Latest news with #UniversityOfAlabama
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Bama Rush girls celebrate in the streets as they learn which sororities they got accepted into
The newest members of the University of Alabama 's sororities have officially been chosen, marking the end of this year's Bama Rush. Back in 2021, a series of women who were trying to join the University of Alabama's Panhellenic community documented their road to being accepted into one of the 18 different sororities at the school, and uploaded it all to TikTok under the hashtag #BamaRush. Their videos quickly exploded, and many people on the web became enthralled with watching the lengthy process play out. Since then, every time August rolls around, #BamaRush goes viral once again, as a whole new set of freshmen hopefuls at the University of Alabama and other Southern schools put their best foot forward to vie for the chance to get accepted into the sororities on campus. This year was no different... and after nine days of battling it out to see who would earn a spot in the coveted sororities, the recruitment period concluded on Sunday, August 17. Known as Bid Day, about 2,400 women finally found out which sorority they'd be joining - if any - during a ceremony at UA's Bryant-Denny Stadium. It's tradition for the chosen women to run through the campus to Sorority Row, and photos obtained by the Daily Mail showed the newest recruits excitedly bolting to their new homes. The women were seen celebrating all over the campus, hugging, and cheering moments after learning their fates. It's tradition for the chosen women to run through the campus to Sorority Row It's certainly an exciting time for the students as it marks the beginning of a new era for them. One day earlier, during the final recruitment day, known as Preference, there was a terrifying moment when one of the women needed medical assistance. Dramatic images showed the student, who looked distressed, being taken into an ambulance via stretcher surrounded by EMTs. It's unclear what caused the incident, but it was certainly a possibility that she had gotten overheated. Temperature soared to the mid-90s this weekend, with a heat advisory in affect in Alabama. Trisha Addicks, the first official nation-wide recruitment coach, recently lifted a lid on the lengthy Bama Rush process exclusively with the Daily Mail. For a fee of $4,500, potential new members (known as PNMs) can receive comprehensive coaching, conversation prep, and styling from Addicks. She also offers advice on securing recommendations, networking, and even fine-tuning clients' social media presence. Some moms try to hire Addicks, a University of Georgia alumna based in Atlanta, as early as junior year of high school, before they even know where their daughter will be attending for school. And with the boom of 'RushTok' Addicks has seen in surge in clients from other corners of the country. 'They are coming in droves from the North, Midwest and West because they want a part of that,' she said. She noted that recruitment can be 'isolating and hard,' especially when PNMs see their friends getting bids to the houses they want and were dropped from. And, in the cases where mothers are heavily involved in the process, some parents will 'spiral' when their daughters' options dwindle during rush, causing panic. 'I had a woman reach out to me this week, and she was very distraught because her daughter had been dropped from all but one,' Addicks revealed. It's a longstanding tradition for them to run through the campus after learning their fates While she can't know for sure what went wrong, she would have to guess it's because the client doesn't have 'much of a social media presence.' PNMs need to be Google-able, she said, though they shouldn't be posting thirst traps aplenty, she noted. 'It may not hurt you at some sororities, but why risk it?' she said. 'Because it's not going to help.' Still, not everyone who goes through recruitment will get a bid. 'My phone will ring off the hook next week for people who did not have successful rush,' she admitted.
