<p>Hi there:) I saw this article on the web and was hoping some could comment on it's credibility or if it's all over exaggerated.. It's a little disturbing and has thrown me off a bit about attending Wellesley.</p>
<p>The</a> Highly-Charged Erotic Life of the Wellesley Girl | Jay Dixit</p>
<p>Thanks!:)</p>
<p>That article pops up every year, and it’s kind of laughed at. No one really takes it seriously. A lot of people like to project their wishful thinking onto Wellesley (that we’re all sexually-frustrated and need men), and this article is merely another product of that.</p>
<p>I mean sure, once in a while my friends and I will comment once in a while that there is a certain professor who is attractive, but I’m pretty sure that happens in different schools, too. I have never heard of anyone actually dating a professor, that situation seems pretty extreme.</p>
<p>Silly, silly Rolling Stones.</p>
<p>Yes, according to my daughter, that article is about as correct in its descriptions of Wellesley students as the movie Mona Lisa Smile. :)</p>
<p>Further proof that nothing on the internet will ever die.</p>
<p>That article came out when I was a sophomore at Wellesley many years ago (gah, I feel old). We all laughed at it because of its absurdity - clearly someone was projecting their stereotypes of those attending a women’s college.</p>
<p>Conclusion: laugh and smirk at it, but don’t take it as an accurate portrayal of faculty-student relationships.</p>
<p>The thing that makes me sad about this article (and those like it) is that the amazing (non-sexual) relationships between professors and students are tainted by ridiculous stories of illicit professor-student sex. One of the most amazing things about Wellesley is how accessible its professors are and how interested they are in helping you. I LOVE all of my professors and I enjoy hanging out in their office and talk about current events, class etc. They invite students to their houses for brunches and dinners and are genuinely interested in them as people not just as students. These are the professor-student relationships I have witnessed- not the sleazy stuff mentioned in that article</p>
<p>ok thanks for clarifying that!!! What about things like the “dyke ball” and sexual experimentation… is that true. I’m sorry if i’m bring this up but I just really want to make sure I’m making the best choice college wise and that the college is a good fit for me:)</p>
<p>It’s something that is brought up and it should be considered when looking at a school; I can understand where you’re trepidation might come from. What you have to look at is that gays and lesbians are students at every school, no matter where you go; and also, at every school, some people do experiment with their sexuality. You might hear about it more because Wellesley is an all-women’s school and so, percentage wise we may have more than your average co-ed school (though I don’t have any percentages to base this on), but it happens everywhere and you will encounter it no matter what school you choose to attend.</p>
<p>Yes, Wellesley has dyke ball - it began as an alternative prom for those students who could not attend prom in high school and now it has turned into more of a celebration of the LGBTQ community on campus. If you google, I am quite sure you will find crazy newspaper articles and the like about it, much to the same measure as the Rolling Stones article you posted above. The thing you have to do is take things with a grain of salt. Yes, there are lesbians at Wellesley; and yes, some/ a few/ most of your friends at Wellesley may be of a different sexual orientation than you are but that does not mean they don’t have something wonderful to offer to the academic and social life at Wellesley. </p>
<p>I come from a pretty conservative background and a pretty conservative high school, and I looked at it as getting a new experience while in college. Coming to Wellesley was the one time I knew I would be surrounded by amazing women for four years of my life and one school party was not going to turn me away from all the opportunities the school offered me. No one will pressure you to be one way or the other or experiment or whatever; it’s your choice, just as it is your choice to be friends with who you want to be friends with. Give everyone a chance and some people might become your best friends even though you may not think so in the beginning. </p>
<p>A possibly random side note: what surprised me the most about Wellesley was not the numbers of people who were of a different sexual orientation from me, but the amount of diversity in general in the student population. Never before have I been in one place in which there are so many people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, people with general worldly experiences, nevermind sexual orientations, than me – in that respect, Wellesley has really opened my eyes to all the different people I may encounter in the world after I graduate. The diversity at Wellesley really sets it a part from the other schools I was considering and where my fellow high school classmates ended up. </p>
<p>If that was too tangential and I didn’t answer your question, let me know and I’ll try to restate what I was trying to say.</p>
<p>Dyke Ball = one of the best parties on campus all year long. At least while I was a student. I hope that hasn’t changed since I graduated. The best part is taking the dress code of “creative black tie” and really being CREATIVE. Note, nudity is not creative because it’s too damn easy.</p>
<p>Naked Party = fun party where you’re forced to be comfortable with your own body. When I was a student, this party was hosted and sponsored by Instead, the feminist co-op, and you paid $1 for each item of clothing you wore. So if you wanted to go for free, you could be naked, but certainly no one was forcing you to do so if you were willing to pay the price. All proceeds went to a women’s shelter in Boston. </p>
<p>And trust me, it’s not like there aren’t similar/corollary parties at other co-ed schools. You should hear some of the stories I’ve heard from my friend from his frat days in college. It’s just that it’s not written up in RollingStone and presented as some sort of huge scandal.</p>
<p>As for sexual experimentation, I hope you’re not considering Wellesley because it would be “safe” choice, i.e. where nothing “bad” or anything outside of mainstream Americana happens. It’s part of the real world and issues such as homosexuality, homophobia, queer acceptance, queer questioning, racial tension, socio-economic/classism, etc. etc. exists. But overall, my experience was very positive because it was a community that was willing to take those issues head on and talk/discuss about them (sometimes in a seemingly endless circle on Community). I loved my gay/bi/questioning/whatever friends and the whole WLBTF gang. They were some of the coolest people to hang out with.</p>
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<p>Agreed, coming from the Northwest, I had no idea what I had been missing out on until I came to Wellesley. I have so many friends from interesting backgrounds; during lunch time, this has helped some interesting conversations develop.</p>
<p>I’m straight, but I’m excited for the Dyke Ball. I see it as an opportunity to celebrate being open with yourself and everyone else, and by going I’m showing support for my friends who are bi/lesbian. My boyfriend might pout a little that I’m going, but that’s something he’s going to have to deal with. ;)</p>