Just because sexual harassment seems normal on college campuses doesn’t mean it’s okay–even at theme parties. | Source: ShutterStock

Sexual harassment is usually something you hear about happening at work or in offices, but it’s much more prevalent than people realize. This is especially true at college, where alcohol can get involved and blur people’s senses of right, wrong, creepy, and cute. And what’s scary is that some colleges are actually endorsing and encouraging events that may well promote sexual harassment–or worse.

Schools in England are coming under a lot of scrutiny now for practices that frequently occur on this side of the pond, too. One university sent out an email to incoming freshman, telling students, “This will be mainly a chance for you to scope out who’s in your department and stake your claim early on the 1 in 5 girls.” While that sounds relatively harmless and fun, it’s sending a message that women are prey and property for guys–and it’s making that attitude sound normal, which is dangerous. Because when you hear something enough times, you start to believe it. And if guys start to believe that, we’re not safe.

The message gets driven home further by a lot of theme parties that colleges host, whether through frats or student-run organizations. Guys are usually encouraged to dress either as something funny or like they do normally, while female students are expected to dress provocatively and scantily, further creating a creepy double standard (think of those “Pimps and Hoes” style parties). If guys aren’t showing up in Speedos, why should we be expected to rock little more than bras and miniskirts?

It’s scarier and more serious when you take into account that one in four women will or have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual harassment during college–and chances are the number is actually higher than that, because a lot of cases aren’t reported. By creating and harboring a culture where objectifying women is okay, what happens is, people don’t know where the line is drawn, and that, often, is how these scary situations go down.

How can we put a stop to all that? We can start by not going to parties or events that are designed to objectify us. Because guess what happens if girls stop showing up? So do guys, who then may learn to class it up a little–and they may learn their lesson. We can’t be objectified at a party like that if we don’t show up and consent to it. If an event like this is sponsored by a university, you may also want to make your disdain public–consider writing a letter or editorial in the campus newspaper. And if a guy says or does something that makes you uncomfortable, be sure to tell him to stop–and also to document it, report it, and hightail it out of there.

Have you ever been to a college theme party? Do you think theme parties are designed to objectify women? Have you ever been the victim of sexual harassment? Do you think certain college parties are more likely to end in sexual harassment or sexual assault than others? Tell us in the comments!

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