Ladies Night

Okay, here's one for you--a great example of failing spectacularly.

Controversy can give you great publicity. That was the case for the Electronic Dance Music club on my campus this past weekend when they promoted their "All Out Dance" where women were given free admission if they were wearing a bikini.

For girls not wearing a bikini, the cost was $2, and for males the cost was $5. The really ironic part of this dance was that it was on the Friday after Women's Week, hosted my university.

Here's where the controversy comes in, and keep in mind that their are actually two big reasons why people were so angry. The first reason was that it was after Women's Week, a week to celebrate women and how far they've come, and the EDM club's bikini dance was simply objectifying women and "promoting stereotypes about men." (<---from suunews.com).

The other reason people were upset was that it was gender discrimination. Women could get in for $2 even if they weren't wearing a bikini, but men were required to pay $5 regardless.

Here's how I see it, the argument that women are being objectified really holds no water. If a woman owns a bikini, she obviously already wears it in public. So it doesn't really matter if it's at a public swimming pool, a beach in Mexico, or a ladies night promotion, if she is being "objectified" she's doing it to herself. No one made her buy that bikini.

The second argument is really where there is some substance. Although it is not unconstitutional for a non-state entity to discriminate based on gender, that doesn't necessarily make it right. You would be outraged if McDonald's charged your sister less for her Big Mac simply because she is a woman.  The whole nation would be up in arms if the discrimination was in the reverse direction, and even more outraged if it was something like race. Remember the Civil War? On the other hand, Ladies Night is a brilliant promotion for clubs and bars hoping to bring more gentlemen out.  It makes for a competitive market, and I simply don't agree with the government over-regulating our capitalist economy.

My bottom line is this, the EDM club had every right to plan the event they planned.  And my peers and I had every right to choose not to participate.  What do you think?