CEOs and corporate hoes. Football bros and cheerleading hoes. GI Joes and army hoes. Golf pros and tennis hoes. These are just a few of the typical themed parties at UMass on any given weekend and ones a vast majority of the student body probably has attended at some point in their college career, or at the very least, have heard about.

For those of us who have attended one, we know that it is an opportunity for the young lady attendees to dress up provocatively for the male audience, get hammered and then dance sexually for that male audience. For those of us who haven’t attended one, we can observe from Facebook pictures the reality that I just described and agree that this is probably exactly what the party was.

When invited to these events, it is not a common thought to ponder what the name of the theme actually means. What we don’t realize is the sheer derogatory situation that we are putting ourselves into. Merriam Webster dictionary states that “ho” is simply an alternate form of whore, where whore means prostitute. Urban Dictionary, giving the colloquial definition, defines it as,  “A whore. A woman who uses her body, or gives the impression that her mark can be intimate with her, for material gain or  to boost her own ego.” While I think that the definition includes a combination of the both of the aforementioned, it is safe to assume that a “ho” implies that the girl in question is generally a provocative dresser, someone who gets around, and someone who doesn’t care who she sleeps with.

It is common knowledge that a prostitute is someone who is paid to have sex with random strangers and to dress scandalously. No one would want to be accused of being or called a prostitute because that conjures up a whole multitude of stereotypes that aren’t too hard to imagine. Despite any negative connotations, young girls on college campuses everywhere are quick to jump at the idea of being or dressing like a “ho” for a party. Is the line that unclear between two things where one is only slightly worse than the other?

We have digressed as a society. For the last century, we have fought for women’s suffrage, working rights and generally the right to have the same rights that men have. Women all over the world are still being oppressed by men and are still being silenced by men. Many societies in the modern world are still patriarchal communities. When we study these groups throughout history, we see that women are abused, degraded and exploited. Our gender roles are clearly defined: the dominant male breadwinner and the submissive domestic female.

Even with the recent sexual assault issue on campus, the themed parties are still extremely prevalent. These parties do nothing but feed the idea of gender roles where women should be submissive and that it is OK to flaunt yourself in nothing but a bra and a miniskirt or have casual sex for the sole pleasure of the guy.

 When we put the issue of gender in a specific context, most would agree that it is not OK that males should dominate over women because women are equals. In class discussion, we are quick to feel sympathy for the women across the world that are beaten or raped on a daily basis. It brings tears to our eyes when we hear stories of sex trafficking and the brutal attacks on women by their male counterparts. But when Friday night comes around, we are quick to put on our party gear and take a few shots in hopes of impressing someone from the male audience and going home with him.

Interestingly, and not surprisingly, the male partygoers are generally required to keep their clothing on. Most of the party titles’ implications don’t facilitate the need to wear any crazy, skin-bearing outfits or anything that your average 20 something year old wouldn’t wear to class or Antonio’s. If you research “theme parties” on collegetips.com, most of the party descriptions are clear to point out that girls dress “sexy,” but do not mention anything about the men. Maybe this is because men are perceived as the less sexy sex, but with these descriptions, it encourages women to be shown as sexual objects rather than people.

Though unfair and sad, the epidemic of themed parties will never stop as long as there are college campuses. Young women will continue to dress this way, whether it is for the shock value of the outfit or for the hope that they’ll attract a fine young stud.

Whatever the reasons – and wherever the campus – there will always be army, tennis, cheerleading, and corporate hoes, horny young boys to provide the beer and the house, and plenty of awkward morning afters as a result of the drunken night before. It is only up to the girls whether they think dressing this way is worth it or not.

Ashley Berger is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].