Problematic Sorority Recruitment Video?

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I agree with Senusret's assessment about the athlete. When that part came up I was like "What is this about?"

A friend of mine posted on Facebook what I think the other concern really is by saying something like "I never understood where these stereotypes of sorority women came from until I saw this video." I'm sure this is not the only chapter in the country with a video like this. I'm not sure it tells anything about the sisterhood or values of the organization... unless it does (which might be more upsetting). It doesn't reflect my sorority experience in any way so it seems quite foreign to me.

When I think about what we tell the PNMs about what to wear for recruitment, we always say "not too short" "not too much cleavage" "you're dressing to impress women, not men". This video is doing the opposite of all of that advice. I don't know what a 19 year old me would think watching it. I don't see it impressing the college age women I know well.

I wouldn't bash the chapter that did it. But I would say I don't think it's the best or most accurate way to portray our organizations to the public.

I find myself wondering what it says to women who are going to rush at other schools. It may speak to the personality of one chapter, but does it portray something the organization wants portrayed overall?

Frankly, I despise these videos, so I haven't watched it. The fact it's generating controversy makes me wonder what APhi's members throughout the rest of the country think.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by DGTess

I find myself wondering what it says to women who are going to rush at other schools. It may speak to the personality of one chapter, but does it portray something the organization wants portrayed overall?

I said something similar in mods' corner. I'd hate to think a young woman at my alma mater (or yours for that matter) would choose not to rush because she doesn't feel she fits this mold. And, to go the other way, I'd hate for a woman at Alabama to not rush if she saw a rush video from MY school and didn't feel she fit the mold. I know that people should be able to understand that all Greek systems are different, but when the media is slamming one particular example in your face, you might begin to question whether that's really true.

A few years back I had a fight with a poster on this very board where she was insisting that sorority rush is no different than any other kind of marketing. Now this poster was a sketchy mono and a perp but besides all that, she was wrong. When forever 21 tries to get you to buy a sweater, they're not promising that sweater will be with you for the rest of its life. They're not promising that sweater will make you a better person. I will never forget what one of the collegian from one of our other chapters (supposedly a "party all the time, don't give a crap about anything else" chapter) wrote to me when my chapter closed - she said " these letters are not an advertisement, they mean something."

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by LionTamer

I was seriously creeped out by the number of old men fervently defending this on Facebook.

Seriously girls, these get out, and your dad's friends watch it over and over. Eww.

I heard (and I emphasize "heard" -- not from an official source or published statement) that the creepish internet comments on the girls in the video "raised awareness" regarding the potential for social media stalking upon publication of names, and that this influenced Admin's decision to no longer publish bid lists.

[Midwest]

I got this question on another website I moderate as well as in a facebook message: Do any of you all have any thoughts/opinions about the U of Alabama Alpha Phi sorority recruitment video?

I did some serious amount of watching last night of other sorority recruitment videos across the country, in response to the complaints geared towards Alpha Phi of Alabama, and I've concluded that it's much ado about nothing.

There are countless recruitment videos, many whose members which are predominately white, blow glitter out of their hands and sit in circles - heads towards the sky - holding hands and laughing, with glide-camera takes every thirty-seconds and drone shots above. After seeing numerous videos of similar editing and style I sort of got cross-eyed.

Yes, the video was shallow. Yes, the video was of all white girls. Yes, it's Alabama. Yes, it's greek life.

In a very amusing fashion, a good number of people are dismissing the complaints and saying things like, "Gosh darn these girls are beautiful!" And rightfully so. The hullabaloo over this is just evidence of the media's idiocy of being PC.

[Midwest]

Originally Posted by knight_shadow

Who exactly started the "outrage" about this? I didn't see any source of the outrage; just the thinkpieces/"news" stories saying that there was an outrage.

As a sidebar -- wasn't Bama the school that had the big PR push to show "yay we accept the blacks" a year or two ago?

The media and its enables are trying to play the "Greek life is damaging to America! It's an archaic institution that should be abolished!" and "Not an ounce of diversity shown " cards. Guess what, I was the only minority in my fraternity. Did I say quietly to myself "Where are my people?" No.

[Hartofsec]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I agree with Senusret's assessment about the athlete. When that part came up I was like "What is this about?"

A friend of mine posted on Facebook what I think the other concern really is by saying something like "I never understood where these stereotypes of sorority women came from until I saw this video." I'm sure this is not the only chapter in the country with a video like this. I'm not sure it tells anything about the sisterhood or values of the organization... unless it does (which might be more upsetting). It doesn't reflect my sorority experience in any way so it seems quite foreign to me.

When I think about what we tell the PNMs about what to wear for recruitment, we always say "not too short" "not too much cleavage" "you're dressing to impress women, not men". This video is doing the opposite of all of that advice. I don't know what a 19 year old me would think watching it. I don't see it impressing the college age women I know well.

