Challenging Controlling Images: Appearance Enforcement within Black Sororities

Challenging Controlling Images: Appearance Enforcement within Black Sororities

ORCID

Marcia D. Hernandez: 0000-0001-9556-7699

Document Type

Contribution to Book

Department

Sociology

Book Title

Black Greek Letter Organizations 2.0: New Directions in the Study of African American Fraternities and Sororities

Editor(s)

M. W. Hughey and G. S. Parks

Description

As members of the sorority, women are always required to represent their organization in the best possible way, whether in behavior or in the manner of dressing. Sorority sisters adhere to a strict code of conduct and demand high standards of fellow members to maintain the organization’s image or front, allowing them to actively recruit and promote notably exceptional women. This process is known as “appearance enforcement.” This chapter examines how appearance enforcement enables members of black sororities to challenge the negative images of black womanhood that persist in popular culture. However, it shows that many of the sorority women, in resisting the stereotypes that have historically stigmatized African American women, resort to harsh class distinctions and entrenched “us versus them” worldviews. The chapter looks at a series of magnified moments that emphasize how appearance enforcement operates as part of the socialization process for members.

Find in WorldCat

https://www.worldcat.org/title/black-greek-letter-organizations-20-new-directions-in-the-study-of-african-american-fraternities-and-sororities/oclc/719388618&referer=brief_results

ISBN

978-1604739213

DOI

10.14325/mississippi/9781604739213.001.0001

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Publisher

University Press of Mississippi

City

Jackson, MS

Disciplines

Sociology

Challenging Controlling Images: Appearance Enforcement within Black Sororities
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