Corporate ho? Tennis ho? Why do we all want to look like prostitutes?
Years from now, anthropologists will be be sifting through cached remnants of Facebook and Evite and wondering why every college girl wanted to look like a sex worker.
It’s certainly convenient. “Ho” is a pretty easy word to rhyme in your catchy event name: CEOs and Corporate Hos, or Golf Pros and Tennis Hos, or even GI Joes and Barbie Hos. Who doesn’t want the excuse break out the miniskirt and hooker boots every other weekend?
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we keep trekking up to frat row in painful shoes and hardly enough clothing for a summer day, let alone subzero windchill? Why do we keep wanting to call ourselves hos?
Maybe you’re donning your best sexy secretary outfit because hey, you’re hot, it’s your body, and what better Friday night ego boost than leaving a trail of drool behind you on your way to the jungle juice. Women’s sexuality is getting more and more complicated, and how else are we supposed to access our sexual selves? After all, if we masturbate or have sex, people think we’re actually slutty, rather than just costume-slutty. Doesn’t it seem that way sometimes?
It does take a certain degree of self-confidence to put it all out there. And if you’re confident and it makes you feel sexy and empowered, then by all means, go ahead, dress up like the most scandalous Barbie doll on this side of the deluxe dreamhouse. Maybe it’s not about society or gender roles and you just want to feel hot.
But make sure that’s why you’re doing it.
Sure, you have great legs and a push-up bra and you can totally rock that tennis ho outfit. But the fact that you set out rummaging through your closet to find the sluttiest outfit possible — doesn’t it make your inner feminist rankle, just a tiny bit?
You know, that inner feminist that you generally don’t talk about much because it might make that cute frat boy think that you don’t shave your legs or something, which you’re totally not about because ew, gross, leg hair and you don’t want to castrate anyone or anything. But that doesn’t mean you want to be dehumanized either. Being half-naked isn’t the only way to be sexy.
If you’re cutting up your kid brother’s camouflage t-shirt so you can be the hottest GI Joe out there just because you want validation from drunk college guys, that’s probably not the healthiest route to take. Dress slutty because you already think you’re hot, not because you’re desperately seeking affirmation that someone out there finds you attractive.
If you want to say “go ahead, objectify me,” there’s nothing wrong with that, but you have to realize that in this context, no one’s going to want to see your best lace thong because they think you’re great at math. And if “go skanky or don’t go at all” is your motto, go ahead, keep it along with the stripper heels. But do it for you.
Want more fashion advice? Read about what to wear for other Greek events. Or you can return home.


Great article Rena! It was funny but serious at the same time :)
Sam Rollins
March 2, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I stumbled upon this article by accident but I completely agree with everything you said. I actually heard a girl at my school TODAY talking about a frat party themed CEOs and Corporate Hos…I think its stupid. Girls need to learn to love themselves, especially college aged girls…I thought I left this stupidity behind in high school. I won’t fret too much, for I myself don’t feel the need to go to frat parties and get drunk and hook up with random guys, I just feel sorry for any young women out there who are burning themselves out mentally, emotionally, and PHYSICALLY with behavior like that. Keep on rockin, bro.
Savvy
February 4, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I’m not sure how I landed on your page, but I had to laugh at the title because my roomates and I used to call eachother hos during college (which was crazy because we were the most modest group of young ladies ever). Interesting post.
Women's Bras
June 2, 2009 at 5:15 pm