As a new year of college life begins, so does the tradition of Greek life on campus. At several schools, the week before the semester starts is known as “rush” week: a week where sororities host a series of events for potential new members, also known as PNMs, to be recruited into their chapter.
Several schools across the U.S. undergo intense rush processes for their sororities. The tradition is particularly big at the University of Alabama, where over 2,500 women participate in the nine-day application process.
A spread of TikTok videos created by the ambitious PNMs opened the world to what sorority rush is actually like, as it showcased the craziness and competitiveness that goes into it. Since such a high number of girls were pledging this year at Alabama and were frequently posting about it, TikTok’s insane algorithm landed these videos on several “for you” pages, forming a remarkable fascination with the process among viewers. The trend then coined the hashtag “RushTok,” garnering over 120 million views on the app. #BamaRush has also taken over the app with over 374 million views.
The hashtag includes several videos featuring what the “rushees” wear to their recruitment or what is called an “OOTD” (outfit of the day). The videos mention where their attire comes from — whether it be from fast-fashion brands such as Shein or high-quality brands such as Kendra Scott or Michael Kors. It is often found that when their jewelry comes secondhand, or given to them by their “MeeMaw,” they announce it as “normal” in their videos.
Such videos have been replicated as memes by other TikTok users, parodying the girls’ Southern accents, fashion choices, choice of words and the overall absurdness that goes into rush week.
“RushTok” also includes videos that showcase the recruitment process, which consists of four rounds. The first event is an open house, where newbies visit each sorority on campus. It’s then followed by philanthropy round, which is a time for the PNMs to learn more about the volunteer work that each chapter does. The sisterhood round then comes the next day, allowing “rushees” to have more one-on-one time with the members of a chapter. The fourth and final round consists of preference night, where the women visit their two most-desired houses. Once the rounds are complete, bids come out, and the newbies get accepted into a sorority.
One of the most popular candidates on “RushTok” was user Makayla Culpepper (@whatjimmybuffettdo), who racked up millions of views and likes on her videos. Culpepper gathered a big following since she was one of the only mixed women rushing at Alabama.
After an accusation of her underage drinking surfaced, Culpepper was dropped by all of the sororities on campus. Many of her fans and supporters were devastated by this and speculated that her being dropped was racially motivated. The theory was plausible since Alabama has a past of racially-biased tendencies within its sororities, especially since it wasn’t until eight years ago that the sororities at Alabama were finally desegregated. Culpepper’s experience now leads to the discussion as to whether or not Greek life needs to be more inclusive and diverse. Even though she did not make it completely through the rush process, she was able to make over 100k supportive followers who will continue to support her in the future.
Another “RushTok” trendsetter is Blake Wright (@blakeannajoy), whose account gained 69.9k followers. Many of them were extremely captivated and inspired by her rush journey, spreading several supportive comments on her account. Fans anxiously waited for Wright to get a bid to a sorority and were excited to see that she eventually got the house she wanted.
Hannah Dubberly (@hannahdubb) became another one of the most popular “rushees,” as her TikTok blew up during the rush week. Users were charmed by her thick Southern accent, her adorable outfit choices and her love for anything pink.
Although Alabama’s rush week is over, it doesn’t mean that #RushTok will be over soon. Hundreds of other women in the U.S. are participating in their school’s rush week throughout the next month. The platform opened up the world to the sorority rush process, so more discussions are being made about the selection process and whether or not it is racially motivated or based on looks as many have claimed. However, since the rushing process has gained popularity in the media, it might inspire several young girls to go into Greek life.
If you are interested in joining Greek life at Ohio University, visit www.ohio.edu/greek to learn more.
