Inside the dark, depraved world of US frat culture
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Andrew Moisey

The world of American fraternities is a strange and ghoulish one. Depraved and simmering with violence, it’s a hotbed of ultra-masculine entitlement: a grim embodiment of chest-pumping male tribalism.
For photographer Andrew Moisey, such an interest in frat culture began with his family. Upon arriving at Berkley, his brother had joined a fraternity, just as their father had done before him. He was curious why.
After shooting the various goings-on over the course of three years, Moisey decided to put the project to one side – until he discovered that the fraternity had, in his absence, been shut down. (“It had to be for something serious,” he remembers, “but I never found out what.”)
Intrigued, he travelled back to the house to find it unlocked and abandoned. There, he stumbled upon an old, tattered book that had been left behind; which, upon closer inspection, revealed itself to be a 60-year-old “ritual manual” for frat boys past and present.
It was here that the idea for a new photo project was born: a book that doubled as an “illustrated manual”, placing Moisey’s images of his brother’s fraternity alongside the historic pages from the text he’d discovered.
“The book is not a comprehensive document of one fraternity chapter’s life or the lives of their members. It’s an artwork about a common culture exclusively within the United States, ” he explains.
“It gives visuals to a conversation that’s never had them, and it helps us ask what society should and should not look like. There’s no who, what, where, when, or why, like there is in journalism – because the conversation we need is at the level of culture, not the level of the specific event.”
Titled The American Fraternity, the book dives head-first into the two-century-old world of frat culture, depicting the rituals, initiations and texts in striking, shocking detail.
Honing in on the secrecy and toxic masculinity that exists within the walls of the fraternity house, Moises poses important question about identity, power and privilege – made all the more pertinent in the age of #MeToo and Brett Kavanaugh.
“People want to see Brett Kavanaugh in college and the closest thing they have is my book. But my subjects are not Brett Kavanaugh; none that I know of did what I believe he did, and some I admire,” Moisey notes.
“But at the same time, my book investigates a culture that has historically protected America’s Brett Kavanaughs and often encouraged his behavior. [He] exists and rises to the top because there’s a culture that enables him. My book is about one aspect of that culture. which in America extends far beyond the frat house.”
The American Fraternity is available now from Daylight Books.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck

Tender, carefree portraits of young Ukrainians before the war
Diary of a Stolen Youth — On the day that a temporary ceasefire is announced, a new series from photographer Nastya Platinova looks back at Kyiv’s bubbling youth culture before Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. It presents a visual window for young people into a possible future, as well as the past.
Written by: Hannah Bentley

Analogue Appreciation: 47SOUL
Dualism — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s Palestinian shamstep pioneers 47SOUL.
Written by: 47SOUL
Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene
Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.
Written by: Miss Rosen

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms
Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.
Written by: Jack Styler

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”
What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.
Written by: Uwade

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets
“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.
Written by: Hannah Bentley