Every year, as formal season approaches and the thought of painting coolers looms over us, a new anxiety permeates Emory’s campus. The seemingly simple and harmless task of painting coolers becomes the most dreaded responsibility and fosters a competitive spirit within the girls headed to the beach for the weekend. Some even reject formal invitations to avoid partaking in this daunting art project. After the blood, sweat and tears, the girls are burnt out and walk into their formal weekend feeling fatigued and drained. The following is an interview with someone burdened with painting the infamous formal cooler:
How long did it take you to paint and prepare your cooler?
“2.5 days, which is ridiculous. It was supposed to be a fun thing to do, and ended up totally taking over my schedule. It’s stressful in itself, and then because it was taking away time from my school work etc., I only became more stressed.”
Are you proud of the final product?
“I thought it was good going into it, and then it turns out it was s**t. I am not artistic, and so when I showed up and saw other elaborately decorated coolers, I felt ashamed of my work, and thought my date was judging for me it. It’s also annoying to spend money on all the paint and stuff that goes inside. Hella stressful.”
Do you think we should do away with this tradition?
“Eh, not necessarily. It’s a cute idea, but not everyone can create a masterpiece and the girls get too competitive. Competition eliminated, and it would be fun!”
I’ve heard of people paying others to paint their coolers. Would you ever consider doing that?
“Haha, not at all. This whole thing should not be taken that seriously. It’s supposed to be an enjoyable activity that you do with your friends out on the lawn under the sun. I would never pay someone to do it for me just because I am not artistically inclined, what a waste of money! I think about it like this…if the boy cares that much about his cooler, then I probably should not be going as his date in the first place.”
Say you were good at painting these coolers; would you paint friends’ coolers for a fee?
“Ha, that’s a big hypothetical! If I were artistically talented, I would help my friends out but would not charge them! It seems like a ridiculous idea. I would do them a favor instead of pretending like I were some great Picasso and worth a particular sum of money!”
Definitely don’t let the stress of making a cooler stop you from enjoying your weekend. Recruit some artistic friends to help and make the most of the experience! Also keep in mind that you can buy prepped coolers (already sanded and primed) on Etsy, so it doesn’t have to fall entirely on your shoulders. Happy painting!