There have been numerous articles on women written revealing their decrease in self-esteem and increase in emphasis on external traits over the past century. "The Body Projects," by Joan Brumberg, is one of these texts. Living on a college campus, I am able to see clearly the types of problems Brumberg discusses. I am living in a subculture of young college Greek women who constantly feel pressured to meet the standards imposed by their own group of peers. Not only must these women excel academically, they also must maintain a trim physique, dress exquisitely, and have perfect hair, make-up, and bronzed skin. By relating the topic of subcultures from the Fieldworking text (4), one can see a real-life example of Brumberg's ideas from "The Body Project" such as the "body as the ultimate expression of self" (97).
In the subculture of young women in the Greek system, group diets before big Spring Break trips are common. Women can be found together complaining about the cupcake they ate the day before, praising each other for only eating half a salad, and figuring out exactly how many calories were burned in their hot yoga class that morning. These women have an immense amount of pressure to look svelte on their Spring Break trip because the entire Greek System, who ultimately defines each individual's status, will be on the trip. Pictures will be posted on Facebook and everyone will be able to tell while lounging poolside who had a little too big of a hamburger the night before. Spring Break is the ultimate expression of self for Greek women. Internal attributes are thrown out the window, and, as Brumberg discusses in her article, there is a huge focus on the externalities (124). The problem is that most Greek women rarely reach their bikini body goal, leading to extreme sadness on trips that should be fun and carefree (Brumberg 124). When women who in so many ways are successful (great jobs, great grades, great family) participate in extreme dieting behaviors to achieve the "perfect" body for Spring Break, these behaviors seem so "normal." In reality, however, they are dangerous and extreme.
Another problem for young Greek women involves clothing. Sorority houses generally have around 100 girls living in them, meaning 100 closets for girls to raid before picking the perfect outfit to wear to a party. The problem, though, is that in reality most bodies are different and not everyone is going to be the same size. It is embarassing for those who can't fit in their friend's size 2/4 closet and, in a sense, a failure. The emphasis on name brand clothes and flattering outfits often leads to low self-esteem, especially when certain young women can't fit into anything in a friend's closet.
Many members of the Greek system have women visit their sorority house to discuss healthy ways to diet and exercise as well as how to deal with depression and other mental issues. While this is great, a bigger change needs to occur. Having people visit to discuss a problem is like putting a bandaid on a broken leg and hoping it repairs itself. The subculture of Greek women is a group of intelligent, internally and externally beautiful young women that needs to make a change. Their safety is at stake, as Brumberg suggests, and some sort of change in external values must be made (214). Walking around with a broken leg and a band-aid just isn't going to cut it anymore.
