photo essay final draft

In the opening scene I would like to create a feeling of calmness. I will start with a panoramic shot of the street corner on Woodland Ave and Columbia Lane. It will show cars passing, people walking and the stone wall with University of Kentucky. I would like to play the song Big Bad World by Kodaline. It has a joyful melody but lyrics talk about what it’s like to be on your own for the first time. I chose these images and this song because it will be very relatable to my audience. This scene will be almost like the calm before the storm since my topic is quite touchy to some people. The opening scene is meant to grab people’s attention and with all the familiar surroundings it will give a home-y feel.

Continuing with Kodaline’s Big Bad World, I would like the next scene to be shots of different places around campus. I will include walkways by White Hall, Patterson Office Tower, Miller Hall, and William T Young Library. I want this scene to have serious tone. This scene will introduce my topic. Mental illness is something to sugar coat. I do not want to overwhelm my audience but I will be fairly blunt in presenting my facts. I continued this song choice because I  think it fits well with the statistics that many college age students are most likely not aware of. I will start my voice over about general facts concerning mental illnesses today “Mental illnesses are a prevalent issue in the U.S. today one in four adults experience mental illness in a given year. Around 20 percent of youth ages 13 to 18 experience severe mental disorders in a given year. These serious mental illnesses cost America $193.2 billion a year. And mood disorders are the third most common cause of hospitalization for Americans ages 18 to 44” (Duckworth, 1). “Out of the 61.5 million Americans affected by mental illness, 4.9 percent or thirty million people are affected by eating disorders. Over one half of teenage girls and one third of teenage boys participate in unhealthy weight control behaviors. The rate of development in cases of eating disorders has been increasing since 1950. Today ninety five percent of those who have eating disorders are between the ages of twelve and twenty five” (Averett, Terrezzi, Wang, 5).I chose these images with this quote because for a lot of the statistics the age range was college age students.

I will transition this next scene with a change in song from Kodaline to Luke Bryan’s Sorority Girl. This song has a cheerful, southern swing to it. Bryan talks about each chapter and talks about how much fun the ladies have frolicking about campus. I will pair this song with rolling clips of the Alpha Delta Pi, Delta Gamma, Delta Zeta, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Delta and Phi Mu houses. Each house has a different feel to it which is corresponding to the types of girls in the houses and what each of their philanthropies benefit. I will also show a panoramic view of Greek Park with a couple sisters walking through it. I want this scene to have a joyful tone as I start my voice over with general facts about Greek Life at University of Kentucky. “As of the 2015 – 2016 school year, there are fifteen chapters that are members of the National Panhellenic Counsel on the campus of University of Kentucky. This year there was a record high number of girls who participated in rush week. This means that there are limited spots to fill within each chapter. These cuts can be devastating to Potential New Members. In early August over 1400 girls moved in early to school, hoping to find sisters and home before the school year begins. Each chapter has a variety of girls with different things to bring to campus but for girls during rush week finding a loving and accepting sisterhood is the most important thing” (Britt, 1). “When girls receive their bid they tend to look up to active members such as their bid day buddy and later on their big sister. The intitial connections made have a huge impact on the way New Members see themselves. In the present study, almost half (49%) of the memorable messages concerning weight and physical appearance were individually targeted toward the participant, suggesting that these messages were received outside of formalized, collective sorority socialization processes. This shows that from an early stage New Members can be constructed to have a view of themselves that is not necessarily correct which is a huge issue” ( These images and voice over and song will fully showcase the different aspects of Sorority life.

