Podcast
Today, Explained
The book was discussed in relation to understanding the history and meaning behind Southern rituals like sorority rush, which invoke the privilege of the plantation era. The author explained that the history being invoked through rituals like Rush is that of the plantation, where the white Southern woman was seen as an emblem of the white South.
I talked to Elizabeth Bronwyn Boyd. She's the author of the book Southern Beauty. Race, ritual, and memory in the modern South.
— Episode: The United States is Southern now
Episode: The United States is Southern now
The book was discussed in relation to understanding the history and meaning behind Southern rituals like sorority rush, which invoke the privilege of the plantation era. The author explained that the history being invoked through rituals like Rush is that of the plantation, where the white Southern woman was seen as an emblem of the white South.
I talked to Elizabeth Bronwyn Boyd. She's the author of the book Southern Beauty. Race, ritual, and memory in the modern South.
You write in your book that rituals like Rush are these performative symbols of the South. What history is it that they're invoking, exactly?
They are invoking the privilege of the plantation.
I actually wrote about it on page 50. That actives, the ones rushing these potential new members, look for a certain look. Put together. Cute but conservative. At ease. Attractive but not flashy.