The University of Alabama’s Greek life is unlike any other, and it caught the world’s attention in 2021 thanks to TikTok, which became a platform for girls who want to make their own lives and celebrate the upcoming influx of sorority through the #RushTok banner. cases to homes they desperately want to join. #RushTok was a viral phenomenon that drew millions of eyes to the school and its season of hyper competitive hustle and bustle, generating countless fans as well as several critics.
It also caught the attention of HBO and Introducing Selma Blair documentary filmmaker Rachel Fleit Bama Rush (May 23 on Max) examines the school’s Greek societies through the lens of a handful of individuals determined to rush through the fall semester of 2022. What it reveals is an exclusionary environment that views beauty, wealth, privilege, and fitness as the highest of ideals, and in some cases exacerbates the problems these young women believe they will solve.
Whether you’re high school seniors eagerly awaiting their arrival in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, or freshmen preparing to complete their inaugural year of college, Bama RushAll of her subjects are focused on getting into the sorority of their choice. To do this, they must endure a series of interviews, parties, and social events, where they are judged by active sorority nuns according to criteria that are as vague as they are seemingly shallow. This process is so intense that many girls hire rush counselors like Trisha Addicks, Sloan Anderson, and Lorie Stefanelli to coach them on their resumes, speaking skills, and looks – appearance is, of course, a major factor in one’s sorority expectations. .
The question of how Sororities are ranked, Bama RushBecause—as many speakers—including the original Bama Rush TikToker Gracie O’Connor—agree—a particular house’s status has everything to do with the fervor of its members, largely decided by the University of Alabama fraternities. Therefore, having the right hairstyle, dress and Instagram account is essential and something that can be improved with the help of paid professionals. The fact that the school is white for traditional Caucasian Panhellenic houses is also a big plus; Even though the school abolished the sorority segregation in 2013 (yes, it really took that long), black girls now have Divine 9 homes to rush into. As a result, Fleit’s documentary reveals that Bama Rush is a popularity contest based on physical attractiveness and with it the ability to reflect a certain cheerful, optimistic, rah-rah southern personality.
When they’re so obsessed with looks, it’s not surprising that concerns have risen among rushed girls. Freshman Holliday, who had previously been kicked out of the sorority for a minor infraction (she wore the wrong house sticker!), wants to hurry even as she discusses the eating disorder and body insecurities that plague her. These issues are shared by first-year student Isabelle, who opens up hopes that joining a sorority will provide her with the love, compassion, and acceptance she craves. Isabelle and high school student Shelby also chat about their loneliness, self-doubt, and desire to unravel their identities. Both believe that the sorority will solve these problems; Bama Rush it portrays organizations as ruthless entities designed to exacerbate such snags by their priorities.
Fleit initially stays off camera Bama Rush, yet her own status as a bald woman (thanks to her alopecia) and her history of hiding her status to stay socially fit soon prove an integral aspect of this story. Fleit’s personal struggle with shame and alienation sheds light on the motivations for wanting to make this film in the first place. Moreover, it serves as an example of the joy and confidence that comes from realizing one’s own self-worth regardless of the approval of others. When angry rumors spread about HBO’s presence on campus, Bama Rush becomes part of her own story, and the fact that Fleit eventually has to wear the wig, a symbol of her decades-old humiliation, only reinforces the idea that Greek life in Alabama forced women to stay in line rather than embrace it. their individuality.
Bama Rush has racism as well as sexism and superficiality. Bama Rush It is discussed through interviews with current and former students who are confronted both overtly and subtly. Add talk about The Machine (basically a secret society that governs the Greek system, and with it university life), and the film is, in the words of writer Elizabeth Boyd, “an illuminating snapshot of a backdrop where competitive femininity has been proven and contemporary performance of southern beauty”—or the very much presented here. As numerous TikTok videos suggest, it’s the unholy byproduct of social media narcissism, the Kardashian-style celebrity, and the beauty pageant culture of their debutante.
There are undoubtedly thousands of college students who have discovered that attending a sorority like Isabelle is a fun and empowering experience that gives them exactly what they want, and Fleit’s documentary does not go out of its way to portray Bama Rush in a negative way. . Still, the less palatable underpinnings of the whole venture come to light as many of his chosen subjects choose to withdraw from this Greek rat race, and his close friends Holliday and Makayla sever ties in the process. Although the girls’ dormitory was first established by proto-feminists, there is not much progressivism in Turkey. Bama Rush; The values advocated by this higher education sorority institution are mainly concerned with upholding strict image standards, loyalty and confidentiality. It is elitism at its worst.
As a result, Fleit gets more upset as she digs deeper into this environment, apparently realizing that the sorority system makes girls see themselves as inadequate—by forcing them to submit to tradition at the risk of isolation. its alopecia. In this context, Bama Rush shedding light on a unique world and tradition that cares little for true uniqueness.