Cassidy Crane, Special to The Denisonian—
My first year at Denison, on one random evening, I exited Crawford to get a late dinner. Immediately, I heard the whooping and yelling, and my eyes were barraged with the genitalia of running men. I snapped my eyes shut, stuck in fear, and waited until I could hear them run farther away. I opened my eyes, and their bare behinds disappeared into the distance. Since then, I have dreaded every time that Naked Week comes around, bringing me back to the steps of Crawford.
The Denison Coalition for Sexual Respect recently put out a post with the header “Let’s Talk About Naked Week.” I thought that, finally, an organization would be initiating serious dialogue around something that is allowed to happen for abstract reasons of “tradition.” The post brought up the FRIES acronym, explaining that consent must be Freely given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific. However, they were talking about taking photos at Naked Week, not the action of streaking in the first place. I think back to the Crawford steps again. At that moment, I had no idea that Naked Week was going to be happening. There was no consent there. If you cannot guarantee the consent of every person involved, whatever is happening shouldn’t. This especially applies to Naked Week.
I’ve heard all of the arguments. “There were posters up! You should’ve known it was happening!” Why is it the responsibility of the student body to be aware of where the streakers are at all points in time? Just because this is a “tradition” does not mean that each year we should allow more students to stumble upon it, be at the wrong place at the wrong time, or in any other way accidentally be exposed to other students’ genitals. I know that some people say that the surprised looks on the onlookers’ faces are part of the fun, but this only proves further that, as it stands, this is not an event of positivity. If this was a lone flasher in a trench coat, they would be condemned. But because it is an organized group, the administration and general consensus allow it to continue.
I understand how some people approach Naked Week. Liberating, freeing, empowering—insert other adjectives here. But it has taken on some warped perspective of being a form of activism when it simply is not. Calling it body positivity at least has some accuracy, but an event of public nudity with no fundraising does nothing for those with eating disorders. It’s only performative. Instead, for many, it is a traumatizing or re-traumatizing event. Friends of mine who have eating disorders dread Naked Week, as watching the naked bodies of fit college students often dredges up unwanted negative thoughts. Even the logo of Naked Week is the silhouette of a flat stomach.
Naked Week does not have to inherently be this way. I have a suggestion for how we could fix this issue of consent as well as activism. Naked Week could instead be on the football field, where streakers run across the field to a cheering, consenting audience. There could actually be fundraising for charities that help treat those with eating disorders, or a different cause could be supported.
Continuing Naked Week the way that it is structured now has no real reason besides the fact that this is how it’s always been done. We should be striving towards the comfort of all students, whether or not they have their clothes on.
Cassidy Crane ‘24 is a religion and English literature major from Columbus.