Photo Series Shatters Stereotypes About Fraternity And Sorority Members

In an effort to remove stigma associated with Greek life, Kayleigh Dumas launched the #WeAreNotOurStereotypes campaign, aiming to highlight the diversity among sororities and fraternities.

Dumas, a senior at York College of Pennsylvania, is a member of Sigma Delta Tau, a sorority focusing on empowering women.

Dumas recruited fellow Greek students on campus to participate in her photo-based project. As of right now, the campaign has over 24 entries.

Each participant was photographed twice. In the first photos, the participants hold signs on which they wrote down a common stereotype about Greek life, and in the other photos, they hold signs where they wrote how they break the aforementioned stereotypes. Each photo set was then made into one composite.

Dumas explained her original inspiration for the project.

She recalled,

I have noticed how negative the news has been surrounding Greek life. In general Greek life is made up of incredible individuals. Everyone goes through stereotyping, no matter the color, person, organization. However, all stereotypes are terrible and need to be broken.

Though feedback on Facebook is largely positive, some seemed to find the campaign simplistic and juvenile; one even referred to it as “cringeworthy.”

Overall, the message seems positive, and it deserves to be spread and heard.

Check it out below.

#WeAreNotOurStereotypes aims to end the stigma associated with Greek life...

...by breaking down the assumptions through personal anecdotes.

Being in a sorority doesn't mean a person is unintelligent...

...nor does it mean a person must behave a certain way.

Overall, the goal is to shed these stereotypes...

Prove diversity flourishes in Greek life...

...and show each member is unique.

Dumas' campaign started on her college's campus...

...and was quickly picked up on social media.

The message seemed to resonate with thousands.

Citations: Fraternity and Sorority Members Want To Change How People See Them With WeAreNotOurStereotypes (BuzzFeed)