In this scene I will be changing the song again to Ed Sheeran’s Be Like You and keeping this song until the final scene. I chose this song because it has a soft and sweet tone but the lyrics talk about what it is like to love someone struggling with an eating disorder. I think this will speak volumes throughout the rest of my film. For this scene I would like the audience to feel a sense of empathy and hopefulness as a friend gives a testimonial on living with an eating disorder and how if she joined a sorority what sisters could do to help. Because many people do not understand the reasons why people develop these certain disorders I think it is crucial for them to realize that this could be happening right in front of our faces but we would not even know it is happening. The fact that many people do not understand these reasons this topic is even harder to talk about.  “People think that someone with an eating disorder just wants to be skinny, often making gagging sounds and joking about "oh you ate a cheerio? Better throw it up, too many calories." But it's almost never about being thin. It's about having control. Being able to control the way you look, the way you feel, and the way others react to you. 9/10 times someone with an eating disorder will have it because they feel like some aspect of their life is falling apart. And they think not eating, or throwing up, isn't really hurting themselves the way cutting may, but it really is. They need that control that they are lacking. If I was rushing for a sorority I would want my sisters to try and help me feel like I'm in control by saying something and trying to help me find something that could satisfy that need control I am lacking. Whether it be trying to decide a major or helping me with grades. All someone can really ask for is people to take notice and ask what is really wrong instead of assuming we are just trying to lose weight.” – Female High School Senior (BHS ‘16), History of Bulimia Nervosa. I would blur out this text and highlight key points while my voice over read the entire text. I think this passage will give the audience something to think about, such as the correlation between these two communities and what is being done to help. Another reason I think this passage is very insightful is because this girl plans to be a professional psychiatrist. It is very important to realize that most people who are extremely eager to help others are struggling themselves which can come to life in other ways besides mental health.

Next I will show a picture of a graph from a scholarly article. It shows the effects of sorority membership on mental health as well as general wellbeing. I want this scene to have a serious tone because the statistics shown in the graph are startling. For almost every statistic the rates are higher for Greek students which should be something that Greek communities. After all many girls in this organization talk about “sisters helping sisters”. My voice over will talk about other aspects of sorority life beyond the sisterhood. “After young women receive their bid to a sisterhood of choice, there is a lot of expectations thrown at them all at once. This can be very intimidating and extremely overwhelming. It is not expected that New Members automatically become best friends with all two hundred or so girls right away. However there are many different things these young ladies have to keep in mind. Number one is grades of course. Each chapter has a set minimum GPA requirement in order to be accepted into the sisterhood. For those who do not receive stellar grades they are required to have a certain amount of study hours each week in order to remain in good standing with the chapter. New members are assigned to committees and have mandatory events to attend. General ladylike presentation is absolutely expected and enforced with in the chapter as well as on campus as a whole. Each Sorority on campus has a philanthropy that they contribute to with fundraising events. These can range from arthritis research to heart foundations to the children’s miracle network hospitals. All of these different aspects of Greek life can have a great impact on the day to day lives of these young women which can cause added stress to already busy lives” (Britt, 1). This image with this voice over will show the constant demand to always be “perfect”.

For the next scene I will show a picture of our current President of Phi Mu Fraternity, Caitlyn Gastfield. She is the one in the middle. This picture portrays three girls happy with their choice they made in picking which sisterhood best fit them. In this scene I would like to convey a sense of understanding and determination with her responses to the following questions: 1. Have you had any relationship with mental illnesses or eating disorders (ie. a friend, family member or yourself)? explain to the extent you feel comfortable.

2. Do you think that mental illness is a large issue on college campuses?

3. Are eating disorders or mental illnesses in any way related to Greek Life?

4. As Phi Mus and Greek members in general, are we doing enough to raise awareness about this issue? if not what could we do?

5. What would you say to PNMs who have struggled with this issue and wish to rush but feel that they are not fit to be in Greek life? I will do a voice over of the questions followed by the corresponding answers which are:

1. I have known people who have suffered from a variety of illnesses such as eating

disorders, bipolar disorder, and depression. I have had friends who have previously

struggled with eating disorders and I have family members who are still struggling with

these disorders.

2. I think that mental illness is an issue on all fronts. While I do believe there are many

students in college who have these disorders, I do not think it is isolated to college

campuses.

3. I do not believe that mental illnesses or eating disorders are in any way correlated to

Greek Life. I think many organizations make a point to educate their members on issues

like these and they provide information to seek help. I do not believe that belonging to a

Greek organization encourages or promotes eating disorders. Most disorders are caused

by chemical imbalances and have genetic correlations so I do not think that being

involved in Greek Life would be the cause of them.

4. I think that we are doing a good job internally to have an open forum about these issues

but I think there is always ways to improve communication as a whole community.

