How to spot a sorority girl at Iowa

Greek Life is huge at the University of Iowa. Nearly 25% of the student body is involved in a fraternity or sorority. That being said, its not hard to spot Greeks in a crowd of students, particularly women. Here are some of the silliest stereotypes, guiltiest pleasures and biggest giveaways of sorority girls at the University of Iowa.

The same picture poses… over and over again

How girls pose for pictures is a dead giveaway when it comes to picking out a Greek from a Geed. Greek women have been rigorously trained in posing for the perfect picture all throughout promotional photo shoots with the chapter photographer. The “hand hold,” “look at each other and laugh,” “throw what you know” and “sorority squat” are all classic and easy to spot poses.

Birkenstocks

Ah Birkenstocks, the socially acceptable Crocs. While every girl at the University of Iowa seems to have a pair, they’re extremely popular among Greek women. Birke’s are indefinitely a sandal meant for summer, but also double as a fall or winter slipper when paired with cute tube socks. You can’t ever go wrong with a year-round sandal!

Patagonia sweatshirts

The popular Patagonia sweatshirt is a fashion trend picked up from frat boys by sorority girls. While insanely expensive, these sweatshirts are cute, preppy, cozy and warm af! Frat boys sure knew what they were doing on this one.

Oversized t-shirts

Are there shorts on underneath that extra long t-shirt? Is that huge shirt actually what you slept in last night, or did you change before starting your day? The world may never know. On the bright side, oversized t-shirts are in fact very comfortable, and double as the perfect pajama. On a side note, there’s an 11/10 chance there are Greek letters on the frocket.

Fraternity shirts

What’s a frat without their sorority fan base? A quick lesson on the history of fraternity shirts: these shirts are where the term “frocket” originated from. Contrary to popular belief, “frocket” in fact stands for “frat shirt pocket” and not “front pocket.” The OG oversized t-shirt, fraternity shirts in a cute variety of colors (must be the Comfort Colors brand) are an essential in the closet of a sorority girl.

Baseball caps

The oversized t-shirt outfit is not complete unless paired with shorts or leggings (usually Lululemon brand) and a baseball cap. However, caps can only be the following kinds: Nike (white or black), a simple hat with your sorority’s Greek letters embroidered on it, or Vineyard Vines, often “borrowed” from a favorite frat boy.

Traveling in packs to tailgates

Sorority girls can often be spotted traveling in large groups to fraternity tailgates on game day. The great migration begins at the chapter structure located on the east side of campus, where all Greek women gather to get ready together in the morning. We eagerly share each others’ finest black and gold attire and complete the look with face and flash tats. We then travel through downtown IC, cross the vast Wristband Bridge (RIP), and trek up the treacherous west side hill to reach the tailgates on or near Melrose Ave. GO HAWKS!

Greek letter laptop stickers 

Power letter laptop stickers are the best method of confirming that the girl typing away on that MacBook is definitely a Greek woman. Often paired with other adorable stickers, a decorated laptop complete with Greek letters is a sorority girl expressing herself to everyone surrounding her favorite study spot.

Matching outfits

Matching outfits are another dead giveaway of a sorority girl. Same color dresses are often a sign of a sorority working hard during Work Week, or seeking out potential new members during the crazy Fall Recruitment season. Spot a group of girls wearing 90’s outfits or oversized jerseys walking through downtown on a Thursday night? We’re headed to a frat social, no doubt about it.

But above all…

No matter how you stereotype us, sorority girls aren’t just pretty, nameless faces in a crowd of members of one big club. Greek Life is all about close friendship and seeing what’s special in each and every one of your sisters. That’s what sisterhood, the most important part of Greek Life, is really all about. In the end, you know you’ve spotted a sorority girl when you encounter a well-rounded young woman with endless memorable experiences, a ton of laughter and happiness and a whole lot of friends she can also call her sisters.