Cindy Smock, known to her followers as Sister Cindy, is a 63-year-old Evangelical Christian campus preacher. Sister Cindy has been traveling around college campuses spreading her ideals for decades, but it was only within the past couple of years that she gained a significant social media following. Her TikTok has accumulated over 400,000 followers, and it is on this platform, that she advertises merchandise, leads live Bible study sessions and announces her tour locations.
Last week, Sister Cindy made her return to Florida State University’s campus while on her annual college campus tour. Wearing a long skirt and T-shirt with her catchphrase “Be A Ho No Mo,” Sister Cindy amassed a large crowd of observers to witness the chaos. Her presence undoubtedly makes an impression on college students, as her vulgar word choice produces shock value and controversy. Out of curiosity, I created an anonymous survey to discover how FSU students feel about Sister Cindy and the results were mixed.
Question 1: Do you find Sister Cindy problematic?
Granted that Sister Cindy preaches as a Christian woman, the majority of survey respondents who identify as Christian feel that her views are problematic. People feel she incorrectly preaches the gospel and incessantly shames women. As a woman preaching Christian ideals, students feel she should be lifting them up, rather than publicly abashing her own gender. Although a handful of individuals label her as an outlandish icon, others feel that she could negatively influence her audience to think that all Christians have the same outrageous opinions as her.
Question 2: Why do you think students are so entertained by Sister Cindy even if they have conflicting views?
An overwhelming number of students reported that they find Sister Cindy entertaining. Her appeal to these students is her unhinged verbiage catered towards Gen Z. In addition, her absurd method of communication clearly holds the attention of her audience, regardless of if they agree with her. Statistics from my survey prove this to be true since 88.9 percent of students have seen Sister Cindy on campus, despite the fact that no one answered yes to the question, “do you believe in what Sister Cindy preaches?” On the other hand, one respondent noted that her presence on campus was a “breath of fresh air” because they were able to laugh at the “nonsense that is Sister Cindy” before returning to the stresses of college life.
Question 3: Do you think Sister Cindy is serious in what she preaches, or do you think it is just an act?
There was a wide range of opinions when it came to this question. Numerous students alluded to the idea that Sister Cindy is a provocateur who full-heartedly believes in what she professes no matter how it makes others feel. Adversely, some said she acts and exaggerates her behavior for the fame, money and comedic attention. There is no telling what is true or false, but she has gained recognition and is successful despite her haters.
All in all, there is no denying Sister Cindy has made her mark on FSU’s campus. Whether students support her or not, her antics have gained followers and I am sure she will be back next year.
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