5. I think it is important to let everyone know that the Greek community is about acceptance

and support. We are organizations build on the betterment of others and strive to help

and support those in our organization and in the community. This testimonial gives insight on what an executive member of a Panhellenic sorority thinks about this issue. I find that this is very telling in the way that people see mental illness from a Greek point of view. Caitlyn is very helpful and determined person which is exactly the kind of young woman Panhellenic needs in executive positions.

For the second to last scene I would like to change the music one last time to Kodaline’s All Come Down. It has a smooth melody and a driving beat. The feel to this song is inspirational and hopeful which are the feelings I want to leave the audience with. This song talks about things we need to change in the world but nobody wants to help. It says that if one person brings about a certain topic it can spark a domino affect. This is the ideal solution for this issue in the documentary. This issue is understandably hard to talk about however once discussed, remarkable things can happen that will help those in need. This is very important to the end of my documentary as my call to action less explicitly will be: raising awareness about this issue can help save lives. I would like to first show a picture of many members of the National Panhellenic Counsel represented at the University of Kentucky. Each girl is doing the hand symbol for their respective house. I will start the clip zoomed out then slowly zoom in more and pan across the landscape photo. This shows a sense of community and sisterhood. Sense of community on this topic would be very beneficial. In order for there to be change on this topic, people need to come together in making college campuses a safer place for people struggling with mental disorders. I will start my concluding voice over in this scene which will carry over to the last. “Although at UK there is not much talk about mental health within the greek community we are definitely starting to make an effort by participating in the National Eating Disorder Awareness Week in early February. We can come together as a whole campus wide sisterhood to raise awareness.”

The final scene will quickly transition into a picture of a girl painting on a canvas that says ‘I am better than a Barbie because…’ I would like this final scene to convey a sense of promise and hope for the future. These words are very powerful especially for someone struggling with body image issues. I will start my voice over about a beneficial philanthropy. “Within UK’s Greek life there is no philanthropy that benefits those with mental illness or eating disorders. Through my research I found that the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority is partners with Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). For their philanthropy events they hold fashion shows that emphasize body positivity and have candle light vigils for those who have lost their fight with these diseases”(Bailey, 1). This is a positive note to end on with hopes for the future of mental illness and eating disorder awareness.

Works Cited

Bailey, Ben J. “About ANAD and Delta Phi Epsilon”. Web. 1 March, 2014 http://www.dphie.org/philanthropy/philanthropicpartners/anorexianervosaassociateddisorders(anad)/anadanddphie

McCrory, Martinique. “Delta Phi Epsilon and ANAD Week”. The Odyssey Online. Web. Oct 10, 2014. http://theodysseyonline.com/georgia-southern/delta-phi-epsilon-anad-week-gsu/70429

Vines, Madeline. “Eating Disorder Testimonial by Gabrielle Hernandez”. Written. 23 October, 2015.

Averett, Terrizi, Wang. “The Effect of Sorority Membership on Eating Disorders and Body Mass Index”. 2013: 2-6 Web. http://ftp.iza.org/dp7512.pdf

Duckworth M.D, Ken. “Mental Illness: Facts and Numbers”. Web. March, 3013 http://www2.nami.org/factsheets/mentalillness_factsheet.pdf

Britt, Emily. “Pictures”. University of Kentucky Panhellenic Counsel. Web. 1 January, 2015 http://fraternitysororityaffairs82160.orgsync.com/org/panhellenicassociation84368/Pictures

Allison, Kelly C., Park, Crystal L. “Prospective Study of Disordered Eating among Sorority and Nonsorority Women”. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Volume 35. Issue 3. (April 2003). Pages 354-358. Web. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.10255/epdf

Richardson, Haley. “Sisterhood Photos”. Phi Mu at University of Kentucky. Web. 1 January, 2015. http://uky.phimu.org/photo-albums

Vines, Madeline. “WRD 110 Interview with Caitlyn Gastfield”. Written. 11 November, 2015

1st Secondary Source

Below is a table from a study done in the early 2000's. This table shows the correlation between sororities and eating disorders. Through research they found that being involved with Greek life increases the risks of body shame and dissatisfaction. On top of that the self hatred and social pressure can start even before pledging allegiance to a community. This is extremely important because it highlights not only the pressures within the house but the pressure to be in the house. Girls who are legacies can be especially susceptible to these thoughts. With young women who are not involved or interested in Greek life, their self esteem and disordered eating behavior was significantly lower. For non sorority and no intent to rush women the body dissatisfaction rates were almost 6% lower than Greek and girls intending to go Greek. I highly doubt that many active members realize this and it should be more widely known. If active members were more conscious of this there would be a possible increase in interest for Greek life and the PNMs would feel safer joining our community.


