When you open TikTok in August or September, you will likely come across Rush Tok. An especially viral video from this rush season featured Blythe, the recruitment director of the University of Arizona’s Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. The video has 3.2 million likes (as of Sept. 14), which features Blythe dancing, her Y2K-inspired outfit, and, of course, the hundreds of young women behind her in front of the elegant sorority house.
Scrolling through TikTok in early Fall means you are bound to see hundreds of young women dancing in front of ornate sorority houses, dressed in designer clothes, with wrists dripping with expensive jewelry, featuring trending brands like Van Cleef & Arpels or Hermès. These young women get millions of views for dancing, showing off their expensive outfits, or ripping open their letters from potential sororities.
This phenomenon, known as “Sorority Rush,” has become a cultural obsession on the internet and in popular culture. Following a viral rush season in 2022, interest in sororities and the rush process grew significantly. Reporter Marni Rose McFall wrote in Newsweek, discussing an email from Dani Weatherford, CEO of the National Panhellenic Conference, “This reflects a more than a 5 percent increase over the prior year (23-24) and the second consecutive year of growth.”
This virality is in part due to the growing fascination with Rush on social media. While appearing to be polished and positive, Rush also has a dark side. The whole idea of rushing a sorority is wanting to be included in an exclusive society.
To break into this society, young people (and often their parents) will go to extraordinary lengths to get their child into their top-choice Sorority. Annie Joy Williams of The Atlantic : “Parents invest in lots of kids’ activities; private coaching is now a common feature of competitive athletics.”
To prepare themselves for recruitment, girls (or their parents) will pay thousands of dollars for outfits, consult and train with coaches who give them advice on what to say, and, more importantly, what not to say. They will clear their social media accounts of anything they may not want the recruitment committee to see. In the new Lifetime TV show about Rush that recently came out, one mom said that a rush budget is not something that exists to her (NYPOST).
Regional differences can also play a part in fashion, culture, and guidelines. Josee Zagacki, member of Southern Methodist University’s Delta Delta Delta sorority, explained:
“Rushing in the South is different than anything I’ve ever done before, and it’s definitely a big part of the college culture here,” Zagacki said. “Being from the West Coast, it was hard for me to find what to wear because the style is so different. But I found that a lot of girls wore bright colors to stand out, so I tried to copy that and wore a lot of standout colors and dresses that had puffy sleeves or big flowers, which were popular this year.”
Another aspect of Rush that intrigues viewers is the rules that potential new members (PNMs) must follow. An article on Her Campus provided a guide for sorority rush and echoed the 5 topics to never discuss: “boys, booze, Bible, ballot, and bids” (HerCampus). These are paired with specific outfit guidelines and strict schedules.
Unattainability is a key aspect of what makes rush so interesting to outsiders, and after the attention it’s been getting on social media, more students from the Northern United States are attending and rushing Southern Universities.
When spending thousands of dollars on recruitment, families and students treat the rush process with extreme gravity. Many girls have recounted a do-or-die attitude about rush. Kylan Darnell, an influencer on TikTok, said that she had seen girls leave their University because they did not get into a certain house (NYPOST).
TikTok also allows non-sorority members to live the exciting lives that we see on our screens, as most Americans cannot afford a $4,500 consultant and Cartier bracelets. The fantasy of being included in the exclusion is extremely compelling to many online.
The notion of sisterhood often feels distant from the expensive, exclusive reality of the Rush experience. Sisterhood is ideally at the center of the Rush experience, despite the fact that PNMs are not supposed to consider each other as sisters until they have joined a house and the Rush process is over.
There’s potential for hazing, bullying, and exclusion. Many sorority and fraternity houses get put on probation for hazing or misconduct.
McFall also says that the obsession with Rush may be partly due to the rise of conservatism in the United States, and the return to traditional societies and values that have been less pronounced in recent years.
Brands have also begun to get in on the Rush obsession by partnering with sorority members. The infatuation that the Internet has with Rush seems to be holding steady., Does this fascination signal a new elite status that is becoming increasingly unattainable?
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