RushTok has lost its novelty

It's that time of the year when the (mostly) blonde freshmen at Southern universities embark on the process of sorority recruitment, broadcasting it for all of TikTok to see. However, we're on day five AKA sisterhood day of rush at the University of Alabama, and it's hardly made a peep on my FYP.  

Yes, there are still a handful of young women gaining a platform from their OOTD (outfit of the day) videos, and RushTok stars of years past like Kylan Darnell are posting from the other side, but much like the third season of a reality TV show, RushTok has lost its novelty. 

Three years ago, campuses reopened for the first time since the pandemic began, and the college experience — sorority recruitment included — beamed onto our FYPs. RushTok videos and discourse felt inescapable, and encountering the rush frenzy displayed in videos was a rare, collective online experience. We viewed PNMs (potential new members) on their journey to find their homes at the University of Alabama and the University of Mississippi with shock and wonder. Every detail — from the sheer amount of Kendra Scott jewelry to the brutal nature of a PNM getting "cut" from their "top house" — enraptured audiences who, for the most part, had no idea how any of this worked.

We created microcelebrities out of the students who posted the most endearing GRWM (get ready with me) videos and cheered along as they "trusted the process." The proliferation of RushTok videos also led to a much-overdue discussion of classism, racism, and elitism of Greek life. The "Bama Rush" and "RushTok" tag has since been viewed over 3.5 billion and 1.5 billion times, respectively. 

Last year, rumors of an undercover documentary on Bama Rush swirled, sustaining RushTok "Season 2." Several students were dismissed from recruitment after being wrongfully accused of carrying a microphone, thickening the plot for fans at home watching it unfold on TikTok. But when the HBO documentary, Bama Rush, was released in May 2023 viewers were disappointed that it didn't give them as much of the behind-the-scenes look they hoped for. 

In the nearly three years of sorority recruitment hype leading up to Bama Rush's release the rush process was discussed ad nauseam and received national coverage. We've wrung RushTok for its last drops of content. The latest deluge of rush content lacks the spontaneity and authenticity of the first year and the drama of the second. Now, posting the PNM experience is just a surefire way to go viral. 

We already know all the slang, the preppy girl brands, and the ins and outs of the rush process. All that's left in the viscous TikTok trend cycle is the inevitable labeling of the enjoyment of RushTok content as cheugy.