Since coming to Andover, I have noticed that a commonly held sentiment among the student body is that Saturday-night dances serve mainly as opportunities for hook-ups. I think, however, that this belief has little grounding in reality. The hype about hook-ups at dances, particularly at last Saturday’s Gelb Dance, obscures the fact that in reality not that many people are actually hooking up at school dances. Dances take place on Saturday nights, when final sign-in is at 11:30 p.m. and when most students are itching to find something to do. Dances give students an opportunity to meet people and have fun. While students also use them as an opportunity to initiate sexual encounters, the reality is that such encounters would happen regardless of there being a dance. If Gelb lacked its current reputation, and instead was just like any other dance, the pressure to hook up would not be any greater than it is for the average dance. Gelb’s notoriety is the very genesis of this “culture” of expectation surrounding hook-ups. An often downplayed fact about dances is that while some do choose to hook up, there are many more individuals who go to simply have fun with their friends. Though not as vocal about their intentions, some students do assert that it is perfectly fine to go just for the fun of the event. Not only is it not difficult to find a group of friends to go with to Gelb, but also it is easy to find other students with no plans to hook up. Also, contrary to popular belief, reality does not support the eye-roll worthy claim that people do not wear clothes at Gelb. Looking around at the dance, I noticed that students were, for the most part, decently dressed. Dancing in an enclosed space can get stiflingly hot, and no one in their right mind would wear a sweater to a dance like Gelb. Nevertheless, painting a sexualized picture of half-naked bodies is a dangerous inaccuracy. By forecasting that attendees will not wear clothes, it can actually pressure others into wearing less. As a new student unwilling to leave my dorm on a cold night underdressed, I was concerned about looking prudish, only to arrive and discover that everyone was dressed reasonably, according to what they were comfortable with. The real problem with a dance like Gelb is the assumption that the majority of attendees are hooking up. It makes it seem like there is something boring or lacking in going to dances for the sake of dancing and having fun. Hook-ups are not the biggest part of inter-gender interactions. Acknowledging that would decrease pressure on students to involve themselves in the hook-up culture and would make those who do not, feel less awkward. Dances may be hook-up opportunities for some, but their primary function is not in providing people the opportunity to hook up. There are a number of people who do not subscribe to the notion that dances are for hooking up. The fact remains that what certain people do at a dance, or afterwards, does not define what the dance is all about. Hook-ups happen, but they are not central to dances. It’s time that we, as students, take initiative and shift the conversation. If we don’t want Gelb to be a dance where the only goal is to leave with someone, we should stop referring to it as such. Instead, let’s start talking about the fun inherent to a dance party in the three-floor science building with our friends.