Body Objectification, Social Pressure, and Disordered Eating Behavior in College Women: The Role of  Sorority Membership
Basow, Bookwala, Foran Blackwell Publishing Inc. 2007 page 397

Madeline Vines

October 13, 2015

WRD 110 Section 058

Jennifer Hudgens

Eating Disorders within Sororities

Eating disorders are a prevalent issue in America today. Approximately there are twenty four to thirty million people affected by this mental health issue. On top of that, sorority membership increases the behavior of disordered eating by 41% (Ruckh, 1). These behaviors are not the behaviors of someone who wants to better their health. According to the National Eating Disorder Association, mental health issues such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are characterized as: extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. My research brought up many questions.

            This is a picture taken from the official Phi Mu facebook page. I chose this because hazing is a leading cause of self-esteem issues as well as disordered eating in sororities. Our founders, Mary Elizabeth Myrick, Martha Bib Hardaway and Mary Ann Dupont were young teenagers when they founded our organization. In no way did they condone hazing. “Hazing is defined as any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them, regardless of willingness to participate” (Phi Mu, hazing module, 1). Hazing is large part of making young ladies feel bad about their bodies. The forces of hazing can negatively impact people with mental illness such as anxiety and depression more than people who do not have these diseases.

This picture is the front of the Phi Mu sorority house otherwise known as the "Mu Mansion". At first glance the house may remind some of the Barbie Dream House. Of course this is not true but many PNMs (Potential New Members) may see this as a barrier to become a part of something so great. Mu Mansion stuck out to me because this house of grandeur embodies the stereotype of a pretty, rich, skinny and blonde sorority woman.  A lot of people think that mental illness or eating disorders are a choice. People affected by these things don't choose to have this horrible disorder, just like no one chooses to have cancer. However there is a complete disregard in handling these two types of illness. For those who believe only pretty, preppy, and perfect ladies who are waiting to grace the Miss America stage can be a part of Greek life it puts up a large barrier. As Phi Mu members as well as members of the Greek community, we need to break this barrier and support our sisters now and in the future for whatever strides into our house.

            Here in this bar graph it is clear to see that mental illness and eating disorders puts a strain on college students. The force of this strain is increased dramatically in someone involved in Greek life. This is not to say that Greek life makes people more susceptible to these illnesses but it definitely has a greater effect on members of sororities. Eating disorders negatively impact college students performance in school. Students involved in Greek life are on their campus of choice for obvious reasons such as receiving their degree, but they also come to college to learn more about themselves and explore the world. Studies have shown that eating disorders have been positively correlated with sorority membership and that this epidemic has been observable since 1983. As Averett, Terrizzi, Wang state “The largest effects are found with the behaviors of vomiting or use of laxatives and using pills to lose weight. Using our estimates from the most robust OLS specification, we find that sorority membership increases the likelihood of these behaviors by 41% (0.015 percentage points) and 35% (0.014 percentage points), respectively” (11) and  These same studies show that mental illness and eating disorders are related to functional impairment and suicidality. This is a fatal phenomenon that sorority members should be actively raising awareness about because otherwise the sisterhood would be compromised.

Pictured here is our Phi Class President and I at our annual philanthropy event. Ms. Rodgers does everything in her power to orchestrate the new members of our sorority. She introduces us to new people and the executive position holders. Her main goal is for all the new members to feel welcomed and accepted. We as a pledge class get along fairly well and many of the members are already like sisters. Ms. Rodgers is responsible for our behavior within the chapter as well as throughout campus. Leaders within the chapter must be consciously aware of the messages directly and indirectly implanted into new members. During the first few weeks pledges are most vulnerable to messages concerning behavior, weight and appearance (Reno, 3).  If these messages portray non model like girls in a bad light it reflects directly on the chapters and skews new members’ views on what it means to be a sorority woman.

