How did the Male Auction become a strip show?
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For this year’s freshmen and any other University of Dallas students who somehow missed the male auctions in the past few years, maybe it isn’t clear how this year’s male auction was a total downgrade. In the past there have been entertaining dance routines, witty skits and very talented singers and musicians.
Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of really entertaining acts this year. The Blue Jean Boys and the Magicians were particularly impressive. However, there were several acts this year that were downright inappropriate and strange.
Charity week is about raising money for important charities and having a good time while doing so, but that doesn’t mean that we should completely let loose.The rugby team and the Holy Hog acts were actually shocking.
In what world is it appropriate for a group of men to get up on a stage at a school-sponsored event and twerk the entire time, especially while wearing as little clothing as some of the men on the rugby team were? Their act would have been just as entertaining and funny if they were wearing more clothes.
The male auction is supposed to be a fun way for our UD men to raise money for charity by putting together funny dances and showing off their talents. The Magicians act this year did a great job of being funny and impressive while also remaining appropriate.
Even though they were playing into the “Magic Mike” joke by tearing their pants off, they were wearing modest shorts underneath. Also, their act consisted of some very cool acrobatics and choreography, not just twerking.
I wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed. What would UD students say if a group of women got up on stage where their act was being bid on and dressed that scandalously or danced in that way? I think there would have been a lot more pushback from the student body.
While I realize part of the fun of the male auction is the double standard, because women performing to be auctioned off would come off as much more problematic, that doesn’t mean that men should be allowed to act like strippers on stage.
If it is inappropriate for women to act that way, then it should be considered inappropriate for the men to act that way as well. I think there should be some recognition that the phrase “modest is hottest” does not just refer to women.
Modesty standards for men should not be different from women, and that should definitely be something that is understood on UD’s Catholic campus, even if it isn’t understood by the rest of society.
Acts like some of those in this year’s Charity Week degrade the experience and the fun of the event for the student body. It put a bad spin on the end of a truly amazing charity week, and that isn’t fair to the juniors who worked so hard to pull the whole thing together.
I think the male auction is a really fun and entertaining tradition we shouldn’t get rid of. However, I think we need to think about the acts that are put on and consider if they are adding to the beauty of our campus culture, or if they are turning a charity event into an off-brand strip show.
Aine O’Brien is a junior English major. She is a Blessed is She mentor.