About: Chi Omega has been on MSU’s campus since 1966. The sorority is based on six values: friendship, personal integrity, service to others, academic excellence and intellectual pursuits, community and campus involvement, and personal and career development.
As a note: The Juxtapose image within the text compares the first available photo with the last available photo for the organization. For all other images referenced in the text, please refer to the Flickr Album Gallery to the right.
1990: Perhaps the most noticeable piece of the 1990 photo in the Juxtapose slider is that each individual has a similar hairstyle of shoulder length, tightly curled hair with bangs. This hairstyle is more reminiscent of the 1980s than the 1990s, when straight, shoulder length hair became more fashionable. The similarity of the hair styling in this photo speaks towards the sisterhood and unity of the organization. These traits can also be seen in the women’s dress which, overall, is sweatshirts. Fashion in the ’90s often had looser, baggier styles compared to the 2000s, which emphasized body conforming clothing. A proportion of these sweatshirts have bold stripes, another trend of the ’90s. From those who are visible, some women are wearing longer skirts while others are wearing pants. Although longer skirts were more fashionable in the early ’90s, these women could have also made this fashion choice due to the colder weather at a holiday party!
1994: The photos of Chi Omega in 1994 shows a full representation of early ’90s fashion. Notice the hair in the 1994 pledge presentation- the women now have the bangs and the shoulder length hair of the ’90s. As the sorority sisters are at a formal event, they have curled their hair instead of the common, casual style of straight hair which is seen in the meeting photo. The straight hair style of the ’90s was turning away from the hairspray and tease of the ’80s, and moving towards a simpler, more casual style that spoke to the classiness of ’90s woman. As the pledge is a formal event, the sisters have curled their hair to emphasize that they have taken time and consideration into their appearance. Interestingly enough, 1994 was the year that grunge fashion peaked, but this style will not reach Midwestern State until later years.
1997: Speaking of grunge, one of the 1997 photos reveals Chi Omega dressing up in this style. In typical grunge style, women are dressed in backwards ball caps, loose plaid shirts, high-waist loose jeans, and sneakers. Chi Omega’s attempt at grunge is milder than other expressions, revealing that the sisters were trying grunge as a fun fashion expression and not as their typical everyday wear, which can be seen in the group photo where the women wear the common sweatshirt and jean combination. Formal styles for Chi Omega in 1997 are shown in the photo where the sisters are wearing black, straight line dresses, or in 1997 terms- the little black dress. This was a fashion staple for women which emphasized the simple, but classy look of formal wear in the late ’90s.
1999: The 1999 Chi Omega of photos show one of the rare moments where the members are dressed more unique. There is more diversity in the graphic tee-shirts the women are wearing as they pose for the camera. Throughout the decade, the Chi Omega members usually were similarly dressed, emphasizing their unified identity as a sisterhood; however, this year seems to show more individuality. This year also emphasizes the minimalistic look even in formal outfits, where accessories were minimalistic as seen with the simple necklaces of the sorority sisters. Our personal favorite late ’90s trend of having a shirt underneath a skinny strap is visible here. This trend began the transition towards more body conforming and revealing fashion trends of the early ’00s.
Identity: Chi Omega members, as shown in these sample photographs, followed the trends of the ’90s. Most notable in this group is the similarity in style among the members, despite the array of style choices available in the ’90s, from sports wear to grunge. This speaks to the unified identity of the sorority that emphasizes its community and sisterhood.