This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ashoka chapter.
Edited by: Devaki Divan
For this themed week, I have chosen to come to your rescue when avoiding a party becomes crucial. I admit that my friends and family would have preferred for me to write about ‘How to eat food faster?’ or ‘How to manage time better?’ but alas, that seems too far-fetched.
Anyway, coming back to the theme, “Do you feel low on social battery?”, “Don’t want to meet your ex?”, “That event is not your idea of fun?”, “Does attending a party make you feel anxious?”, “Your friends ditched you?”—irrespective of the reason, kindly allow me to replenish your arsenal of excuses because assignments and “not feeling well” are just too basic duh.
- Pollution: Bro, if now is not the time to use one of the most detested and deadly issues at hand, then when? In return for teary eyes and an itchy throat, I think it is fair enough to use pollution to dodge a social event… Yes, you are suddenly concerned about your health… It doesn’t matter if you have a messed up sleep schedule or consume junk food frequently.
- Bad Hair Cut: You shall not go to a salon on a random Sunday morning in the hope that you’ll be able to emulate your then-favourite actress’s haircut. Because that is not what happens! (perhaps I should have thought about this in 2018 aka my bad haircut phase) I hope that you never had to immerse yourself in remorse for something like this, nevertheless, the excuse is a decent one. I am sure there would be many who would empathise with you!
- Favourite TV show just ended: A sense of emptiness crawls as you realise that you will finally not get another opportunity to binge-watch a complete new season in one day that the makers took one year to make. And it’s worse if the ending is not satisfying! How can anybody expect you to join them for celebrations during this grim moment of your life?! This reason is Gen Z enough to be acceptable. So please don’t worry. I am with you! You go ahead and cancel that plan.
- Laundry/any other chore: Sure, one side of adulthood is freedom, crazy plans and being ‘out there’, but then we have schedules and chores too! Plus, on campus one spots an empty washing machine only on the rarest of occasions, so it’s important to grab the chance when you get it! If this is not a reason understandable enough, then what is?! Clean clothes precede cute clothes. You may go for any other chore too, cause it’s not like you *only* procrastinated doing laundry. You could also serve them a scoop of everything Ashokan— mess lines, office hours with TF, DS, extension(and a date with Toofan, idk?!)— basically more elaborate the excuse, the better. It is time to put these to your advantage, honey.
- Another social event: Club meeting, colloquium, wedding or another party—just tell them that you have any other event to attend. When it comes to the enlisted ones, you may avoid them by following the same strategy. The trick is to pretend that you have a jam-packed social calendar. It’s like playing Uno— they throw a Draw Four, you throw another one to avoid it, and so on. (PS: To my HCAU members reading this, of course, this does not apply to our meetings!)
- On a social media detox: You might be wondering in this offline era, this excuse cannot possibly be a hindrance to attending an event. Well, let me explain. What are social events now but an embodiment of the glitz and glam world of social media. Any party without social media isn’t a party anymore. This time, if you have chosen to refrain from dancing for snaps, posing gracefully for Instagram stories and exchanging Insta IDs, then automatically you’ll not be able to do much at a party (well let’s just accept that for the sake of our purpose). Then, indeed your ‘social media detox’ can help you escape that dreadful party. Don’t post a note on Instagram which reads “rewatching my comfort movie” on the same day though.
All of this being said, I am not against party invitations though, just saying. Lastly, I hope you get success in this ‘esteemed’ endeavour. See ya!