Alabama Alphi Phi Controversy:

This post is going to be pretty different from my others -- You won't see any beauty or fitness tips here, and you won't see any pictures of carb-loaded food.  Quite the opposite!

The main purpose of this blog is to share tips and inspiration, but I never want to be limited or to forget about important topics that are worthy to write about and share.

I've always been very outspoken and opinionated -- When I saw Buzzfeed's piece on the University of Alabama's Alpha Phi video, I wanted to not only watch the video, but I also wanted to read both sides.

I did not rush/go Greek when I was in college.  It just wasn't for me, but I completely understand the attraction and do think it's a great place to meet like-minded people, make great friends, and develop relationships for the rest of your life.  When I say "it wasn't for me", all of my friends and family know exactly what I mean.  You'll never see me chanting or clapping outside of a house or wearing expensive rompers and dresses to impress people.  I'll sing and dance if I want to, and I'll wear what I please when I feel like it.  I also couldn't justify paying dues to be in a group.  I've never been about that life since I was young.  However, I do understand that that is part of being a member of any group, and the recent issues with an elderly woman being kicked out of her church prove this point further.

I have many friends who were in a sorority, and a few of them were in Alpha Phi.  We were friends because we got along -- We had things in common, made each other laugh, liked to eat or drink the same things, similar beliefs...reasons people form friendships.  I enjoyed striking up conversation with strangers in class, on campus, or at a restaurant and watching them develop into friendships.

I know this is a controversial post, but I've never been one to not share my thoughts, and I hope to transition my blog into a platform where I'm able to touch on current events as well as my passions.

As for the video: I don't think these girls did anything wrong.  At the end of the day, it's advertising.  They want to make a video to sell others on the product (their sorority house and their group).  We see nothing different with the other ads targeting women: cosmetics, diet pills, clothing stores, etc.  Everything is designed with a goal, and the goal here was to encourage girls to rush the Alpha Phi house -- No harm done there.  No, not much diversity here, but this is a traditional, Southern school, and we can't hate a group of young women for being attractive, living in a beautiful house, dressing well, and looking happy.

What I'm not a fan of is using looks as the only selling point in this video.  More power to you if you're good looking.  But what else can you bring to the table?  Why aren't we selling women on other factors?  I know many women in Alpha Phi make the Dean's list or volunteer, but why don't they mention that in a "promotional" video?  This is 6 minutes of running around looking pretty in hopes that prospective members will want to run around and look pretty too.

We'd be better served if we focused on intelligence, empathy, and caring for others before we focused on looks.  Don't get me wrong -- I like to look good.  When I look good, I feel good.  But I think we're sending the wrong message if we only sell ourselves on our looks, and to target incoming freshmen with this video doesn't give off a positive note either.

For the arguments that say they shouldn't apologize for having fun: No, you shouldn't.  You should go to college and party your ass off while getting an education.  Have fun and enjoy it.  But there should be more selling points to joining a group.  Show those off, too.