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
How Sorority Rush Videos Became the Ultimate Reality TV Show
In another life, Rosie Chong likes to joke, she was a Southern girl who rushed a sorority at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. 'I'm like, get me to a game day at Bryant-Denny Stadium,' said Chong, a 30-year-old social content manager. 'I shouldn't even know that it's called Bryant-Denny Stadium.' After all, she lives thousands of miles away, in Melbourne, Australia.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Just in time for Bama Rush Week, see photos of Alabama Bid Day from past years
Ever wonder what Bid Day at the University of Alabama was like before it went viral on TikTok? Check out these photos of Bid Day before it became famous worldwide. When is Alabama Bid Day? The University of Alabama's annual sorority recruitment event, held Aug. 17 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, is when thousands of students find out which sorority has accepted their membership bid. Bid Day is the culmination of Bama Rush Week, which begins Aug. 9 at UA. Rush week gives fraternities and sororities the opportunity to host events, where new students can get their first chance to meet members. Bid Day photos from past years This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama Bid Day: See photos from past years from sorority recruitment Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Very Southern': Documentary looked behind the scenes of University of Alabama sororities
With Bid Day coming up Sunday on the University of Alabama campus, here's a look back at a story originally published on May 23, 2023, about the "Bama Rush" documentary. Those expecting a crimson expose from "Bama Rush" will be disappointed. As anyone could have predicted, the University of Alabama and well-connected Greek lifers slammed doors, windows and other avenues, making access tough for director Rachel Fleit and her crew. Rumors spread on social media that "20 women" were strapped with mikes ― wearing a wire, in TV-cop parlance -- to infiltrate sorority houses. That spread alarm, up to and including a letter from UA President Stuart R. Bell, sent to Fleit and others. Warnings burbled out that those wishing to take part would suffer consequences. And of course ubiquitous threats from and about The Machine coughed up. More: Just in time for Bama Rush Week, see photos of Alabama Bid Day from past years Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Archibald, class of '86, got his start at the Crimson White covering secretive Theta Nu Epsilon, the Greek affiliates controlling all facets of campus life, and some in Tuscaloosa. Mentions of The Machine "It strikes me as being very Southern, because we have a long history of silence," he says in the film, including not talking to media. He paraphrased from a leaked 2016 document said to originate with The Machine: "Little is known, and what is known is kept secret." Speaking to Fleit about why Greeks clamped down, "I could reach too deep and say that you probably represent the carpetbaggers coming down to teach us what's right and wrong…." Those expecting a laudatory Roll Tide will also be left bereft, though had not paranoia struck, that may have been a different tale. Fleit was inspired by viral Bama Rush TikTok videos from 2021. Near the end, the director appears, sighing, ironically sporting a "f*ck your documentary" T-shirt made by those trying to stifle the work. "…. They believe that I'm trying to ruin their tradition.... But I came into this like literally 'Roll Tide!' " Eating disorders and trauma bonds Fleit's not the only one who undergoes heart-and-mind changes in "Bama Rush," which takes journeys with high school seniors and UA students planning to go through rush 2022. Starting from respective homes, we meet high-schoolers Shelby, an effervescent, energetic woman from Quincy, Illinois, who seems to live and breathe crimson; and Isabelle, an intense, questioning person from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who's sincerely seeking a sense of identity, a place to belong. At home, Shelby sports a wall of awards her family calls "Taj Mahal." She creates a rush binder, as she did for pageants, stuffed with motivation quotes and ideas. "I can tell a million people that I'm going to the University of Alabama, and they'll be like 'You're totally meant to go there,'" she says. When rumors fly, Shelby drops out of the filming. Isabelle wants to work on herself, open herself to new experiences. She powers through tears, sharing how locker-room talk from other girls led to her eating disorder, and later, how she was sexually abused two weeks before leaving for Tuscaloosa. Bid Day On the day before Bid Day — fourth and final of the process — Fleit and Isabelle go swimming in what looks like Lake Harris, or possibly Nicol, on a mild late summer day. "This feels more at home than I've ever felt in a long time," Isabelle said. The pain and anger and sadness don't go away, she said "but knowing there's a hope and a plan, and all of the power is within you… God has given me so much will to live." On campus we meet students Holliday, an energetic, driven woman who wants to become president, and Makalya, her roomie and friend, a more somber, reflective person. Playing a "what kind of fruit would you be" game, Holliday picks strawberries, since everyone loves them, "And I just like wanna be loved by everybody …. I don't like when people don't like me." Makalya chooses watermelon "Because I act hard on the outside, but I'm soft on the inside." Though