Do Sororities Promote Members’ Health? A Study of Memorable Messages Regarding Weight and Appearance

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between sorority communication practices and members’ body images through the lens of organizational socialization and identification. Specifically, we analyzed 210 sorority members’ memorable messages concerning weight and physical appearance using an inductive coding method. While many of the messages examined were affirming or complimentary in nature, the results of the analysis suggest that these types of messages may positively as well as negatively influence members’ body images, behaviors regarding physical appearance, and social identities. These findings contribute to scholarly and practical understandings of the influences on college women’s body image and health and the potentially powerful role that organizations play in shaping members’ attitudes and actions concerning their eating, exercise, and other aspects of their appearance. Implications for future health communication research in other organizational contexts outside of sororities are also discussed. Additionally, the findings of the current study indicate the broad utility of a memorable messages approach and suggest the need for further examination of the ways in which differing organizational dynamics may demonstrate divergence from traditional sources of memorable messages.

Notes

1. ¹The original coding scheme included the categories reference to sexual desirability and reference to fitting a social/cultural archetype. The former category sought to identify the degree to which messages implied that the recipient would be found sexually desirable (e.g. “That dress makes you look hot”), and the latter category assessed the degree to which the message affirmed that the recipient fit an established norm within the organization or society at large (e.g. “[ZBZ] girls are the prettiest”). In both categories, messages were coded for low, medium, or high presence in the data. However, due to subjective views regarding what constitutes sexual desirability and a social/cultural archetype, the coders struggled to uniformly differentiate between coding levels. Hence, intercoder agreement was not reached.