This plaque is on our front closet door of the house. As members of our sorority we take pride in our chapter and all it has to offer. The sisters support each other through everything. Like young love there is a bit of a honeymoon stage when young women join sororities. Studies show that as the membership time increases so does the increase of actively shaping young minds as to how they should look and behave. Reno argues that “Additionally, women join sororities during critical identity formation of “what it means to be women,” which may further enhance the influence that sororities have on members’ body image and behaviors concerning weight and appearance” (4). With Rodgers’ help Phi’s can feel confident walking into their house by not feeling judged or out of place.

Through my research I have found that there is a positive correlation between the sorority membership and disordered eating as well as mental illness. Greek members should be actively seeking involvement to raise awareness about the issue as well as make our Phamily as comfortable as possible. Each sorority should be more active in supporting people with mental health issues and eating disorders. Helping PNMs through a stressful time during recruitment would greatly increase the interest in going Greek.

Works Cited

The Effect of Sorority Membership on Eating Disorders and Body Mass Index

Averett, Terrizzi, Wang, July 2013

            edu.phimu.org

National Headquarters, 2011

            Total Sorority Move

Ruckh, 2015

            A Prospective Study of Disordered Eating among Sorority and Nonsorority Women

Allison, Park 2003

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

Reno, University of Colorado, 2013

Primary Artifact 1

This picture is the front of the Phi Mu sorority house otherwise know as the "Mu Mansion". At first glance the house may remind some of the Barbie Dream House. Of course this is not true but many PNMs ( Potential New Members) may see this as a barrier to become a part of something so great. A lot of people think that mental illness or eating disorders are a choice. People affected by these things don't choose to have something so horrible just like no one chooses to have cancer. However there is a complete disregard in handling these two types of illness. At the first sign of cancer, that person would be rushed to the hospital with medication on their way out. On the contrary, people with mental illness are told to cheer up, calm down and just eat. For them it's not that simple. It's like saying to a cancer patient "just stop being sick". They can't and for those who believe only pretty, preppy, and perfect ladies waiting to grace the Miss America stage can be a part of greek life it puts up a large barrier. We as Phi Mu members as well as members of the greek community need to break this barrier and support our sisters now and in the future for whatever strides into our house.

Research Topic

I recently pledged to a sorority, Phi Mu. It was established here at UK in 2011. Every girl in the house is different but we all have one thing in common, sisterhood. This idea got me thinking what about girls who think they won't fit in just because they don't look like a Barbie doll? What about girls like me who constantly worry about everything? I'm not tall and skinny. I don't have perfect skin and big breasts. I have decided to research the relationship between eating disorders, mental illness and Greek life. As Phi Mu members we are highly involved with our philanthropy Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Not too long ago we participated in National Eating Disorder Awareness week and it got me thinking. How come we are not more involved with this? This is such a big issue in today's society, especially on a college campus. All of the girls I have met so far are caring, wonderful sisters. We always need more of those. I want to raise awareness about mental illness and eating disorders because it is often swept under the rug. I want to show potential new members as well as existing sisters that the greek community not only is a safe one to be in but also that we accept everyone regardless of shape, size and what happens in the mind.

Blog 1 - all about me

My name is Madeline Vines. I am a Freshman at UK from Barrington Hills, IL. The town I’m from is about an hour from downtown Chicago and hardly resembles a suburb. Everyone in my area has horses. It’s much like Lexington. There’s lots of land with horses. We get a reputation for being stuck up because some people have large mansions. I do not though. My house is relatively small compared to others but I like it. I am an only child which gets lonely sometimes but I have nine pets to keep me busy. Each of them have their own personality. That’s what I love about having different animals in my house. Instead of fighting with siblings, most of the time I’m doing barn chores or playing with the dogs. As for this class I’m not sure what to expect. Personally I like writing and speaking, especially about what I love. I would like to learn how to properly make documentaries and learn how to explore different topics that I may not otherwise consider. I’m excited to meet new people in my class and learn skills that will carry me through the rest of my college career. Something interesting about me is that I was born with a congenital heart defect where my pulmonary valve did not function properly. I was also diagnosed with ADHD going into sophomore year of high school.