Last Tuesday night, girls lifted their shirts and exposed their breasts in an effort to win new ones.
I wish I were kidding.
That's right, this past Tuesday girls could have gone down to party on Chippewa and as a part of its 4th-annual Mardi Gras extravaganza, Club Bayou gave away a free boob job to the girl who collected the most pink beads. Thirteen bars and restaurants handed out 5,000 beads to patrons.
Don't get me wrong; even though I'm a girl, I think boobs are awesome. Guys love them and girls (mostly) love having them.
What I don't like is this notion that a girl's boobs have to be a certain size or look a certain way for her to be considered attractive. Why should I lift my shirt to win something that will just objectify me more?
Usually, the bigger a woman's breasts, the more male attention she will get. Sad, but true. A lot of men would rather stare at a girl's figure than talk about how much she loves Hemingway – it's just basic sexual attraction.
And I'm not saying this is a bad thing, in all cases, because I'd be hypocritical. I like looking at men with nice muscles and a six-pack. But, at the end of the day, the boy who can make me laugh will get more of my attention.
Girls shouldn't be willing to have surgery – one that is invasive and costly – just to make themselves more attractive to males. And the entertainment district of Buffalo certainly shouldn't be advocating for girls to get breast implants – what is this practice saying to the young girls who frequent the clubs and bars?
I'm not a Chippewa-kind-of girl, but even I know that the Chip Strip is kind of sleazy. Girls will go out in tight, revealing clothing, barely covered even in Buffalo's chilliest temperatures. For what? To get noticed by men? To get their picture in some Facebook album so they can "tag" themselves and prove they have a social life?
Fake IDs are prevalent and the minimum age tops out at 18 at most clubs and bars. The younger crowd, usually much younger than 18, comes to party here because they know they can get in. It's becoming such problem that laws are in the works to raise the minimum age to 21 just to keep these establishments from serving minors.
Sure, this contest is 21 and up, but that still doesn't make it any better. And sure, the $5 cover for the night will benefit WNY Hospice – but this isn't advertised on the flyers and receives a small mention on the Facebook event page.
Are we sending out the right message to young women and men? Are we saying that bigger breasts are what matters and girls should further objectify themselves to land a man?
I'd rather see all the money made from this night benefit breast cancer research, or maybe give the surgery to a woman who lost her breasts to cancer.
God knows we don't need to objectify women even more.
Email: rebecca.bratek@ubspectrum.com
