Spirit Week Gender Bender Day

Of all the days in Spirit Week, Gender Bender Day is possibly the easiest. All you have to do is wear different clothes, right? Yet it has also turned into one of the most controversial and possibly beneficial parts of spirit week.

Celebrate spirit week gender bender day!

Simply put, "gender bending" is blurring the line between the male and female identities that are commonly found in society. Socially, this covers a large gray area of androgyny and people who have rejected traditional gender roles – including icons like World War II's Rosie the Riveter, Michael Keaton's Mr. Mom movie, or even pop stars such as David Bowie.

However, in terms of spirit week, the idea of gender bending is much more like Switch Day when the students and teachers exchange roles. It's more of a caricature of their "opposite", with behaviors and appearances exaggerated and made fun of in a hopefully good-natured way. Boys will don skirts and stuff bras with Kleenex, girls will stipple pretend-whiskers and wear ridiculous baseball caps, and cavort and swagger down the halls. Some will even go so far as to change their voices or assume fake names ("I'm not Carla, I'm Carl!") for the day.

One of the dangers of Gender Bender Day is when it turns from fun into an attack on the other gender – which happens when instead of focusing on silly external appearances the students focus on core identities. It's fine to wear a [Cheap Cheerleading Uniforms|cheerleader uniform]]; not so fine to imply that the girls wearing them have loose morals. Making fun of a football player's workout by carrying around a dumbbell all day is probably harmless; it's one of the tools of his trade. If that's combined with acting as if he is stupid, it may change a funny joke into an insult.

There's also an issue at times with those students who do identify as "transgender" – who are born into a body that does not match their self-image. While many schools and organizations such as PFLAG and the Gay-Straight Alliance have come a long way in promoting tolerance and a safe environment for these students to learn, there are still many people who feel persecuted all the time – and Gender Bender day can highlight the difference.

However, this can actually make the Spirit Week an opportunity for both social progress and fun. Incorporating a message of understanding and communication along with the activities can make better relationships between all genders. School social workers, community leaders and others may be willing to help lead and promote this type of discussion at school. Of course, there's no pleasing everyone, as a school in Iowa found out when fundamentalist parents took their kids from school over gender-bender day.

Here are some ideas for turning Gender-Bender Day into a positive and fun part of Spirit Week:

• Gender Bender Idol – Have a talent competition (hopefully judged by gender-bending teachers) in the form of the popular TV show Americian Idol.
• Zoolander Fashion Show – The Ben Stiller character "Zoolander" was famous for being androgynous and "metrosexual". Having a mock runway fashion show gives students an opportunity to really be creative with their costumes.
• Gender Relays – During a pep rally, hold races between gender-bending teams where they have to perform tasks common to the opposite sex. For example, girls have to shave their faces or tie neckties while boys have to paint their nails or put in curlers.
• Gender Trivia Challenge – This could be good for the entire school. Provide a list of accomplishments and add the simple task of identifying whether they were done by men or women. These can be as simple as "Who invented the brassiere?" (a man) to "Who holds the World Record in Skeet Shooting?" (Therese Lundqvist of Sweden).

Whichever activities you choose, remember that the goal is to bring the students closer together in fun and spirited support of your team.

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