Admit it- one of your favorite TikTok trends of 2021 was the influx of sorority recruitment videos!
In the late Summer of last year, many TikTok users were suddenly bombarded with videos on their ‘for you page’ of excited young women gearing up for ‘rush week’; in the final weeks of summer in the US, many college sororities and fraternities begin recruiting new members for the upcoming school year.
For many students, ‘rush week’ is a highlight of their collegiate experience, the sorority and fraternity houses become their home away from home for years, and the faces they meet along the way become lifelong friends or partners!
What Is ‘Bama RushTok?’
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The collegiate sorority recruitment suddenly became a worldwide event last year on TikTok when excited hopefuls from universities, particularly the university of Alabama, began posting TikToks detailing every element of their experiences, from the sorority houses they hoped to join, to the painstakingly planned outfits meticulously selected to last an entire day!
Writer Rebecca Jennings detailed her experience discovering what has now become frequently known as Alabama Rush Tok for Vox last year.
Jennings wrote about her discovery of the sector of TikTok, revealing in the piece she had already come to a few conclusions and potential separate article ideas after watching many of the TikToks.
“The most interesting thing about Bama Rush isn’t that it’s happening; it’s that it has somehow ended up on millions of people’s ‘for you’ pages, people who potentially had zero prior interest in the National Panhellenic Conference, the American South, or if [a popular RushTok fixture] Hannah would get into Zeta (she did!).”
The answer to Jennings’ question, (and the question on many TikTok users’ minds at the time), seems to be fairly obvious for anyone who has ever spent any part of their lives on the internet; she concludes it pretty much boils down to a classic case of good ol’ word of mouth.
As users consume and make their own TikToks asking the same question, the subject soon spread like wildfire around the app.
Bama RushTok Returns!
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The subject of #RushTok did indeed return to many users’ TikTok feeds this year in a sea of colorful bags and sturdy pairs of walking shoes!
Many particular users became TikTok celebrities in their own right, some even making the pivot into influencer culture once recruitment came to a close and interest died down until next year.
Familiar phrases and elements of sorority recruitment also became popular enough and familiar to users to the point where a renewed and lasting interest in #RushTok has resulted in preserving the phenomenon!
What Will Come Next?
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The viral sensation will soon become a documentary subject!
Prior to the documentary’s official confirmation, there had been suspicions among the inner circle of participants within the #RushTok community.
According to Elite Daily, the documentary’s legitimacy had been confirmed via a cover story in the New York Times released on August 12th.
The film’s director, Rachel Fleit, said “This film is a thoughtful and compassionate portrayal of young women in 2022 as they rush the sorority system at the University of Alabama.”
Elite Daily also reported details are still being kept mum since the documentary is “still in production.” It will also likely be a partnership between the production company Vice Studios and HBO Max.
More details about the documentary will likely make their way to TikTok in the future just as the popular hashtag took over our feeds!
