Forms of dressing and Feminine modesty
Another important aspect of the narrative of Muslim Americans' experiences with Greek institutions had to deal with female ways of dressing and their interactions with other females and males in fraternities. A couple of my female subjects expressed that they felt like men in fraternities has certain expectations for how women should dress (e.g. immodestly). While these women both expressed that they did not want to be seen as "goody-two-shoes," because they were Muslim, they also valued a certain degree of modesty in clothing. However, this also speaks to the broader feminist narrative about women not letting men objectify them, and the issue of sexual assault in Greek organizations. Sexual Assault Awareness advocates have long been saying that just because a woman dresses a certain way, it does not mean that she is "asking for it." While the women I interviewed seemed to agree with this sentiment, they also thought that there was some sort of unspoken standard among women in Greek Institutions as well as men to dress somewhat immodestly. These women expressed a want to freely express themselves (as all do) in the clothing that they wear, without the pressure to wear something that they are uncomfortable in. Again, they also did not want anyone to make any assumptions about them, because of the way that they dress. One of my subjects mentioned a "secret" posted on the anonymous university Facebook secret page about how Muslim girls and women who wore headscarves were merely feigning and projecting a sense of innocence that they did not really embody. These attitudes and feelings expressed speak broadly to the larger conversation of the false stigma of how clothing somehow necessarily projects a persons' values, and the issues that can result from this (i.e. discrimination, sexual assault, etc.).