It’s twee. Yep. Sororities are twee.
I would think “controversial” would encompass the girls drinking / using drugs on camera, doing something against the law (like shoplifting), saying / singing something racist, talking about how many guys they scored with - not clapping and hugs and glitter and singing and chatting.
The sorority threads are always entertaining to me. My repeated proposal of lottery rush takes care of lack of diversity.
PG: If you have time (and inclination) could you please compare/contrast the worldview represented in this video and the Kardashian worldview?
35 [quote] Or maybe they are just too blonde, sexy and pretty and therefore need to be taken down a peg. That's what the UCSB shooter thought, too - he targeted Alpha Phi there (but wound up shooting two girls in a different house who were walking by).
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On a thread where we got into Kardashians, a poster claimed some were just criticizing them because they are beautiful and talented. Others kept trying to explain to him, they didn’t find them beautiful and talented. He couldn’t be convinced it wasn’t just jealousy. Your thoughts?
68 [quote] Leaving aside the bikinis (which, hell, I only wish I'd worn bikinis MORE often in the days I had the body for it), the other clothing seemed entirely appropriate and cute. Southern in style, of course - lots of little sundresses and the like - but nothing objectionable. I didn't see leopard prints cut down to there or tattooed body sleeves.
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If it was the same video, but with leopard print garments and tattooed body sleeves, would that be objectionable? Because, if I read correctly, several here are claiming tasteful presentation as a defense. Your reaction?
off topic: I purchased a leopard print handbag for fall. In my mind, I call it my PG handbag. 
i didn’t say anything on this thread was jealous of the girls. I was commenting that the sentiment “pretty girls need to be taken down a peg” was the sentiment of the UCSB killer (where apparently the Alpha Phis were as “hot” as the Alabama girls).
As for tattooed body sleeves and so forth, that’s not a personal aesthetic I aspire to but tattooed girls still have every right to cavort around and hug their girlfriends and blow glitter if so inclined.
Enjoy your handbag
I am seriously interested in your compare/contrast with Kardashians. Or with Miley. She came up, too.
In a way, perhaps it is an exploration of the definition of “hotness” and may just be too off-topic. I usually am.
The Kardashians do what they do in search of a national / international media following. These girls didn’t intend anything to go beyond the U of Alabama rushee set. I think they probably portrayed who they are pretty accurately. Anyone who thinks its shallow, superficial, objectifying, etc is welcome to think that and not go through rush. It’s not “controversial” to me that an Alabama sorority would be disproportionately blonde, conventionally pretty and engaged in cutesy displays of sisterhood. It would be more unexpected if that was MIT Alpha Phi where you’d naturally expect a more diverse and more serious-minded student body.
I aspire to neither aesthetic but if forced at gunpoint to choose the personal presentation of one of these girls or a Kardashian, I’d choose one of these girls. But I tend to like “conventional” attractiveness. Others might choose differently and that’s cool.
Is the only difference the intended audience and the scope of the audience? Are both groups of women advertising hotness? sexiness? fun times?
eta; attractive bottoms?
But see I think different things are being conflated. I think an argument about objectification of women’s bodies could be made ( it was a little too bouncy juggly for my taste) but if that’s an argument, it has nothing to do with lack of diversity.
Not sure what was controversial about the video, other than perhaps ΑΦ realizing that it may have come a little too close to promoting and reinforcing potentially negative stereotypes about sororities.
PG, no. I may not actually like steak, but if you tell me that I am not allowed to eat a steak house or that they treat one set of folks one way and treat another, with another set of rules, then I have a problem with that in its entirety. The whole elevation of equal and civil rights is based on the notion that we take up the right for others. Did the Kennedy clan wanted to attend school in Mississippi–no, but they did march with thousands of others on the moral idiom that there was something wrong, and they have to stand collectively with the affected group.
When was the last time you actually protested or for that matter had out and out discrimination in your face? For me–last week, walking down the street, in the Piedmont/Montclair area of Oakland ( a rather uppity oasis in the east bay) visiting my oldest daughter who is in medical residency. It was at dusk, and two middle age Caucasian women walking their toy dogs, turned the corner saw me, and almost immediately crossed the street.
You say maybe they were going to cross the street anyway—perhaps. But, on the next block, after they had made safe passage, they immediately went back to the same side to which they had came. All they saw, was a rather large man of color, very sweaty (just come back from working out) in big baggie shorts and a tank top sports jersey—I have been through this way too many times in life to think that this was mere coincidence.
" I’ll be sure to write the chancellor’s office to say, a dignified history, upper margin academics and a sense of purpose to society is passe, and that we need to kick it up with titillation and the frivolous."