their friendship fractures over the course of filming, there's a touching moment in a cemetery on Halloween. Makalya shows Holliday her father's tombstone. A policeman, he died when she was just 13. Holliday lost her own father at 16. "I think that's why we also bond, too, because we're missing our dads," says Makalya, who offers many of the film's most pointed observations. Holliday laughs, while sniffling, "Trauma bond!" Speaking of unwanted correspondences, nearly all share a history of eating disorders, or loathing mirrors, disliking their looks. Holliday's shown running, doing squats and other weight work, before noting she now has cellulite and stretch marks. "But like, they're so beautiful, because it shows, like, that I'm overcoming something and growing," she says. Holliday decides not to rush, having heard rumors all the sororities have blackballed her. Makalya recalls she laughed while watching one house's song-and-dance bit. "I was like, 'Dude, can I really do that?' " she said, laughing. "I realize that being a sophomore, you don't have to be in a sorority to enjoy your life. I felt like I was being, like, forced to like them, too. It was annoying." She briefly speaks about telling her rush consultant — yes, there are rush consultants, three of them interviewed for the film — but adds "I don't really care about disappointing anyone." Speaking against stereotyping Fleit and "Bama Rush" found open-minded actives — current Greeks — who'd talk, including Rian, a Sigma Kappa. "You know, something that's ingrained in us early is is that, yeah, you're a person, but you're a Sigma Kappa first. You're a woman, but you're a Sigma Kappa first," she says. "That's a lot of what being in a sorority is. It's branding. That's you know, every single Greek organization." Rian later adds her sorority life has led to the best people she's ever met. A trio of sisters from Zeta Tau Alpha, Kaiya, Lauren and Katie, speak against stereotyping. " 'Oh why are you trying so hard? Like, you should just get a husband.' I'm not only a sorority girl. I'm a woman in a sorority. And it's not the same thing," Katie says. Kaiya adds it's outside haters who are mean, and that they're mostly doing ordinary student things. "What do we do, we eat our chicken sandwiches together?" she says, cracking up her friends. "We put a lot, a lot of pressure on ourselves." Katie shows on her phone how easily videos can be edited to make body parts thinner, teeth whiter. But Bama girls who have become social-media influencers should feel a responsibility to represent honestly, she says. "…. these women with millions of followers, they post that and act like it's real," Katie says. "Fourteen-year-girls are gonna look at that and say 'Why don't I look like that?' " Kaiya says. "The things that I say to myself and think to myself about my body, I would never say that to someone else." Searching for acceptance Fleit, who lives with alopecia areata, has been bald since childhood. She steps into frame often, once she finds a through-line. "OK, I think I know where I'm going with this," she says. "Between Katie, this smart, beautiful girl telling me that she wishes she looked like her friends, or she compares herself to other women, and the endless scrolling of these OOTDs (outfit of the day), it hit me. ... "... I feel like I rushed because I have alopecia, and I wore a wig for 14 years." Mullets, bowl cuts, blunt cuts, body weaves, perms, layered looks, she wore something new every year. "I was trying to get into the sorority of all of the girls in the world who have hair, and it felt like an impossible sorority to get into," she says. It took years for Fleit to feel being true mattered more than being accepted. Taking off the wig felt easy, and at the same time like removing a 1,000-pound helmet, she says. For years she's gone natural. But after rumors on social media rise to the feeling of threats, producers insist on hiring security for the crew. And Fleit, to finish her film, pulls on a blonde wig. TikToks and Outfits of the Day The film's trailer hinted at much of "Bama Rush"'s flair: arrays of cameras displaying TikToks; crimson-and-white glamour at a Bryant-Denny night game; lovely imagery on and off campus; a slew of slow-motion running women; talk of power, status and prestige, about how boys rank sororities according to hotness; about top-tier sororities vs. bottoms; and how The Machine believes it controls everything, which this film's completion, and streaming on premium service Max, calls into question. If you'd never been around UA, or Greek life, there might be some surprises. If you have, it could spark nostalgia, or at least recognition. The heart of "Bama Rush" centers on attempts to reconcile conflicting drives and impulses, between acceptance and individuality, ideals and expression, tradition and diversity. Elizabeth Boyd, author of book "Southern Beauty: Race, Ritual and Memory in the Modern South," says "Rush is a social stratification ritual bar none. … It's a proving ground of competitive femininity, and the contemporary performance of the Southern belle." Moments later, watching TikToks from PNMs (prospective new members) she comments wryly: "Not with those shoes .... You've gotta have cute shoes." This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Viral UA sorority scene was subject of 'Bama Rush' documentary Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
RushTok backlash: Why sororities aren't letting prospects post
