Rush Hour

Hi everyone, happy Wednesday! 

Today’s issue of WIWO is my 90th! If you’re a long-time subscriber, you already know what that means; if you’re new here, basically every tenth issue I write about some stuff that I dislike and don’t want, just so I can switch it up and have some fun. 

For my 80th issue, I wrote about the cultural phenomenon that was “cheugy” (ha yeah, remember that?), so today I feel it is appropriate for me to tackle another recent TikTok trend: RushTok. I am neither blonde nor Southern, nor do I have any experience with Greek life, so I’ve watched the parade of PNMs (potential new members) across my FYP with a certain sort of anthropological interest. I’ve concluded that my personal style is pretty much diametrically opposed to sorority girl style, but hey, it takes all kinds to make a world. Anyway, here’s what I would wear if it were recruitment week and I was doing my darnedest to get into Theta Apple Pi! 

Dress Code

ANGIE MAXI DRESS - LOVESHACKFANCY

The brand LoveShackFancy is apparently all the rage among Zoomers, and uhh, love that for them, but definitely not for me. The product copy for their dresses include lots of words like “flowy,” “boho,” “romantic,” “ultra-feminine” — all very well and lovely if that’s your style, but not personally something I can see myself slipping into unless I decide to hard pivot into tradwife territory. Also, the cheapest of these dresses will run you at least $200, so thank god I am not a 17-year-old newly matriculated Bama freshman feeling pressured to buy a LoveShackFancy dress just because all my friends are wearing one to Sigma’s mocktail social. Grateful for small mercies!  

In the Clear

CLEAR STUDDED CROSSBODY - PANTS STORE

The “Gameday” section of Pants Store is filled with things like cropped tank tops and ruffled skirts and — shudder — clear PVC bags. Like, sure, I understand the practicality of see-through bags for the purposes of streamlining security checkpoints in a huge stadium — I went to a football school and attended a few (ok, like two) games, but beyond that, they seem pretty ill-suited for general or everyday use. Like besides the fact that you’re letting everyone memorize the exact dimensions of your wallet, why would I want to advertise how many receipts, gum wrappers, bobby pins, and other miscellaneous detritus I’ve let accumulate in my bag? That’s a secret best kept between me and my New Yorker tote, thanks very much!

So Very Ordinary

REECE OPTIMIST GOLD STRAND NECKLACE - KENDRA SCOTT

There’s one particularly popular video format in which the girls describe from head to toe where they bought their clothes, shoes, and accessories, as in: “Dress: Shein; shoes: Golden Goose; jewelry: normal.” I find “jewelry: normal” hilarious (what would they consider to be “jewelry: abnormal”?), but I also wanted to know exactly what they were referring to, so I did a little digging and apparently many of them are wearing Kendra Scott. The brand boasts 1.1 million Instagram followers, a partnership with Southwest, and can be found everywhere from Nordstrom to Walmart. And you know what? They do in fact appear to be the poster child for extremely basic and run-of-the-mill jewelry. There’s nothing wrong with their pieces — we got some gold hoops, some beaded necklaces, some charm bracelets — it’s just that they’re so... so… normal. 

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Tried one of my recs and loved it (or hated it)? Wanna get something cool on my radar? Drop me a line at kittylguo@gmail.com or swing by my Twitter @kitguo!