Bama Rush TikTok took over everyone’s FYP in 2021. Millions of TikTok fell down the wormhole of the mind-blowing, intense sorority rush at the University of Alabama. Everyone had their favorite girls and were emotionally invested in whether these girls would get bids from Kappa Delta or Tri Delt. And when they didn’t? We were devastated ( still not over Makayla). So, it’s no surprise that this year, Bama Rush has taken over once again.
A new Bama Rush TikToker has taken over our FYPs in 2022. Grant Sikes, a gender non-binary student at The University of Alabama, has garnered over 75,000 followers and millions of views on TikTok for her OOTDs and makeup tutorials during #BamaRush. And TikTok has dubbed her the “main character” of Bama Rush TikTok 2022—and we have too.
Every year, incoming freshmen try to gain acceptance into the University of Alabama’s Greek life, which has a reputation for being strict and traditional. Before classes start, thousands of young women move into their dorms early to go through the exhausting process of sorority recruitment in hopes of getting a bid.
Sororities have a long past of being strictly for cisgender women. So, Sikes’s decision to rush a sorority is quite revolutionary—especially in a school like Alabama due to their conservative rep. The choice to rush alongside thousands of other women has both empowered and inspired other college students who are LGBTQ+, trans, nonbinary, and genderfluid to break the binary, and get involved with the extracurricular that have historically been reserved for just women.
Sikes’s Tiktoks include OOTDs (Outfit of The Days), updates on how Bama Rush is going, and makeup tutorials that reveal how she gets that flawless beat. Her fun-colored, feminine outfits are a bright spot on the FYP—and her positive attitude in the face of adversity has been both empowering and admirable.
Conservative outlets have been covering Sikes’s Bama Rush journey, calling it a “delusional sense of identity” and blasting Alabama Panhellenic for letting Sikes participate in rush. Additionally, the popular Greek Life database, GreekRank, has been having discourse over Sikes’ participation—with one user stating that whichever house extends a bid to Sikes should expect to fall to the “bottom tier.”
However, social media comments aren’t the only reason Sikes’s decision to rush is controversial. Alabama is notoriously very competitive when it comes to rushing sororities. That’s part of the allure of the #BamaRush craze. For example, last year, more than 2,500 girls rushed into Alabama University’s recruitment, and out of those girls, only 2,307 received a bid from at least one of their sororities. A non-cis-gendered pledge is undoubtedly going to be just as controversial for many #BamaRush participants and followers and may spark hateful commentary—especially if Sikes receives a bid.
However, the TikTok community has Sikes’s back. Garnering millions of views and 75.9K followers (and counting), Sikes’s comment section is filled with supportive comments and compliments, wishing her luck on her Bama Rush journey. And honestly, same.
Grant Sikes’s decision to rush will no doubt inspire countless others across the country. Although Greek Life is an old and conservative tradition at many schools, students like Sikes are challenging the outdated, preconceived notions of these institutions. And whether or not she gets a bid from the house of her choice, we want Sikes to know that she’s got HC’s bid for 2022 Bama Rush TikTok’s main character. Good luck, Grant! We’re rooting for you!
In a 8/18 TikTok video, Grant Sikes came out as non-binary. This piece has been updated to properly reflect that.