Kylan Darnell became an overnight celebrity in the TikTok niche that documents the glitzy, ritualistic recruitment process for sororities. As a 21-year-old rising senior four years later, she's taking more of her sorority life offline. Darnell has until now been the embodiment of RushTok, a week-long marathon that has teens at schools around the country meticulously documenting their efforts to land a cherished spot in a sorority during the colorful, girly and enigmatic recruitment process known as rush week. Reactions to the content that once catapulted her to fame — depicting her life as a Zeta Tau Alpha member at the University of Alabama — had become so negative that it was affecting her mental health, she said. 'This year it was just like a whole different level of hate," Darnell said. Citing a need to protect prospects from harassment, many sororities have made similar moves, issuing a de facto ban against talking to the press or posting on social media during rush week at Alabama, where almost 13,000 students participate in the nation's largest on-campus Greek life. A centuries-old tradition Across the country, rush is typically a 10-day event where 'prospective new members' try out sororities through rounds of activities prescribing a strict slate of outfits and etiquette. In the lead-up, girls often submit "social resumes" and letters of recommendation from sorority alums. Participation often requires an eye-opening price tag. After spending sometimes tens of thousands of dollars on outfits, makeup and plane tickets, each of this week's 2,600 recruits paid $550 to participate. It's non-refundable if they don't get picked. If accepted, they'll pay an average $8,400 a semester to live in the sorority house, or $4,100 if they live elsewhere, according to the Alabama Panhellenic Association. The pressure can be so intense that an industry of consultants now helps girls navigate the often mysterious criteria for landing a desired sorority. Some charge up to $10,000 for months of services that can begin in high school. Throughout rush, many events are invite-only. At any point, girls can get a dreaded call informing them they've been dropped — that a sorority is no longer interested in letting them join. Matches are finally made on bid day as prospects rank top choices and sororities make offers. Morgan Cadenhead, now 20, gained such an audience on RushTok despite being dropped that she covered most of her tuition with income from social media. Then came the social cost as she was slammed online for criticizing Greek life. Now the marketing major — featured on Lifetime's 'Sorority Mom's Guide to Rush!' — said she's looking for offline work. A zealous TikTok following A fixation with rush was renewed when sororities resumed in-person recruiting after the pandemic. Social media became flooded with 'outfit of the day' and 'get ready with me' videos showing sorority members and recruits in well-lit rooms, sometimes flaunting exorbitantly priced designer wear or pieces purchased on Amazon, always precisely curated. Alabama's Greek life got attention before, when its traditionally white sororities racially integrated, accepting their first Black members in 2013. Targeted by protests following allegations of racial discrimination, the university agreed with the Justice Department in 2016 to encourage diversity. Today, Black students outside of traditionally Black sororities and fraternities represent 2% of the total Greek membership, the university website says. Meanwhile, online attention to rush has led to books, a polarizing documentary and the reality television series, widening the appeal of sororities in the South in particular, according to Lorie Stefaneli, a New York City-based consultant who flies to Tuscaloosa each year for rush. Stefaneli coaches girls from around the country, and about a third of her clients enroll at Alabama. She says many are drawn by the vibrant depictions of sisterhood, showing female friendships that can ensure girls feel seen and supported. 'That's the reason why a lot of them want to go to Alabama, is because they see it on TikTok,' Stefaneli said. Recruits told to stop posting — or else If they gain enough followers to become social influencers, RushTok participants can earn ad revenue and brand deals. Darnell's posts brought her financial independence, more than covering the $58,000 it costs her annually to attend Alabama from out-of-state. Rush can be fun and help girls build confidence, but it's also an 'emotional rollercoaster,' especially for girls who feel they need to reveal themselves to a massive audience, Stefaneli said. She answers phone calls at all hours of the night during rush week. 'I'm literally a therapist, I'm talking these girls down from a ledge,' she said. Numerous incoming freshmen told The Associated Press this week that they were expressly prohibited from speaking with the media or even posting about rush at Alabama. Darnell said the most selective 'Old Row' houses will automatically drop prospects who do. 'Now a lot of girls just come to the university to be influencers,' she said. 'It kind of gets in the way of sisterhood.' Some incoming freshmen — including Darnell's 19-year-old sister Izzy, with a vast social media following of her own — have chosen to post anyway, satisfying a demand that can reach millions of views within days. Izzy Darnell — who wouldn't share her choices for sorority ahead of Saturday's bid day — said her older sister's acumen has equipped her to navigate criticism and potentially predatory business deals. But she worries about how other girls might handle the fame and money. 'I just fear what some girls will do because they think they have to,' Izzy Darnell said.
