Do white girls put out?

Monday afternoon, on the sidewalk outside Hargadon Hall in Whitman College, we noticed "DO WHITE GIRLS PUT OUT?" written in pink sidewalk chalk above the "YES!" engraved into the sidewalk.

Initially, the graffiti seemed clever, even funny. The impulse to laugh it off, however, quickly faded when we recognized the gender and racial implications to the question.

Who drew this hot-pink chalk graffiti on Hargadon's sidewalk? We don't care. Whether the person is white or not, female or not, acting as an individual or on behalf of a group of friends, is irrelevant. The intent behind it does not change its impact or the way we should respond to it. The chalk graffiti may have been intended as a casual remark, but it communicates disrespect, disempowerment and degradation. We don't think the person who wrote it should be punished, but we also don't want our peers, men and women, to brush off this incident as simply a stupid joke.

A woman, white or otherwise, is the only one who has the right to define her own sexuality; she is the one who decides whether she cares to be sexual. The pink chalk graffiti disregards this right by stating categorically that white girls are promiscuous. Not only that, but the term "put out" implies sexual gratification for the sole benefit of the male partner, taking away any power and respect for the woman. The word "girl" also implies subjugation that, especially in this instance, is out of place on a college campus.

As such, this graffiti could not have been written by an individual who respects women. The fact that someone would put in the effort to acquire pink chalk and write this in a public place reveals the climate on Princeton's campus, where apparently somebody seems comfortable publicly disrespecting his or her peers and perpetuating gendered stereotypes and expectations.

The language of the message is not only sexualized, but racialized as well. As a stereotype that lumps people together based on their color, this graffiti makes a statement about the sexualization specific to "white" women. The racial component also brings up the question of what it means for "white girls" to be the target. What if another racial group were targeted? Specifically, what if "DO BLACK GIRLS PUT OUT? YES!" was written instead? The reaction by all groups on campus would undoubtedly be forceful.

We want Princeton to be a safe place for everyone. And "everyone" is not just a word we use when "we" are the targets. Will white students, students of color and identity-based student groups publicly denounce similar instances of degradation, even if it does not offend their particular identity group? We hope that an affront to any of our colleagues or classmates is considered as an affront to all members of the Princeton community.

Some might say our reactions to a simple and silly question posed on a sidewalk are excessive, but we believe there are not enough people having these reactions. This graffiti is just one example of the many offhanded derogatory comments people of all groups make regularly on this campus. Rather than becoming desensitized to these incidents, we need to recognize them as attacks on the respect that people deserve.

We challenge students to be outraged by these instances of ignorance, degradation and disrespect. Stop tossing off comments like the pink graffiti as jokes and understand them as a serious problem on our campus. D. Tess Cecil-Cockwell '08 is a white woman in the Geosciences Department from Toronto, Ontario. She can be reached at dcecil@princeton.edu. Sian OFaolain '08 is a nonwhite woman in the Wilson School from Atlanta, Georgia. She can be reached at ofaolain@princeton.edu.