UW Oshkosh students crowded outside of Horizon Village Sept. 11 to catch a glimpse of the TikTok famous preacher “Sister Cindy,” who travels to various college campuses around the country in what is known as “Sister Cindy’s Slut-Shaming Show.”

Cindy Smock, who goes by the religious name “Sister Cindy,” told UWO students to join her “Ho No Mo Revolution” that centers around abstinence from premarital sex and opposes feminism.

“Rotting in hell is hot, don’t be a thot,” Smock yelled at students as she began her nearly three-hour long speech that covered various topics including the evils of sex and the dress codes college women should follow as she recited passages from the bible.

UWO students Ellen Lock and Isabella Wishnie said that they were excited to see Smock because of her viral TikTok videos at other campuses around the country.

“I thought that it would be really cool to just see what she’s all about,” Lock said. “I enjoyed how she did her preaching, just letting people come and go as they pleased.”

Wishnie said she knew that Smock took a traditional approach to conservative values.

“She is a firm believer in traditional Christian values including the nuclear family and sex after marriage,” Wishnie said. “Her brand, “Ho No Mo,” revolves around the idea that women should not partake in sexual or intimate activities until after they are married.”

UWO junior Dylan Ruebl said that he had left campus before Smock had begun her sermon, but Ruebl ran back to campus to catch a glimpse of her.

“I saw her on TikTok a few years ago and thought her sermons were funny and pretty strategic to our generation, so I had to go back to see her,” Ruebl said. “I’m not a religious person in any sense, but she taught some good life lessons using scripture. Telling people to be themselves but not to lessen themselves for those who aren’t worthy of them.”

Smock, a 65-year-old who boasts 415,000 followers on TikTok, gained popularity on the social media app through her confrontational and controversial videos with college students where she chants “Ho No Mo,” slut-shames individuals and recites popular songs such as Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s “WAP.”

Smock, who is from Indiana and studied journalism at the University of Florida, became an evangelical preacher after hearing her future husband named “Brother Jed” talk in Gainesville, Florida in the 1970s, according to brojed.org. Smock gave up a potential career in journalism to help found Campus Ministry USA (CMUSA) that aims to bring confrontational evangelicalism to college students.

Wishnie said she disagreed with what Smock had to say to Oshkosh students.

“Sister Cindy attempts to push Christian values onto college-aged individuals by calling out women for their ‘inappropriate’ behavior,” Wishnie said. “Her only remarks towards men are encouraging them to not fall victim to women’s actions. I disagree with what Sister Cindy was saying. I am not a fan of how her entire brand revolves around women being the perpetrators of these lewd acts that men fall victim to.”

Wishnie said she saw how influential a social media presence can be after seeing Smock preach.

“Whether the students agreed or disagreed with her, they most likely turned out for the event simply to be in her presence,” Wishnie said.

Ruebl said he also noticed that most of the crowd was just there to experience a “Sister Cindy” sermon.

“People weren’t entirely there for her preaching, but the crowd wasn’t necessarily against her either,” Ruebl said. “I learned that she’s very good at getting people’s attention and tricking them into talking about the teachings of the Bible.”

Lock said that she thought the crowd was respectful and listened to what Smock had to say, even if they didn’t completely agree with her.

“At times, you would know if people disagreed with things that Sister Cindy said, but then she would realize that and after she finished her point she would backtrack and call that person out and hear their views,” Lock said. “She showed me that there are still people in the world that can have a conversation and don’t have it end in a debate or yelling at each other just because they share different views on a certain topic. She never belittled a person based on their beliefs or thoughts, which I think made it more of a positive environment for everyone there.”

Lock said her biggest takeaway from watching Smock preach was to stay open-minded and to not have preconceived ideas about a person before you meet them.

“Don’t get me wrong; there are always going to be individuals that disagree with you on any situation, but we all just have to realize that we all are human, and everyone’s voice deserves to be heard,” Lock said. “I’m not going to lie. There were times during her gathering that she might have said something or another individual said something that I might not agree with, but I sat there and listened to their perspectives and took it in so that I can understand them and the situation better as a whole.”