Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney was recently embroiled in a controversy after she featured in an American Eagle ad. The commercial hinged on the line “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” intentionally blurring the line between the words “jeans” and “genes".
People alleged that the campaign was promoting Aryan beauty standards (someone with pale skin, blond hair and blue eyes) and white supremacist tropes. Despite the backlash and accusations, the advertisement drove engagement and boosted American Eagle's stock by double digits. Now, the phrase “good genes” has taken on a life of its own, giving birth to the “Good Genes” sorority rush trend.
In the viral Rushtok videos, potential new members (PNMs) of sororities are seen performing their elaborate dance routines. Notably, all the young women in the shared clips are slim, thin and predominantly white.
Sharing a similar video on X, a user wrote, "BREAKING: Great Genes are BACK in still in the Golden Age of America. Sororities around the country are going viral posting videos of “Good Genes”."
Another profile stated, “Sorority sisters with good genes at the University of Oklahoma are getting geared up for rush with some cute and fun country dancing. They're happy, wholesome, and classic America. Nothing is more triggering to leftists.”
"These sorority sisters are real beautiful women with good jeans, rocking the American spirit, & fantastic choreography for the YMCA dance number. Bye bye woke and angry liberal women," read a post.
Analysing the trend, a user noted that videos showcasing sorority recruitment events, featuring groups of attractive young women in sundresses and boots, have gone viral on social media platforms. These clips, often labelled as "Good Genes," typically show rows of confident women performing synchronised chants, claps and dance routines. The videos have garnered significant traction online, with many users sharing and commenting on the clips.
Rushtok is a viral trend where potential sorority members (PNMs) share their recruitment experiences on TikTok, documenting each stage of the process. What began as a social media phenomenon has evolved into a distinct online subculture, even inspiring a Max documentary that explores the intricacies and dynamics of sorority recruitment.