TxTechChiO: What your friend's mom did doesn't sound too far off from what I did when I went through rush. I had a brand new outfit for each day, in a plastic bag. I had shoes to match, a purse to match, I planned out my jewelry and yes, I had matching toenail polish for each outfit. No one pushed me to do this except myself. A lot of good it did me...
My mom wasn't very involved in my rush. She wanted me to see if I liked it and that was it. Her sorority experience was pretty low-key at Loyola, New Orleans. No houses, no crazy formal rush, etc. So she didn't push me when I went through at LSU. On the other hand, I know a girl who's mother forced her to go to pref, and she ended up joining a house that she loves. In a way, I wish I would have been pushed a bit more, but oh well. I'm happy
PS: I'm also proud to be a southern girl!