Clemsongirl, I never interpreted your comment as anything more than pointing out regional differences. Not better not worse, just different. I also don't see the Alpha Phi video as a big deal....and I'm old.

As someone who just got home from spending the day with impressionable teenage girls, I tell them every day what you put out on the internet is there for everyone to see. Once it's out there you can no longer control the message. So by putting the video out there, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. If the criticism is unfair, so be it. If there is praise out there, so be it. THEY, themselves, opened the can of worms by putting the video on YouTube. By doing so it's obvious they want major attention. And they got it. As, we say in PR, whether it be bad or good...at least people are talking about it!

I can also tell anyone who is reading this and then reporting back to Greekrank, I have seen nothing on here anywhere near the level of hate that I saw on Yik Yak about the subject. It's young people on Yik Yak, not the old "biddies". If you want to take aim at people who criticized the video, then head to the Yak.

I am not criticizing the video, nor am I criticizing those who are doing the criticizing."I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire

Agreed. I think videos and skits are dumb.

Not necessarily in response to your comment alone, but also to a comment earlier in the thread about "judging" -- this seems a little disingenuous since recruitment is all about judging.

PNMs are "judging" chapters, and chapters are "judging" PNMS. Every single day of recruitment. This is why PNMs are advised to clean up their social media, arrive with appropriate attire, and remember that they are trying to impress other women, not frat boys.

And this is why we can spend 2 forum pages discussing whether to wear a necklace and/or what kind of necklace to wear with a recruitment t-shirt. I do agree that these are first-world problems in the big scheme of things.

But we behave as if image and stereotypes do matter -- if these don't, then certainly we are taking our Greek selves waaaay too seriously.

This.

It was cute, fun, and likely drew their target audience. From the comments before I saw it, I was expecting a soft-core porno.

Calm down y'all.

This is along my lines of thinking as well. Sure, they're fun, but if the point is to show sisterhood, is that what they're really doing?


I'm wondering if the recruitment video will eventually go the way of the skit. As others have stated, it doesn't really show sisterhood as that is a hard concept to display in 3 to 5 minutes. Similar to a skit.


I will add I have seen some videos present the concept of sisterhood well (at least IMO), but it's a rarity.

That's a great point -- I think some sororities may value themselves as they are valued by fraternities -- how many swaps, mixers, etc they have and with whom.

Perhaps this video strikes a nerve with me since it is a chapter on my campus, especially considering the negative press we have received regarding historically white stereotypes and lack of diversity. This video does a lot more to confirm those perceptions (and other sorority stereotypes) than to dispel them.

I don't know how we can tell the PNMs up and down "don't talk about boys @ rush" and then have a video with a boy pretty prominently featured in it (to the point that some media outlets are calling him the star of it). If they would have used stock footage of the team with them cheering or making signs, that would be a little different. Or if he had an actual connection to them, like chapter sweetheart.

I thought it was a cute video; the girls are certainly pretty and the house makes me wish I'd gone to a school with real sorority houses.

I wonder how they decided whose butt was going to be filmed while ascending the stairs?

That said, I think they got their idea from Elle Woods' Harvard Law School admissions video.

The Alpha Phi video is almost exactly the same as the ZTA video, except for the football guy. It is so similar that it must have been shot by the same crew.
Girls lined up inside front door
Girls eating Popsicles
Girls doing gymnastics
Girls hanging on front porch
Girls at the stadium
Girls in bikinis most of the video

As a PNM, I would think if I didn't have a bikini ready bod, I shouldn't join a sorority.

I'm clueless. You'd better tell me!

Every time I see a young woman in a "revealing" outfit. I'm tempted to think critically of them. But then I stop myself and think that if I had her figure, I would probably wear what she's wearing.

Gotta go film myself blowing glitter in slow motion.

The fact that they are all almost indistinguishable is what bothers me - I don't know that they are therefore very effective. If you cannot tell the difference without seeing the letters, well, you haven't done much in promoting what makes your chapter different.

That said, Gamma Phi Beta videos are the best. ;)

There is zero lingerie in this video and honestly that is not a fair nor accurate statement.

Yes the video is similar to AZ (maybe they meet AZ girls at a conference?? or looked on you tube to see other chapter's video's who knows) The video is also comparable to other groups at Alabama as many seems to have a similar vibe, dress, dancing, pool, intro view around the chapter house etc.

The chapter posted the video right around the same time as other chapters at Bama so they did not post it early to 'get ahead' simply it seems like the campus norm to post shortly before recruitment starts.

So why all the chatter and catty comments? Because the video went viral. That was not within the chapter's control. I don't think when they filmed it (which had to be last spring) they could not know that having an athlete who had a terrible injury in Dec. would cause such interest. Sports sites picked it up and off it went.

Bama recruitment will be over soon enough and perhaps everyone will find a new target to point the flame throwers at....