University of Alabama Sorority Video Goes Viral

University of Alabama's Alpha Phi sorority unexpectedly went viral when they uploaded a recruitment video to their YouTube page.

The video has since been taken down after reportedly meeting with some criticism, but numerous copies have been uploaded to different YouTube accounts. The sorority has also taken down its Facebook page.

A.L. Bailey, a writer, magazine copy editor, and online editor who lives in Hoover was quoted as saying,

Remember all those bikini-clad, sashaying, glitter-blowing, and spontaneous piggyback-riding days of college? Me either. But according to a new video, it’s a whirlwind of glitter and girl-on-girl piggyback rides at the University of Alabama’s Alpha Phi house.

No, it’s not a slick Playboy Playmate or Girls Gone Wild video. It’s a sorority recruiting tool gaining on 500,000 views in its first week on YouTube. It’s a parade of white girls and blonde hair dye, coordinated clothing, bikinis and daisy dukes, glitter and kisses, bouncing bodies, euphoric hand-holding and hugging, gratuitous booty shots, and matching aviator sunglasses. It’s all so racially and aesthetically homogeneous and forced, so hyper-feminine, so reductive and objectifying, so Stepford Wives: College Edition. It’s all so … unempowering.

Are they recruiting a diverse and talented group of young women embarking on a college education? Upon first or even fifth glance, probably not. Hormonal college-aged guys? Most assuredly yes. Older, male YouTube creepers? A resounding yes.

So who is buying what they’re selling?

Men, from Donald Trump on down to fraternity pledges, are buying it over and over again with devastating results.

When I first watched the video, I found it to be a sprightly attempt to attract new members. I liked the fact they involved Big Al and took to the field at Bryant-Denny. Those visions are a must for any recruit looking to land on sorority row in Tuscaloosa. Maybe the video goes on for a little too long but no one asked me.

What do you think? Take a look at the video in question and leave your comments below.