College student Alex Purdy decided to share why she left her sorority in a heartfelt video blog.
Last week, the senior at Syracuse University posted the video on YouTube and as of Wednesday afternoon, it had over 37,000 views, with many people applauding her decision in the comment section.
“The problem is the overwhelming lack of compassion for one another," Purdy said in the video. "I was so upset to see the way that women were treating other women. To see women in leadership roles telling us that we should care more about what other people think and what we look like.”
Purdy said she played basketball throughout high school and was looking for the same group camraderie in a sorority when she first got to college. Unfortunately, she discovered quite the opposite once she became part of Syracuse's Greek Life.
In the video, Purdy said her and her sorority sisters were told from sisters in leadership positions to "dress sluttier" to attract guys and that women with "F.U.P.A.S." ("fat upper pussy areas") weren't allowed in the sorority house. Purdy even recalled hearing one sister talk about putting a weight loss supplement called Hydroxycut in another sister's welcome basket.
"No one should be made to question their self-worth because they don't look a certain way," Purdy said. "No one should be made to think that outer appearance and what other people think is more important than discovering who you are and what you can give."
Purdy told Syracuse's campus newspaper The Daily Orange that she's received mixed feedback on her video, but she's happy she spoke up. "I’ve always been taught to stand up for what I believe in despite the consequences," Purdy told The Daily Orange. "So once I saw some of the hurt that was going on and spoke with other people who’ve had similar experiences, I just felt like I should do it because they might not, and I don’t know how many other people are going through it."
At the end of the video, Purdy asked viewers to weigh in on the conversation using the hashtag #SororityRevamp. "It’s time to reexamine what it means to be a sorority," she said.
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