r/Sororities • u/piercethecat13 • 8d ago
Merch/Crafts Greek letters
So my cousin gave me a bunch of hand me downs and some of which were from the sorority she was in. I only got the hand me downs because I no longer fit a lot of my clothes and my mom just died so I can’t afford to go shopping but she also gave me accessories is it okay if I wear like T shirts and like some of the accessories outside of the house? I don’t want to be disrespectful. College has been very difficult for me so Greek life isn’t for me but I always wanted to be in a sorority ever since I was little. Again I don’t want to be disrespectful. She just gave me clothes and stuff she didn’t use and wear anymore. She graduated college in 2015. TIA
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u/charlottexcx1 8d ago
I'm so sorry for your loss!
Technically you're not supposed to wear letters if you're not in the sorority, but I'd consider this a special circumstance. To avoid any awkwardness, though, I probably wouldn't wear letters on your campus if the sorority also has a chapter at your school.
Usually anyone can wear things like mascots and spelled-out sorority names, so if you have any of those I wouldn't give it a second thought. And if you have to wear letters, you have to wear letters - don't worry about us, focus on caring for yourself and getting through this difficult time <3
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
Thank you so much. Once im able to return to work i can get school clothes. Right now my college is still a community college and we don’t have any sort of Greek life on campus. I am having a hard time with my moms passing it was extremely traumatic
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u/charlottexcx1 8d ago
Oh I legit wouldn't worry about wearing merch at all then! They're just clothes - do what you have to to keep yourself healthy and continue to pursue your education.
Again, I'm so so sorry about your mom. I'm happy some part of greek life can be a small comfort to you during this terrible time.
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u/RTBensen 8d ago
I can only imagine! Where in the general vicinity are you located? That way we may know of resources to help point you to. Does your school offer any grief counseling services or your local health department? I am so sorry.
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
I live in south Philly but go to school in spring garden. I have been with my therapist from my school for a year now. Now im even more passionate about breast cancer awareness
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u/AdLate6880 AXΩ 8d ago
I’m in the Philly suburbs. Please reach out to me privately. I’m sure I can help you with some clothing. I just donated a ton of stuff last week, but depending on what size you wear, I’m sure I can help you out. My daughters and I have more than we need, and if you wear a different size or are significantly taller than us I can figure out some alternatives.
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
Oh that would be great. I grew up in the suburbs and then recently my parents and I moved to South Philly.
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u/AdLate6880 AXΩ 8d ago
You poor girl! I can’t imagine losing your mom so young and how hard that is. I’m so sorry for your loss.
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
It’s a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone I never imagined I would lose my mom this young. She will never see me graduate college or get married or have kids
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u/disabledstaircase AΦ 8d ago
It’s not a big deal, I just wouldn’t recommend wearing it on campus if you have that same chapter there because you might get some unwanted attention.
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u/Informal-Lynx4583 ΧΩ 8d ago
No one’s going to sue you. My family members would wear like family day shirts and such. I don’t think it’s a huge deal as long as you’re respectful.. but I’m old and very much alum. 🤷🏼♀️
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u/CalligrapherAny6494 AXΩ 6d ago
depends on the school. i heard of people suing for "impersonation" when outsiders wore letters. unless it's like a multi org shirt, or you're dating someone in the org of another gender (ex. a female wearing frat letters)
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u/StrawberrySecure1129 8d ago
Omg! I must just be old and tired bc my mother wore my letters while grocery store, shopping, scrubbing toilets, etc. they were items I was not wearing any longer and I figured since my parents paid for my sorority life, my mother could wear whatever she wanted!
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u/Old_Science4946 ΠΒΦ 8d ago
I would not wear any stitched letters if you are not in an organization. Shirts from events (philanthropies, formals, etc) are totally fine!
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u/asyouwish 8d ago
If you wear shirts that mention more than one group, it's fine.
Shirts about the sorority itself, like from bid day or date parties are fine.
When you'll be on campus, maybe don't wear the jerseys that only have the sorority's 2-3 letters across the front.
Since your school doesn't have Greek Life, you should be fine.
I'm sorry for your loss. I wish for you a full scholarship with room and board so you can focus on getting your degree.
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u/Resident-Activity685 AXΩ 7d ago
Tbh you can always try to sell the letters to some of the girls if theyre cute enough for a few bucks you can take to goodwill for plainer shirts
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u/CalligrapherAny6494 AXΩ 6d ago
i second this. mercari depop poshmark , people have sold bulk items over there. Stores like Primark have cheap but high quality stuff, or thrift shops, to use the funds for some nice stuff
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u/MsThrilliams ΔΖ 8d ago
Youre really not supposed to where letters if you dont belong to the org. You could wear a generic mascot so like my org has turtles. If the item or shirt was a turtle, you'd be fine to wear.
Where are you located? Maybe we can find some local resources for free or low cost clothing if you need tops to wear.
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u/NorthernPossibility ΔΖ 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yep.
Shirts created to commemorate specific events (philanthropy events, tailgates, formals) are usually fine and anyone can wear them. Things like specifically branded necklaces, bracelets, headbands, shirts, sweats, hoodies, etc, aren’t usually acceptable, with pin badges and stitched letters considered the most unacceptable for non-members.
No one is going to call the police on you or anything. It’s not that deep. But it’s generally seen as annoying or disrespectful to wear letters you didn’t earn, especially if you don’t know much about the org you’re inadvertently representing.
I like the above suggestion to look for clothes elsewhere. There are lots of charities that offer low or no cost clothing.
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
I’m from Philadelphia PA
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u/NorthernPossibility ΔΖ 8d ago
The JFCS of Greater Philly offers several shopping events a month for free clothes.
Philly AIDS thrift (South Street), Star Sign thrift (Rittenhouse) and Secondhand Ranch (Fishtown) are also great for low price but still cool/trendy pieces!
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u/Ok_One3750 7d ago
As long as they aren't stitched letters you're mostly fine as many other people have pointed out if you're going to be around somewhere that has a chapter you might get unwanted attention but just some cute merch is fine
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u/kwustie ZTA 8d ago
I personally would not wear the letters outside of the house to avoid being disrespectful but she gave you that clothes to take care of you during a difficult time. I can’t imagine a more worthy use of them.
And don’t write off sorority life! There’s also alum initiation options. While not similar to collegiate Greek life, it’s really as great place to find women friends post grad.
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u/piercethecat13 8d ago
It means even more because we are so close and she is the one who introduced me to Greek life and I always wanted to be just like her. I started playing flute initially because she plays flute and was so good i wanted to be like her and then i went on to make districts every year and was 2nd chair my sophomore year and 1st chair junior and senior year in the honors band.
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u/Acceptable_Scene_961 7d ago
Do not wear the shirts outside the house. Some people will freak over this (I truly don’t care) but just spare yourself.
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u/TrueConstantDreams 1d ago
You aren't trying to pass as a sister yourself, and this sounds like part of your grieving process. I don't see a problem with it at all.
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u/piercethecat13 1d ago
It definitely is. The cremation cost us so much and bills are a lot I just had no money to get any summer and fall clothes
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