Her top with a big pink bow on the back is by Nana Jacqueline, her jeans are by Hauser, her hot pink heels are by Ego, and her dangling silver earrings are by Dillard's, and the video featuring her today's outfit is Being watched on TikTok. More than 5 million times.
In January, a video documenting the SMU Sorority Rush experience trended on TikTok. Most #SMURush videos document students' Outfit of the Day (OOTD). But there are also choreographed dance videos, including at least one video that has been viewed 8.8 million times that tearfully chronicles a sorority's rejection.
Then there are videos made about student videos. Some people use Shopping's website to price their OOTDs, but if the TikTok content creator is to be believed, the price could exceed $25,000. And there are more videos explaining sorority rush or simply criticizing the rush system itself.
So why did a clip about SMU's undergraduate sorority rush experience get more views than the Emmy Awards? It was a low-level year.)
“At the end of the day, TikTok is a storytelling platform,” explains author Trevor Boffone. Renegades: Digital dance culture from Dubsmash to TikTok and editor US TikTok culture. “It tells the story in a nuanced way, where all the little puzzle pieces come together to tell a bigger story. ”
Sorority rush videos first went viral at the University of Alabama in 2021. The hit #BamaRush video sparked her TikTok trend, especially in schools in the South, where Greeks have an active lifestyle. Viewers new to Rush may not understand the “cost and investment in the process,” Boffon explained. “People are paying attention and they want to see it because it kind of brings transparency to something that a lot of people don't feel is transparent.”
Recruitment for this year's SMU sorority was held from January 9th to 14th. It began with a two-day open house, followed by Charity Day, Sisterhood Day, Priority Day and Bidding Day, according to the school's 2023-2024. Panhellenic Recruitment Guidebook.
Approximately 41% of SMU's undergraduate students are members of one of the school's Greek organizations. New membership fees for the seven sororities ranged from $2,525 to $3,878 as of May 2023, according to . Guidebook.
SMU undergraduates are aware of the sorority's interest in Rush and understand how to make their TikTok content a hit, Boffon explained.
“When it goes viral, you get more followers, and with followers you get more opportunities,” he says. “Those opportunities may not exist for young women right now, but once they graduate from college and have these platforms, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”
