So we're just supposed to forgive her bigotry because she's also the victim of bigotry? I can't believe that the Miss America judges let the mean girl win...

Would you want to buy a home on a pristine lake or a polluted one? FWIW, that goes for men as well as for women in my book.

I live in a part of California where it often gets into the triple digits in the summer, and wearing a loose-fitting knee-length cotton skirt actually keeps one cooler than denim shorts. Seriously. And it would be far more appropriate a thing to wear out to brunch with one's parents.

If you've got self-respect than you know your value does not depend on whether or not random men find your body worthy of their lust. You are more than just some sex object just out there to be ogled by anyone and everyone. I'm not saying that you need to wear a burqa or anything, but you're going to save the…

The mom did say something to the daughter, but the daughter didn't listen. As far as taking the short shorts away, apparently the girl is 19 and in college. He couldn't stop her from wearing them, but he wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine (you embarrass me, I'll embarrass you).

A 19 y.o. should have enough sense to adjust her outfit to the occasion. The Daisy Dukes you wear to the beach with your girlfriends are not appropriate when going out to brunch with your folks.

Exactly! Our worth as females does not depend on whether men find our bodies worthy of their lust. I want my daughters to dress with dignity and not feel compelled to put themselves on display for men to ogle. Doesn't mean they need to wear a burqa, but clothes that do not excessively draw attention to their curves.

The primary thing I got out of my college experience (at a school I guarantee 99.999% of the folks here have heard of) is the social connections I made there. The education wasn't all that hot, but having that piece of paper marks me as a member of an elite group. On my cynical days, I consider my alma mater to be not…

Mallory Hagan has a gorgeous physique. Most hetero guys would pick a woman who looked like her (or Kate Upton, who also ridiculously gets criticized as "fat") over the waifish look any day...

If the university you attended had selective admissions, then you're ALREADY involved in a system that gets its value from being picky about whom it lets in. It was actually far easier for a Rushee to get a bid from one of the chapters on campus than it was to get accepted to the university in the first place.

Yes, I first got into country in the early '90's and the songwriting for female artists was WAY better then.

No, I went to school in one of the bluest of the blue states. The whole Greek system there was much more low-key than what I hear it is like at the big Southern schools.

At some schools Rush is so competitive that only girls who have an alumna sponsoring them will make it past the first round cut. I could totally see a bunch of Hilly Holbrook types at a school like Alabama refusing to sign the sponsorship paperwork on the basis of race.

I suspect that the problem is with the local alumnae rather than the national organization. I can't see any of the NPC sorority bigwigs wanting the negative publicity, but I can absolutely see a bunch of Hilly Holbrook types at the local level throwing their weight around.

Yep, I am a DG. Not from a Southern school, however.

Yes, at my school all the NPC sororities are integrated. I had African-American sisters, Latina sisters, Asian sisters, and multiracial sisters- and our chapter was stronger for it. If any of the alumnae advisors had a problem with our diversity they had the sense to keep their opinions to themselves and AFAIK they…

Local sororities exist, but they don't offer the same kind of networking benefit as the big National Panhellenic Council ones do. And bringing a new NPC chapter to a campus is a pretty difficult process (especially at a big state school like Alabama where most of the NPC already have affiliated chapters).

At some schools, Rush is so competitive that a Rushee needs to have an alumna sponsor in order to get past the first round. If no alumna is willing to sign the sponsorship form, the girl is an automatic cut. I'd be willing to be this is what happened at Alabama.

Seriously! Integrating NPC sororities makes them stronger because it widens the talent pool. If you want to have a strong alumnae career network (which is a big recruitment selling point), then you don't want to exclude women like my sorority sister who was a Rhodes finalist and is now head of a prestigious think…

Sororities at schools outside the big state ones down South and in the Midwest are very different than the stereotype. At my campus, all the NPC sororities were integrated and had sisters of all different races and ethnicities. There was one chapter that was unofficially referred to as "the Jewish sorority" because it…