I recently read an article that was talking about “skipping the party stage.” The author talked about how they did not want to be a stereotypical party girl, getting drunk all the time and sleeping with strangers.
While I agree that skipping the ‘party stage’ is great if you so choose, there is nothing wrong with enjoying that stage of your life as well. I personally am a very moderate party person, I don’t like to drink too much when I go out and I honestly just love it because I get to be with my friends. However, I don’t think shaming someone because they do enjoy parties is the way to go.
If you like to go out and drink, that’s your choice. If you like to get with people, that’s your choice. Shaming someone for enjoying any of those things, for especially women but also men, is bridging on a form of slut shaming. When people drink or get with people, they are perceived as more promiscuous or for lack of a better word “slutty.” And the drinking and sex almost become synonymous. This is the problem with judging people for their party habits, or lack thereof. Judging someone for not partying, isn’t your business, and judging someone for partying too much is again, not your business. There is never a time to tell someone that their outside-of-class activities are inappropriate or prudish. I know that sometimes I have participated in parts of this. There have been times when I have heard people who are going out to parties when they have class work to do, and I know I have made comments like, “well that’s not smart.” And no, in my eyes it may not be an intelligent decision, but it is someone else’s decision, and that thereby makes it none of your business.
I know this can be seen as trivial, but I do believe that some life decisions should be in some way monitored to enforce social norms and protect others, but is it really harming anyone if someone just wants to go out and have fun? Or if they don’t? No.
I used to be tired of people calling other girls prudes for not wanting to go out, but recently I have noticed the opposite, which is honestly just insanely hypocritical. I shouldn’t be judged because I enjoy both staying in and going out, no one should be judged for preferring one over the other. But, when it starts to bridge on slut shaming, that’s when all arguing needs to halt. We are not put on this earth to simply judge one another on bad habits. Can’t all of it just be irrelevant? As long as you aren’t hurting someone else, you should be allowed to have fun when you please. And the same for staying at home and not wanting to participate in parties.
This in no way means I think it's okay for people to drink too much for their health and promote idiotic behaviors (which can end up harming other people). I don’t at all promote alcoholism in any form either, I think that people just shouldn’t be judged for having healthy fun. If that fun encroaches on other people’s enjoyment there may be a problem, but otherwise please, just leave the matter alone. No one likes being judged.
