What does being born/legalizing/choosing have to do with this?

Some are reading way to deep into this. My above comment was general/blanket comparing.

For those that claim a "pimps and hoes" party is in essence a "70's" party, what culture are the partygoers dressed like? "That 70's show" or "The Mack"? My point is that many African-Americans, including myself, may consider that lampooning a particular population who constantly combat negative and unfair images of themselves daily.

I don't think P.C. should have to extend to things your chapter/organization has as a tradition: as far as I'm aware, KA's "Old South" event is a long-standing tradition within their Order.

A Pimps and Hos party--I doubt it's listed within your organization's "traditions". It has little to do with political correctness--it has to do with "everything that comes out of your mouth does not make it automatically cool." I say stuff all the time that when I think about it in hindsight, it wasn’t such a great thing to say. Just because someone thought it would be cute to have a Pimps and Hos party doesn't mean therefore that it's "all good" to have one. The name is offensive. A Pimp is a man that sells women for sex, usually on a street corner. Most pimps are at best misogynistic. A ho, in this instance, is a woman who sells her body to men she doesn't know for money. I would daresay guess that most women who are hos hate being hos, and would do anything to get out of the game. One can "titter, titter" about putting on ho-gear and Zoot suits if one wants, but just understand that people have every right to put the chapter on blast for hosting one. Out of all the names for costume parties we can think of (and some folks in this thread had some really cute ones), this one is supposed to be funny?

I’m not even close to being the most PC person, and I know you can't (and I don’t try to) please everybody all the time, but why would one to appear to go out of ones way to offend some folks? So my short answer to the question is: there are lots of other social themes that would have the same result (scantily dressed women/or folks in drag as desired) but not potentially show up on the front page of the college newspaper—find another theme.

People make simple topics so damned academic!

It's a party.

I don't think you could possibly say this is the same is a slave/master party... that's just WAAAY too much of a stretch.

I don't think the purpose of the party is to celebrate a lifestyle -- just to dress up in ridiculous outfits and have a good time.

The key here is "ridiculous".

What's interesting here is that some members of GLO's are fine with having their greek letters, reputation, house, etc associated with having a "Pimps and Hos" party (knowing full well the negative connotations associated with the term pimp's and ho's - thanks Shelaciou for breaking down the meaning of each ) and are not the least bit worried about the image that they are portraying to GDI's, faculty, or university. But yet go over to the "MTV and Sororities" thread and you will find these same folks hootin' and hollerin' about how this sorority will make them all look bad! You can't have it both ways. If you consider it a priviliage to be greek, then act it! Why would it be fun to associate yourself or org with a lifestyle that is degrading to all parties involved?

I agree. Fraternities already have the rep of being misogynistic, and sororities already have the rep of being "loose". Having such themes will only reinforce those inane stereotypes to GDIs.

The voice of reason--Shelacious. It's not a hard choice...if you have your heart set on this theme, just change the name and focus. Make it cutesy. If you want people to dress in 70's gear, make it a 70's party. If you want the fedoras and zoot suits, make it a 20's party. (I don't know if that's right, but you get me). I personally don't find this theme shocking anymore b/c it's been around (though I am not saying that just because something has been around for a long time it should not be reevaluated) and by this point I am desensitized to party themes...they're just ridiculous themes meant to inspire even more ridiculous costumes. It may be "all in good fun" but if someone within good reason finds it offensive, then just alter it enough to make everyone comfortable with it. Having a theme with an offensive name is more trouble than it's worth.

Get Outta My Head!!
 

Oh ~ for a minute there, I thought I was the only one who noticed. But like I said before, to each his own.

Question: Are T-shirts made up with these themes?

I know when I was in school, the greeks had t-shirts made for their mixers/parties/events. Some of them were soooooooo cute and very funny, not to mention creative. Just curious.

Well said, and I agree. I certainly don't think that the founders of Alpha Phi, for example, were sitting around thinking that it would be a good idea to do anything like a "Pimps and Hos" party. Yes, NPC organizations are thought of as "social" organizations, but the original aim of my organization was to build women up, not tear them down and degrade them -- and I think that is the case with most, if not all, women's GLOs.

For those who are saying that it's all in fun and they should be able to do whatever they want -- I guess I don't understand why you need to have this type of party sponsored by your GLO. If you, as a woman, want to dress up as a whore, why not just do it? Why get your organization involved at all? Is it because you know that it's actually not a very classy thing to do, and you need a "stamp of approval" of your organization's name on it? Would you be too embarrassed to dress up as a whore on your own, without a sorority sponsored event and without a bunch of your friends doing it too?

I really don't understand why women want to portray themselves as hos, even for a night. Why is that fun? And by the way, I'm no prude and am all for being sexy and dressing up, but I don't see why anyone wants to "play ho" for a night.

it's funny becuase people are trying to forget that that particular incident never happened. or some people don't even know wha it was. yes, a pimp and ho party is just as ignorant as that one was.

Yes, we had a pimps and hos mixer when I was in school, and it was the BEST mixer I ever went to. Ours was a "reverse" mixer where the guys were the hos and we were the pimps. For once guys got a taste of wearing nylons and high heels and makeup.

I don't see race as being involved. No one in either group made an effort to look like a different race - the white girls dressed up as white pimps, the Asian men as Asian hos, etc.

Nevertheless, the school has subsequently banned that theme from Greek events.

I could see that, depending on the folks involved, it could get out of hand. And if we hadn't done role-reversal, I'm not sure I would have gone for it. I have no desire to have my sorority captured on film as "hos."

Name change
 

My frat throughs a Playa's Ball . It is usually off the hook. Some guys dress as playa's & come w/ women & some women dress as playa's & come w/ guys. You usually give an award for best dressed too.

I think my chapter had the first "Pimps n' Ho's" social waaaay back in '95. It was with Phi Mu, and IT WAS A BLAST!!!! The women loved the party and had a GREAT time with the costumes.

A lot of people came in "reverse" dress (guys dressed as ho's, girls as pimps), but even more came dressed according to their gender.

And yes, there was a t-shirt. In fact, it was one of the most popular t-shirts we ever had. The picture showed a zoot-suited guy leaning on a fin-tailed Caddy, and a mini-skirted lady leaning on a street light. The caption was "We say when, where and how much!"

If I can ever remember, I'll try to dig out some pictures from the party to scan, as well as the tshirt, to try to post.

The chapter tried to continue the social as a tradition, but over the years, the politicially correctness has altered it a bit. It's been called the "Pretty Woman Party," the "Red Light Mixer," the "Playz & Divas" social. I'm not sure if the chapter today continues to have the social or not. I do know that it became more of a "crush party" for the chapter...where guys invited a number of girls from all sororities as well as GDI's instead of having one particular sorority cosponsor it - that way, no sorority names or letters were on the shirts.

not really racist but..
 

Their are pimps in every race and melanin color in the spectrum.. BUT ONLY THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PIMPS dress OUTLANDISHLY COLORFULLY (in line with how people dress in the theme of the party).

Some of your white pimps (like the owner of the legal Mustang Ranch) dress very conservatively.

The Italian pimps dress in fine, custom tailored Italian suits.

But, I bet no one at the party dressed as a pimp will dress consevatively or in a tailored Italian suit.

They will most likely be dressed as the steriotypical flamboyant Black Pimp.

All hoes have pretty much the same dress code across the racial board... Trashy for the street walker.. classy for the pro escort.

We call them gangster wedding and throw condoms at the "bride and groom" who are the 2 with the best costumes. We just keep it to a very thirties Mafioso theme, with girls dressed like floppers and malls. Think movies like "The Untouchables" and stuff like that. The roaring twenties.