Feminism | Posted by Kate S on 03/22/2010

Tea Party

tea parties: how lovely!

Yes, the boarding school girl is back. It is an annual tradition in my school for the senior girls to host a tea party for the female faculty in order to visually depict the girls’ gratitude before graduation. As a product of four years of private, boarding school education, I embrace the message behind the event since showing appreciation is a nice gesture.

But why the tea party? It is my impression that the school is enforcing senior girls to uphold the image of refined and educated ladies who have mastered the tea party manners. The girls are expected to send elaborate invitations to female faculty, dress nicely in sundresses, wait tables with big smiles, and pour teas with our dainty little hands. If this was the…

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Feminism | Posted by Kate S on 02/3/2010

International Night for Dummies

yay diversity and stereotypes

This post occurs at the same boarding school where girls have to wear pastel dresses for commencement. Ah, the bright future that lies ahead of us as the esteemed, Ivy-Leagued educated CEO’s wives…

Another tradition (among many) that irritates me is International Night. This is an evening event hosted by yours truly, ASB, where the student body celebrates its diversity through ethnic dinners, performances, and finally, dance. The motivation behind the event is truly commendable: a campus fraught with students from various regions around the world takes benefit of its diversity and celebrates it. However, when applied, it becomes a crow-pleaser—a victim of superficiality.

As an avid critic of school events, I have never attended this event since my freshmen year (a traumatizing event we won’t get to…) but in…

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Feminism | Posted by Kate S on 10/20/2009

Painting Pastel

generic boarding school!

I attend an independent boarding school with some caliber. Wait, I lied. I attend a set of schools: one for the boys, one for the girls. Students are admitted through an application process. The tuition resembles that of Ivy League schools and in return, the school offers academic, leadership, and social opportunities.

As a second-year immigrant from Korea living in a heavily Asian-immigrant-populated city, I decided to apply to this school. It seemed to have an abundant amount of diversity. I applied with my poor English and I was ecstatic to find out that I had gotten in with financial aid. But, imagine my surprise on the first day of my freshmen year. I walk into my first class and there are no y-chromosomes.

Soon, I learned that freshmen and…

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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 06/19/2009

Boarding School: Chauvinist As Ever?

So, I came across this post on feministing. Although feministing is normally a site concerned with women’s rights issues from the perspectives of 20 and 30 something feminists, this post by a high schooler- listed as Cassidy F. on feministing- really caught my attention. She wrote:

I am female. I attend a private, 9-12, coed boarding

Last month, as I sat in the auditorium during our weekly All-School Meeting, a horde of senior boys suddenly leapt on stage, clad in only short-shorts and wacky accessories. Reel 2 Real’s “I Like to Move it” (popularized by the movie “Madagascar”) blasted over the sound system, and the audience realized that this year’s highly anticipated Senior School Meeting had officially begun.

Senior School Meeting is a time-honored tradition at my school. It always hits at…

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