Admit nothing, deny everything.
If you haven't heard that slogan before, you must be a GDI, have no form of social media whatsoever, live under a rock, or all three.
If you are someone who likes beautiful college women, cute puppies sitting on Yeti coolers, southern traditions that most of the country aren’t privy to, and “Making America Great Again,” then you should do yourself a favor and follow Old Row.
You might be thinking, "What the hell do you know about Old Row?" There isn’t much to know, really. They’re just a funny brand that encompasses life in and after college in the South. There have been numerous articles written that overanalyze the brand, the trends they’ve created, and the unsavory image they proudly put out.
You might find yourself disgusted or offended at something they post, and they’ll gladly tell you in the comments, “Over the wall with you!”. Old Row is teaching this oversensitive generation of college kids to stop taking everything so seriously.
Old Row isn’t a college how-to guide (even though they’ve published their “Guide to College” on their podcast), Old Row is simply a place to see the best of college life. (Using Old Row as a how-to guide would probably end in a wrongful death lawsuit.) For some of the country, going to school in the South has a dreamy appeal to them. The South has the antebellum traditions, southern football and game days and tailgates with chandeliers in the tent, big Greek columns at fraternity houses that build walls around the property when they throw parties.
A lot of college kids don't have the opportunity to go to southern schools, which is totally fine — you're going to have fun in college regardless. You can still acquire the same mindset of Old Row. Northern Greek life still maintains the same principles as Southern Greek organizations, Greek life in the North has the same attitude just without the southern lifestyle vibe, which can be nice at times.
And overall, Old Row isn’t for everyone. Old Row can be harsh. It is harsh most of the time, and if you don’t like it, want to see it, or disagree with it — you don’t have to follow.
Simple as that. We’re living in a time where everything someone says is scrutinized to the smallest detail, quickly branded as offensive and used against the person in a crusade for social justice.
The beauty of Old Row is that the guys really don’t give a shit about what they post, which is pretty damn cool. I'm a woman in college, and I never take Old Row seriously. Taking offense to what they post is silly. Old Row is an acquired taste, they’re exclusive because they’re not going to change what they represent just to make you like them. There is something genuine about the account.
You can find them on Twitter or Instagram, and they will have you laughing at least a couple times a day. Whether it's a video sent in of a scuffle between inebriated students or even a lab puppy sitting on a Yeti, Old Row has created so many trends across the Internet I’ve lost count.
I would be lying if I said I never purposely look through the pile of shirts after a shack, searching for an Old Row one. What can I say, they are pretty damn comfy… and the designs aren’t like anything I can find on my own campus.
Do yourself a favor and follow them on Tilt. Every time a new item is posted you get a notification. Lots of their shirts are one-time runs and if you don’t buy it when it’s available you’ll never be able to get one. (The Masters shirt sold out so quick, good thing my notifications were on!) Warning though, you might end up like me and blow through an entire semester's worth of money on shirts. Oh well, right?
They call themselves an empire and it's obvious why. When a brand like Old Row is responsible for trends that end up on national news, like #TheChalkening, creating a social media frenzy that even gets comments from Trump, then you know they are doing something right. You might not agree with their political views, posts, comments, etc., but if you don't take it to heart it shouldn't bother you really. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
Old Row is a satire. A satire of everything basically. Some people enjoy Old Row, some people don't. It really doesn't matter. They are going to keep posting whatever the hell they want. Despite other accounts trying to be like them, no one can ever replace Old Row.
If you don’t like Old Row, go sit on a Yeti. If you do like Old Row, sit on a Yeti and take a pic.You know that's what I'll be doing this summer.
