This upcoming weekend is my schools alumni event weekend. On this weekend alumni come back and the entire school has one giant celebration. There are more than a hundred events that occur from thursday night (everyone gets friday off from classes to participate in the festivities) until sunday night when the dance happens. Most of the events sound like a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to it. Except this one event.
The event is called Bordello. Basically students (both male and female) strip off most of their clothing until they are basically in their undergarments.( the theme this year is fourties and so nothing at all is allowed to show, there are some participants who won't even being showing their midriff) And people bid on them. The highest bidder for each person gets to remove a garder with their teeth from the stripper's leg and gets a picture taken. (s)he gets to take the photo and the garter home with him/her, and anything that happens beyond that is a result of the two parties and is completely separate from the school sponsored event. All of the money that is raised for the event goes to the battered women's shelter in the town where the college is located. Also, all of the strippers are doing this completely voluntarily, no one is even allowed to ask them to participate in the event, the people who want to have to seek out the student's activities board members and ask for approval to be in the event.
So, there are a few questions that I have. Is it okay to objectify women and have them strip if it is completely of their own volition and nobody is coercing them into it (especially since they don't get any money for it)? Is it okay to objectify women if men are being objectified as well? Is it okay to do this kind of thing to raise money for such a worthy cause? Is it unfeminist of me to say that I don't want to be a part of this (even if it is I have an obligation to attend this event as a member of SA I am required to go to every event that happens this weekend)? Is there anything wrong with it at all since the participants have to seek out the event coordinators even to be a part of it?
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Hmmm..this is really tricky. I'll just try and answer your questions in order
"Is it okay to objectify women and have them strip if it is completely of their own volition and nobody is coercing them into it (especially since they don't get any money for it)? Is it okay to objectify women if men are being objectified as well?"
I don't think it's ever okay to objectify someone unwillingly, no matter if it's men there or women.However, everyone here has volunteered for this, and is well aware of the what the event entails.
"Is it unfeminist of me to say that I don't want to be a part of this (even if it is I have an obligation to attend this event as a member of SA I am required to go to every event that happens this weekend)?"
Short answer: No. Just like the participants can refuse to be in this charity, you should be able to exercise your right to choose whether or not you would like to attend something that is against your code of values/morals.
Is there anything wrong with it at all since the participants have to seek out the event coordinators even to be a part of it?
This part is hard for me to answer. I do think there is something implicitly wrong given the history of bidding on people, how women can be viewed as property,etc. Also, the irony that the money is being raised for a women's shelter does not escape me.However, if people want to do this, and they don't feel pressured to do so, then I'm all for supporting their freedom to participate.
It's not un-feminist for you to be against this. There aren't any rules on how to be a feminist and what feminists should believe in, what they should support...
Personally, I see nothing wrong with this, BUT I can see how this is distasteful and gross. I am fine with the fact that BOTH genders are participating.
Clearly, you're against this.
That's fine, nothing's wrong with a difference of opinions.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with consenting adults stripping and having a playful yet sexual time with each other in the name of charity or just plain old sexual exploration.
EVeryone is entitled to think what they will about such things and decide whether or not to participate. I only ask that in doing so you not pass judgement on the strippers as infantile adults who need the protection of some more powerful more mature adult to tell them they are putting themselves on display. They know this- trust their decision but don't be a part of it if you're not comfortable with it.
see but that's the problem, I don't get a choice in the matter. All members of the student association are required to attend all school sponsored events on this weekend. The idea behind it is to make sure that the alumni know that the students are in good hands because the security of the university is extremely important when it comes to alumni donations. Since its a science university a fare number of the alumni have quite a bit of money to give and the university wants the money, if they don't see the members of the SA then how can they know the university is secure.
This is a tough one. I think it makes it much better that men will be stripping and bid on too but I'm not really comfortable with any kind of event that has bidding on people for (despite however light hearted) anything of a sexual nature. I don't think objectifying men makes objectifying women ok either. I don't know if I count this as objectification or not, but the bidding and audience factor kind of makes it seem like it is. You should really have a choice about going to this or not in either case and I think the fact that it is to raise money for a women's shelter makes it in really poor taste.
The media is over-saturated with portrayals of women entirely as sexual objects and a lack of women being portrayed outside of any sexual context, and these are problems. But objectification, in and of itself, is not a problem. It's natural to look at a person you're attracted to, especially one you don't know, and see him/her from an entirely sexual perspective. It doesn't mean that other parts of your brain don't understand that s/he has other facets of his/her being than your desire to have sex with him/her. Since this is equal opportunity objectification, there is no problem with it.
That's my opinion. However, if you are uncomfortable with it, you could ask whoever is in charge if it would be OK to sit this one event out. My guess is they won't put up a fight.