I wouldn't bash the chapter that did it. But I would say I don't think it's the best or most accurate way to portray our organizations to the public.

Well put -- exactly.

If these videos are de rigueur at other schools, perhaps we should be wondering if they should be, rather than justifying the trend.

I think this one blew up because of the campus it occurred on (plenty of past and present criticism regarding stereotypes and diversity) and the internet places it where it landed. Didn't surprise me really -- but the extent of the explosion did.

[Hartofsec]

Of possible interest -- an interview with the author of the article at the epicenter of the controversy:

Alabama Alpha Phi sorority video columnist A.L. Bailey reacts to uproar for the first time

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/201...deo_colum.html

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

I heard (and I emphasize "heard" -- not from an official source or published statement) that the creepish internet comments on the girls in the video "raised awareness" regarding the potential for social media stalking upon publication of names, and that this influenced Admin's decision to no longer publish bid lists.

That makes sense. While it used to be a good way to see where local girls went--and, in some cases, the only way I'd find out if any of my Recs actually worked their magic--there's far too much scrutiny at Alabama right now for that to continue. It's not like you can always tell someone's ethnic background from their name, but the less potentially negative attention, the better.

[33girl]

Okay, I about peed my pants laughing when I read the firework comment, and it got sillier from there. Someone has delusions of grandeur is all I can say. I also love how she presents herself as a feminist but made sure to mention her husband and children over and over and over again. So we know, you know, that she was chosen.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Okay, I about peed my pants laughing when I read the firework comment, and it got sillier from there. Someone has delusions of grandeur is all I can say. I also love how she presents herself as a feminist but made sure to mention her husband and children over and over and over again. So we know, you know, that she was chosen.

Ol girl got mad that someone called her a prude AND a prune!

I also like that she qualified that she only moved to Alabama in 1998. Just trifling.

[Nanners52674]

I just can't get past the fact that she's a "feminist" but can't see that her comments on this video and apparently other ones she's seen online go against the ideals of feminism. She should be supporting those girls rights to portray themselves and their bodies how they want.

Sorority affiliation of the video aside. This is a video of grown up women, who chose to be in it and publish it online. They are obviously okay with "how it looks". Which is great for them because having that choice is what's important That's all that should matter.

[jolene]

On a lighter note, has anyone seen Arkansas State's AGD vid? It's made of win. Talk about sisters with a sense of humor. I'd join them just for that vid. LOL You know you'd be laughing all the time in that house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coXu3t5YQPI

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by jolene

On a lighter note, has anyone seen Arkansas State's AGD vid? It's made of win. Talk about sisters with a sense of humor. I'd join them just for that vid. LOL You know you'd be laughing all the time in that house.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coXu3t5YQPI

I'm just guessing that the Flag Code is no longer a part of high-school Civics curriculum...

[jolene]

Originally Posted by DGTess

I'm just guessing that the Flag Code is no longer a part of high-school Civics curriculum...

I did notice that too, but otherwise, the vid is awesome. At first I thought it was one of those American flags with the sorority letters in the stars area (have seen many of those before). BTW, I don't remember learning flag code in high school, but then again I graduated HS in 1991 so I may just be forgetting.

[Sistermadly]

Originally Posted by Hartofsec

Of possible interest -- an interview with the author of the article at the epicenter of the controversy:

Alabama Alpha Phi sorority video columnist A.L. Bailey reacts to uproar for the first time

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/201...deo_colum.html

Coming out of semi-retirement to say bump her and bump her respectability politics.

I'm so tired of people using "feminism" - a concept that is near and dear to my misandrist heart - to shame women and to concern troll them about "their image" and "what this might do do their future". They're eighteen/nineteen. They can't think about the future because they haven't lived long enough yet, and they're entitled to make mistakes. People in this age bracket live their lives online, and despite all of the fooferaw around people being fired for what their (nosey, intrusive) employers found on their social media feeds, as more people in this age bracket move into the workplace, we'll see concerns about this begin to die down. Think about how scandalized people were about political candidates and drug use about 20 years ago (if you're old enough to remember that), and now our Commander In Chief not only admitted to inhaling, he also admitted to trying cocaine. And nobody blinked an eye!

Feminism isn't about choice, FWIW. It's a belief in the political, cultural, and social equality of women. So while I do think that this video didn't do anything to advance women's equality, I also don't think that it set the movement back 50 years. It isn't indicative of some great moral slide, nor is it cause for some great hand-wringing moment of concern. This is a media-created sh*tstorm, and I feel bad that we've all eaten it up -- myself included.

Having said that - I had the exact same reaction to seeing a black male football player in the video that others have mentioned in this thread. Black people are not your props.