This week, I contemplated writing about ‘Pepper Flips’ in the dining hall. I am glad, however, that I thought of something more important to cover (you can look forward to a riveting piece on the infuriating tradition of ‘Pepper Flips’ later). Coming up on December 1st, V-Day will be hosting an event called Stomp & Holler.
Stomp & Holler will replace the annual event Take Back the Night, serving as an opportunity for students and faculty to come out and celebrate female sexuality. Jay Greene, a leader of V-Day, explained her reasoning for trying something new this year: “The feedback we’ve gotten after the past couple of years, however, is that Take Back the Night doesn’t spur enough conversation about sexual assault prevention, it was just a group of people going through the motions for the sake of tradition. So in an effort to try something new, I researched other types of feminist rallies that are happening around the country.” Take Back the Night, despite organizers and participants’ good intentions, was a somber event. Stomp & Holler will not be a silent or sad event, but an opportunity for women and men to celebrate consensual and positive sexual experiences.
Apart from being a loud and exciting campus event, Stomp & Holler has an important and serious message to convey. Jay says, “We are trying to put an end to victim blaming and ‘slut’ shaming. We are highlighting the fact that women are simultaneously pressured to dress sexy and put out but are criticized if they do that too freely. We are promoting the idea that a woman can express her gender and sexuality in any way she wants; she must not be blamed for violence against her because of the way she dresses or acts.” V-Day—among other student groups—is hoping to open up the our campus’ conversation about sex to include the negative connotations attached to female sexuality via the overuse of words like “slut,” the hook-up culture, etcetera.
Stomp & Holler is a new to Bowdoin, but hopefully it will become an enduring tradition. This is not meant to be an angry protest or man-hating forum. The members of V-Day do not intend to create any animosity on campus, but, conversely, to make ours a safer school. As Jay says, “Honestly, I’m usually not a big fan of feminist rallies. I don’t want anyone to pity me for being a woman or feel bad for what popular culture does to my self-image. The purpose of this rally is to explore what we CAN DO to ensure that women in our community can express themselves freely.” V-Day wants everyone and anyone to come to this event: women, men, faculty, students, friends, and visitors. The goal is to empower all members of the Bowdoin community, no matter their gender or sexuality, and to celebrate sex and all bodies. As this is the first Stomp & Holler at Bowdoin, there is no telling exactly how it will play out, but if all goes well, this should be a positive experience for everyone.
Before labeling this event as reverse sexism and occupying the Women’s Resource Center, come to Stomp & Holler to see some of the constructive changes V-Day and Bowdoin are making. Even if you do not consider yourself a feminist or a woman, you can still appreciate and enjoy this event.
Photo credit:http://www.takebackthenight.org/