As an Ole Miss Ambassador, I give campus tours to prospective students and their families who come from all corners of the country. On almost every tour, I get questions about traditions. “Why do you cheer ‘Hotty Toddy’? What does that even mean?” or “Why do you guys dress up for football games?” It’s really easy to respond to these questions with “It’s just what we do.” And that’s how most Ole Miss students would answer these questions. But, recently, I’ve been thinking really hard about why we do the things we do. There’s got to be a reason, right? Well, I think I’ve figured it out.
1. Hotty ToddyWhenever someone asks the question “Are you ready?”, we respond with this cheer: “Hell yeah! Damn right! Hotty Toddy, Gosh Almighty. Who the hell are we? Hey! Flim flam, bim bam. Ole Miss, by damn!” [Y'all know the drill.] This cheer is yelled at the beginning of every football game, after every touchdown, and really whenever we feel like it. Legend has it that the phrase “Hotty Toddy” originates from other schools in Mississippi referring to us as “hoity toity”. This doesn’t surprise me whatsoever. Because of our class and charm, we are often seen as snobs. But, we’re not snobs; we’re just better than everyone else. And so, if someone pokes fun at our sophistication, we’ll turn right around and confirm their accusation. Are we hoity toity? Hell yeah, damn right we are! We’re Ole Miss and we’re proud of it! [Don’t ask me to explain the “flim flam, bim bam” part. It rhymes. That’s all I got.]
2. Buttons and Stickers
Probably the most exciting game of a sorority girl’s college career is the first home game after freshman year rush when she finally gets wear her button that reads “[insert greek letters here] loves our Rebs!” Although this big, gaudy pin ruins her new dress by stabbing two holes in it and probably clashes with the color of the fabric, it is by far the most important aspect of the game day outfit. Almost as fun as getting a button is being able to pick up stickers (with an identical design as the button) in the foyer of the sorority house to eventually slap on her boyfriend’s dress shirt or blazer in The Grove. So, what’s the point of this identification piece and why does it differ with gender? First of all, we’re always wearing our letters. If I’m not in one of my Pi Phi t-shirts or don’t have my ΠΒΦ keychain in hand, it won’t take long for someone to figure out my greek affiliation by who I’m hanging out with or my Facebook profile. So, we don’t wear buttons to state which sorority we’re in. Everyone already knows that. We wear buttons to state pride in our sorority and love for our school: two things that are taken very seriously at The University of Mississippi. And there’s no better way to formally show this pride than at an event where over 65,000 people are present: game day. Ladies wear buttons. Gentleman wear stickers. A button is permanent. It will last our whole life, just like our sisterhood and commitment to our sorority. (It’s sounds corny, but it’s true.) A sticker is temporary. (Like most college flirtantionships.) It will last a day at most, and might even fall off before he makes it to the stadium. I can give the cute guy from my physics class a sticker, but if he does something to tick me off, he won’t be getting one next weekend.
3. Grove Attire
Last but certainly not least, we dress up for football games. A sundress and heels or cowgirl boots are appropriate for ladies, while gentlemen wear dress pants, a button-up shirt, bow-tie, and blazer (if it’s not too hot). I’ve heard many non-SEC-familiar fathers on my tours say, “That’s ridiculous. Where I went to school, we just wore jeans and sweatshirts to games!” It’s pretty hard to respond to this exclamation without offending anyone, but I try to explain it the best I can. You would dress up for a birthday dinner or an anniversary celebration, wouldn’t you? Of course! Because those are significant events. Well, here in Oxford, each and every home game is about as significant as you can get. Football is important to us. So we look our best.
There ya have it, folks. Hotty Toddy and Go Rebs!