What you’re missing is that these goals are not for everyone-for you, they are evidently valuable. However, you’re making the assumption that just because these are your values, that the lack of them is somehow wrong or bad.
If people would just learn to differentiate “not for me” from “bad and wrong”, I swear the world would just go around so much more peacefully.
“People viewing this are not going to think, what a bunch of bright women! The video is not showing any OTHER asset than appearances”
Ok, so what if they’re not bright? What if their IQ’s are just barely cracking three digits?
Why are we stupid shaming them? Why are we denigrating what they ARE good at?
It’s like picking on butterflies for not being more productive and useful and mocking them for being pretty.
“Sororities like Alpha Phi are out to attract wealthy, socially adept young women, and this video hits the target market perfectly. If they want to be portrayed as they do so in the video, they should be perfectly able to without recrimination from anyone.”
I agree; the video showcased their strengths. I feel badly that people are crapping all over what these girls are good at, because it’s a powerful tool that helps them get through the society they live in. Potentially, it’s every bit as useful as a good brain and sharp wit.
It’d be nice if everyone on the planet was smart, beautiful, good, thoughtful, nurturing, creative, kind, rich, and generous, but we’re not, and social groups reflect this.
I’m not personally a fan of sororities or fraternities, but I get that many people are fundamentally tribal and look for sameness to feel comfortable and secure. Finding one that has qualities that match your own seems like a reasonable way for many people to get through college successfully and to form social bonds.
There’s a whole raft of these UA soriority recruitment videos on YouTube. Who knew? They are all largely similar – football stadium, parties, riding around in Jeeps, sundresses and swimsuits (to a greater or lesser extent). Despite the overwhelming similarities, you can very easily tell who is who. Humans are quite adept at making fine social distinctions. Sporty girls, fun girls, smart girls, spirit girls, rich girls, blonde girls, cool girls, etc.
I’d say these Alpha Phi girls are the Plastics from Mean Girls. They’re hot and you’re not. I think the blowback stems from that. And because their video is perhaps just a little more honest and straightforward about what is going on. They’re all in on embracing the stereotype. Just as in Mean Girls, they are brutal about enforcing conformity – “We wear pink on Wednesdays!”
There’s some black and other diverse faces that pop up in the other videos, which makes absolutely no difference at all. Everybody is trying really really hard to conform and fit in to whatever their group is. “We’re the integrated/enlightened soriority, but we’re all still hot and fun!”
I think maybe a lot of the controversy comes from how the video leads to polarizing opinions. Like the infamous blue/black vs white/gold dress that swept the Internet a few months ago, people see things very differently based on their own experiences, knowledge and preconceptions.
None of those houses down there are doing recruitment videos about “here’s our GPA,” “look at all the philanthropies we do,” “look at the great careers our alums have,” “watch us pull all nighters and help each other in the lab.” They are advertising precisely what they offer - fun and friendship and sisterhood This video was just a bit jigglier than the rest and the girls were particularly (conventionally) attractive.
Indeed frankly I think a case could be made that it was female friendship empowerment and it wasn’t about “look at all the exchanges, formals, cute guys you get to meet and date.”
Ahhh, that was a sardonic passage. But that said, I stand by what I said, and if as a parent, you don’t have the basic sense to reinforce universal traits as giving back to society and being dignified in both your past and present, woe to the next generation.
What’s wrong with the Kardashians? Some people probably call them uber-superficial, but when you look deeper, you find a quite complex mix of family tragedy, blended family, interracial dating and marrying and divorcing, and dealing with gender change, among other things.
Other than due to jealousy, I don’t understand why people assume pretty girls in cute clothes and make up have nothing else important going on in their lives.
“When was the last time you actually protested or for that matter had out and out discrimination in your face?”
A few weeks ago - a young black man came to our door and the police pulled into our driveway shortly after ( not instigated by me). I posted about it. We all felt terrible and were very aware of our white privilege.
I have a friend (white woman married to a black man) whose son is being followed by a camera crew for 9 months as part of a major documentary on race and education gaps. Yesterday was the first day of high school for this young man, and their family is interviewed on camera. The special is being shopped to HBO.
Look, you know how ridiculous I think it is that there are still people in this country who think OMG-can’t- let-a-black- person-join-my-social-standing-will go down. I think such people are contemptible. But that is a different matter than this video. This video isnt REALLY being objected to for lack of diversity. Five Halle Berrys wouldn’t change what’s being objected to. If the girls were all white but overweight it wouldn’t have made any kind of splash.
In your putative view, not mine. I would still be wondering what happened to the people of color…
It is a sorority – are you surprised that it is highly racially segregated? Sadly, that appears to be very common, if not the norm (and also similar with fraternities to a slightly lesser extent).