Spring Break
Nothing shameful in walk of shame
Candice Ruud
Issue date: 2/16/09 Section: Forum
It's Saturday morning at 10 a.m. For reasons undisclosed, you're already awake and heading to Dutch Bros. to grab a cup of coffee. You're not hung over, but everyone around you seems to be. And they're sneaking around, heads down, creeping through the streets like zombies out of "Dawn of the Dead."
It's the instant when you see a girl in heels and a sequined top with her makeup smeared and her hair matted to her face that you understand what's going on: the walk of shame.
Some of us have become pure ninjas at this disgraceful yet necessary act. The night before, still half-drunk, we've located our best escape route and set our phone alarms to go off at an ungodly hour in the hopes that none of the accompanying party's roommates will be awake yet. Sometimes you can slip out of the house before the person whose bed you've just left even realizes that you're gone, and bam, you're out the door and heading down the street, innocently taking a morning stroll. In stilettos and fishnets.
But sometimes there's no escaping a roommate encounter, or a chance meeting of an acquaintance on the street as you're scurrying home with one broken heel.
I've never understood why this act has to be one of shame. This is college - more specifically, this is Oregon State. We know how to party here, and with that fact comes inevitable bad decisions and "the morning after."
If there is a time in our lives when we should embrace these bad decisions, it has to be now. We're irresponsible and young, and at the peak of our physical prowess. This is the time to figure out what you want out of life - who you want - and the only way to do that is to sample the selection. Who's here to judge us? If your friends or roommates are judging you because you came home early Saturday morning with guilt written all over your face, are they really your friends?
Another unfortunate factor regarding the walk of shame: it seems to solely affect women. Women always seem to be the ones crawling out of bed - or the couch - and tiptoeing through the streets of Corvallis on Saturday mornings. However, it probably only appears this way because of their choice party attire, which could not by any standards be considered normal fare.
And what if the title "walk of shame" is completely unwarranted? In many cases, you're just too drunk to walk home, and in those cases, you shouldn't even try. So you're really doing the right thing when you pass out on a floor or a couch in close proximity to a toilet.
So the next time you're on your morning run on a Saturday or Sunday morning, don't judge the "swamp thangs" that are lurking through Monroe on their way home. We've all been there, we've all made bad decisions and we're all human. We all deserve better than to be judged.
Candice Ruud is a junior in liberal studies with an option in new media communications. The opinions expressed in her column do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Ruud can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
It's the instant when you see a girl in heels and a sequined top with her makeup smeared and her hair matted to her face that you understand what's going on: the walk of shame.
Some of us have become pure ninjas at this disgraceful yet necessary act. The night before, still half-drunk, we've located our best escape route and set our phone alarms to go off at an ungodly hour in the hopes that none of the accompanying party's roommates will be awake yet. Sometimes you can slip out of the house before the person whose bed you've just left even realizes that you're gone, and bam, you're out the door and heading down the street, innocently taking a morning stroll. In stilettos and fishnets.
But sometimes there's no escaping a roommate encounter, or a chance meeting of an acquaintance on the street as you're scurrying home with one broken heel.
I've never understood why this act has to be one of shame. This is college - more specifically, this is Oregon State. We know how to party here, and with that fact comes inevitable bad decisions and "the morning after."
If there is a time in our lives when we should embrace these bad decisions, it has to be now. We're irresponsible and young, and at the peak of our physical prowess. This is the time to figure out what you want out of life - who you want - and the only way to do that is to sample the selection. Who's here to judge us? If your friends or roommates are judging you because you came home early Saturday morning with guilt written all over your face, are they really your friends?
Another unfortunate factor regarding the walk of shame: it seems to solely affect women. Women always seem to be the ones crawling out of bed - or the couch - and tiptoeing through the streets of Corvallis on Saturday mornings. However, it probably only appears this way because of their choice party attire, which could not by any standards be considered normal fare.
And what if the title "walk of shame" is completely unwarranted? In many cases, you're just too drunk to walk home, and in those cases, you shouldn't even try. So you're really doing the right thing when you pass out on a floor or a couch in close proximity to a toilet.
So the next time you're on your morning run on a Saturday or Sunday morning, don't judge the "swamp thangs" that are lurking through Monroe on their way home. We've all been there, we've all made bad decisions and we're all human. We all deserve better than to be judged.
Candice Ruud is a junior in liberal studies with an option in new media communications. The opinions expressed in her column do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Barometer staff. Ruud can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.