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Monday, Jan. 20
The Indiana Daily Student

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COLUMN: How fashion shapes sorority recruitment from rush bags to TikTok trends

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Fashion is an important part of the process for those going through sorority recruitment. Spring rush, which began Jan. 5, was met with snow and low temperatures this year. When I arrived back to campus from winter break, I saw students walking around in long winter coats, rush bags in hand. It was overwhelming to see so many similarly dressed people. I admired them for trekking through the cold with their hair and makeup done while other students were still at home.  

TikTok is the central place to see what women are wearing for rush at any collegiate institution. Outfit-of-the-day videos and #bamarush have brought a lot of attention to sorority life, with potential new members (PNMs), breaking down the brands they wear each day. TikTok acts as a unique platform for insight into the rush process, with Greek and non-Greek affiliated viewers alike getting entranced by the costs and effort put into each outfit. 

A “rush bag” is typically a large tote or purse that can hold snacks, makeup and extra clothes for busy recruitment days. Rush bags are not limited to a single style but are rather whatever is large enough and most comfortable. A canvas tote with colorful straps or the black Lululemon quilted grid tote bag are some examples. 

The Open Invite Round, held on Zoom, is where PNMs meet with each participating house to learn about each chapter. Black tops were the only dress requirement, according to IU students on TikTok. For bottoms, the unspoken style was sweatpants or pajama pants.  

For the Philanthropy and Service Round, PNMs return to the chapters they were invited back to and learn about each chapter’s philanthropy. Every person was given a pink Panhellenic T-shirt with navy lettering, which made for a striking color combination. PNMs wore a variety of jeans, with some adding variety with leopard print or a denim skirt.  

The first three days guarantee that each PNM has the same visual first impression. They can show individuality through accessories. Even then, jewelry seems limited to a few popular brands like Enewton, Evry Jewels and Amazon. 

A certain “look” defined the styles worn for the Sisterhood Round. Students can visit up to nine chapters where they learn about the sisterhood of each chapter. On social media I saw many off-shoulder knits, whether it was a sweater or a dress, miniskirts and knee-high boots. People mainly stuck with neutrals. I enjoy seeing the excitement each student has when going over parts of their outfit, even if I can scroll and find someone else with a similar iteration. 

Rush will wrap up with the Preference Round Jan. 17-18 and finish with Bid Day on Jan. 19. PNMs visit and rank their top two chapters from the Sisterhood Round. Bid Day is the opportunity to get an invite from one of these chapters to become a member. 

I think the fashion trends among Greek life members is a way to feel connected to others and have more confidence in your personality when engaging in conversations. For the same reason uniforms create an automatic connection, it isn’t necessarily a negative that organizations would use clothes as a means to show unity among members. However, fashion can still be presentable, sophisticated, and classy without feeling like you must look like everyone else in the room. It is disheartening that chapters encourage individual expression, yet are so restrictive, even if not directly, with how members try to meet certain standards. 

Why do students feel the need to conform to Greek life fashion when fashion today is wide open for individual expression? 

While the visual standards between different campuses may differ, each school has a Panhellenic recruitment guide for how PNMs should dress. If each woman interprets these guidelines similarly, it could explain why the resulting outfits are practically identical. Beyond the unexplainable mix of high-end and fast fashion brands, the traditionally feminine look combines old trends with some more modern ones. Honoring the history of sorority dress shouldn’t mean that women limit themselves to one image of what a sorority member looks like. This is difficult when the culture of these organizations reaches back to their establishments. 

IU recruitment fashion may be different from an SEC school such as University of Alabama. Yet, there is an undeniable look because of the pressure to appear a certain way in hopes for a bid. If members are truly going to be “unapologetically themselves, why not start with initiating new terms for professional women’s wear in the college setting.  

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