one another. Sisterhood is about having a support system and knowing no matter what these women have your back. If we take that aspect out, division, quarreling and attacks to one another ensue because of the lack of support and tension over disagreements or issues. Rather than working as a unit to better the chapter, we begin to tear it down by going after one another; therefore, we diminish the idea of sisterhood and a sorority.
Sisterhood Portrayed in Media
Various forms of sisterhood are interpreted through movies, TV shows, and other media platforms. In a particular movie, “Mean Girls”, showcases a small group of popular girls labeled as “Mean Girls”, who apparently all the other females wish to be a part of or look up to, especially the leader of the pack (Regina George). When Regina realizes her “friends” were backstabbing her, she released copies of the Burn Book , which contained gossip of other female students at the school ensuing chaos, after she had brought it to the principal’s attention and blamed her friends for making the book by making one up of herself in the book to show she had nothing to do with it.
When the excerpts of the Burn Book was passed around at the school, women began to fight and argue with one another due to claims reported in the book. Claims include friends sleeping with the same guy, friends who said talked trash behind one another’s back, friends’ secrets were revealed and etc. The minuscule drama and name calling written in the burn book describes the attacks the hooks demonstrated in her article and how women are natural enemies because we compete for popularity, male attention or the approval of others. Regina played victim in the movie by making it seem like her friends turned on her for no reason, but in reality, she inflicted more suffering onto them. This is similar to hooks description of how those who play victim are those who held more power than her friends because she was the ultimate mean girl, who everyone hated but also looked up to.
Modern Society’s Incapability to Exhibit Sisterhood and Solidarity
In modern society, it is so easy for women to judge another female based one what they see. We determine what kind of person they are, what they’re worth, whether we would interact with them or not and etc based on what we see. We feel competitive with one another, whether it be over a guy, a job, clothing/accessories and etc. We feel the need to be better than one another or that we are better than another person based on what we have or what the other lacks. As individuals, we have our own beliefs and make our own choices, but as women, we should respect these ideologies and decisions that other women make, even if we don’t agree with them. For women to stand in solidarity with one and other and form a strong sisterhood for all women, we need to get rid of this divide amongst each other and this idea that one group of women is better than the other. To do this, we need to stop thinking that these type of women are this and that group of women is that. As women, we need to accept that there are differences amongst us and that we have different opinions on different matters and respect those differences.
Another aspect that needs improvement in regards to feminist movement is when only certain women participate in specific movements that affect them directly. Despite if a particular movement or movement pertains to a specific type of women, we should all support it and show solidarity that even if it doesn’t pertain to us, they still have our loyalty and encouragement. As women we should band together and form a sisterhood inclusive to all to support the varying issues we all are fighting for. Instead of having a divide and only a particular group of women taking action to their movement, women should come together and take action as a whole, showcasing a unified front. By removing the separation amongst women, we prevent this need to go after one another to prove one point more significant than the other. We should recognize the importance of all movements and differences amongst each other and form a unified feminist movement. Making these changes is not easy. But they are doable. So put an end to the derogatory name calling, preconceived notion of another female, idea of women being natural enemies and instead consider each other allies for a greater change.
