My article in the Rebel Yell.
Leveling the playing field
Are college women criticized more than men for binge drinking?
Published on January 28, 2008
Having a vagina adds stigma to everyday decisions. Especially if the person with a vagina dares to attempt something that someone with a penis does freely without criticism.The decision this time is binge drinking.
CNN.com reported in December on a Facebook group called “30 Reasons Girls Should Call It a Night” as part of a rise in alcoholism on campuses (Reason 1: You have absolutely no idea where your friends are. Reason 19: The urge to take off articles of clothing becomes strangely overwhelming). Apart from the 30 reasons, users post photos and videos from nighttime escapades with porcelain thrones. The moderator, Jasmine, posted a photo of herself double fisting beers.
Why is this a big deal? Anyone who’s been to a libation-fueled party knows that at some point, someone will pass out, and then be humiliated by his/her friends in the form of lewd, written commentary on his/her face. While doing a work exchange in Toronto, I witnessed a hairy coworker get his chest hair shaved into a lightning bolt.But the Facebook group isn’t getting attention because of the college drinking (according to the Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse, 40 percent of college students are borderline alcoholics), or that these drinking habits are linked to depression and suicide. It’s getting all the attention because women have the audacity to act like men.Dr. Phil had a show last week entitled “Internet Mistakes,” with two segments dedicated to the Facebook group. What was most striking wasn’t the discussion of why college students drink so much, but the social repercussions, i.e. being labeled a slut or not getting a job.Anyone with a cursory knowledge of Facebook knows you can customize your account so that no one but you and your dog can look at it. And if women had to worry about everything that could label them a slut, then they would have to completely isolate themselves from public life.If we leveled the playing field and criticized the way college men drank, we’d be taking away their rites of passage. No, if we took away a man’s right to jump off the roof into the pool, then no one would have fun. We’d be reduced to playing Scrabble sober.
Members of “30 Reasons” aren’t providing a convincing argument either. I’m all for girls just wanting to have fun, but everyone should be concerned that so many college students are abusing alcohol. Using youth as an excuse is simply ignoring the problem.
The media won’t listen to any of that. Last year, women were blamed for men dropping out of college, and men for not being able to find suitable spouses. Women were pitted against each other in the battle between staying home with the kids or going back to work, also known as “Mommy Wars.” Nowhere though has the media addressed the underlying issue: Why are men really dropping out? What kind of employee policies are businesses forming that put women at a disadvantage when they have children?
We are ignoring a nationwide problem by covering the real reason for binge drinking by shaming women. How about instead of slanting the argument to shame women, we actually address the issue at hand? Enough scapegoating, we need to find real solutions to real problems.
