The following project was organized by a group of Cornell University students who are prepared to fight gender objectification.
We started exploring this issue because we are tired of the misogyny and objectification we see within planned party themes on our campus. Women are expected to sexualize and demean themselves while their male counterparts adopt facades of strength and power. We sought to turn these themes on their head and, by doing so, help our peers realize some of the issues wrapped up in these party themes. We don't have all the answers, and we know that. However, we hope that our project is thought provoking, leads to questions and conversations, and raises awareness.
The following images show our interpretation of some objectifying party themes with which many party-goers are familiar. In fact, between the members of our group, we have all been invited to a party of one of these themes or another. We would be willing to bet that you also have been invited to a party of this nature, and likely will be invited to another in the future. Use our project as a catalyst of awareness, and think about this issue the next time you're throwing a themed party of your own.
We know these themes are commonly accepted by many party-goers and we want to encourage people to be less accepting of such stereotypical depictions of gender roles. We chose some themes that especially perpetuate gender stereotypes. For example, consider the CEO and Corporate Hoe theme. This theme suggests the "male" role of CEO is supposed to be strong and commanding while the "female" businesswoman is relegated to the label of "hoe." We showed instead what it might look like if the man were expected to show up to the party looking slovenly and sexually promiscuous while a woman came dressed powerfully.
Tell us what you think, confront this issue on your own campus and feel free to explore other 'party themes you've never heard of' in order to continue raising awareness.
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