Lydia Laythe (The Beacon)
By Lydia Laythe, Staff Commentary
The other night I went to a club, The Escape, with a bunch of friends. I assumed that because the club was gay-friendly, I might avoid the awkward, unpleasant situation of having guys try to grind up behind me... Boy, was I wrong.
Three or four times I had to shimmy my way out of the uncomfortable grip of these types of guys. Fortunately, I had my friends to create a barrier around me after that, and I was fairly safe for the rest of the night. So here's my advice to all guys, especially ones that go to gay clubs alone and try to dance with a girl who's just trying to dance with her friends: Pipe the f*** down!
Cut it out! If a girl wants to dance with you, she will let you know, I promise! She'll give you "the look" or smile at you for a long time and then flip her hair or wink or something. But if she looks at you and then looks away quickly and avoids looking at you, that does not - in any way - mean you should approach her from behind and get all up in her business. Come on.
Also, what's with the creeper look? If I don't invite you to rub your hips on my butt, don't do it. But definitely do not, after being rejected, just stand awkwardly close and watch me. I don't want to turn around and see you peeking at me from under your fitted hat with your hood up. It's strange when guys have their hood up at the club. So, another piece of advice: Take your hood down, ya weirdo. The rule of thumb: the more obscured your face, the creepier you look. So your best bet is no hat, no hood, no sunglasses.
Furthermore, do not go to the other extreme: Do not go take your shirt off, unless you have a really nice body (like you hit the gym twice a day). I'm not just referring to the beer-bellied and 200-pound video game players who are at the club for their monthly dose of human interaction, I'm also talking to the tall, skinny, skeleton-like boys who swing their razor-sharp hip bones around in circles, threatening to dismember anyone who gets too close. Put your man boobs and rib bones away! No one wants to see that.
So pretty much, I just wanted to give the creepy guys a couple helpful reminders about dancing club etiquette. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. But pretty much just don't be a creep. That's all.
Lydia Laythe is a freshman social work major. She can be reached at laythe16@up.edu.
