'Bama Rush Tok' Highlights Fast Fashion's Grip on Social Media

TikTok's favorite holiday is back and fast fashion is the star.

It's about that time for TikTok's favorite holiday: "Bama Rush". Last year, it felt like the world was captivated by the people "rushing" the University of Alabama sororities and posting about it online. I don't even understand what sororities are, and I couldn't stop scrolling through videos of these young people giving their all to get in.

However, as much as I lived for the drama, there was something that stuck out. One of the most created (and watched) types of content was the OOTD. A group of rushes would stand in a line, and when they walked up to the camera, they would describe their outfits. "My dress is from Mango; my shoes are from Shein. My belt is from Princess Polly," the first would say. "My top is from Shein, and my skirt is from FashionNova; my shoes are Converse," the next in line would add as they pointed to each garment. Over and over again, these videos had one thing in common: fast fashion was the star of the show.

The whole idea of these outfits was to fit into a theme (I've already seen a Candy Crush one this year) and be on trend. And as one former membership vice president posted on her TikTok page, "It is literally more serious than the NFL draft." She went on to say that the people rushing are having a conversation about content that sounds something like this: "You need to take better content, better TikToks, better photos, you need to have better outfits than all the other houses, and you need to be posting every day."

What better way to do this than with fast fashion?

The entire industry thrives on the concept of all of us wanting to outdo one another with newer, trendier, and better clothing. There is often a misconception that fast fashion is dying as young people start to shop more second-hand. It's not. Both are rising simultaneously, fueled by all generations looking for more affordable pieces at a lower price. The people rushing sororities in Alabama are simply an example of how this works on a large scale, but especially with younger people. It was the same a decade ago when I was in college; access was the only difference. Now, you can get that perfect hot pink tube top delivered the next day for $15. And when you're done with it? Well, it was cheap anyway.

If you're finding yourself at all inspired to shop because of free fast fashion advertising that comes in all sorts of forms on social media think about two things. Firstly, someone paid for that cheap dress. It may look cute, but somewhere along the supply chain, there was likely a worker whose pay was low enough to keep that price down. Secondly, take a second to see if you really want that top or if it just has a lot of likes. $15 is still $15. Throwing it in the trash will have a more significant impact than simply not purchasing it.

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This Stuff is a newsletter by me! fashion journalist, Alyssa Hardy. Three times a week, I unpack the ways our clothes impact the world through news, essays, interviews and more. Subscribe for free here and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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