The Tabard coed fraternity, the only coed house with a physical plant on Webster Avenue, has began recently trying to spread its message of inclusiveness and freedom of expression to revamp its reputation, according to Tabard president Chris Valleau '12. The Tabard hopes to promote an atmosphere of openness on campus through events such as its termly Lingerie Show, which took place Wednesday night, he said.
Wednesday's Lingerie Show began with a warning that no personal photography would be tolerated to respect the privacy of the performers, according to Fischer Yan '14.
Although not a member of the Tabard, Yan has performed in Lingerie each term since her freshman winter and plans to do so every term she is on campus.
"I think the outlet that The Tabard provides isn't really available anywhere else," Yan said. "I would definitely not be comfortable performing in any type of public venue, especially with strangers, where my safety is in question."
Lingerie is a celebration of healthy body image, sexual confidence and becoming comfortable in your own skin, she said.
"It's more of a performance and a showcase of health than it is something dirty, grungy and lecherous," Yan said. "People are very positive and very supportive."
Lingerie originally started as an event exclusive to Tabard members and expanded to the rest of campus in order to spread a message of sexual liberation to a wider audience, Valleau said.
"It's about celebrating yourself and not having to have your body conform to societal standards and Dartmouth standards," Valleau said. "It gives you a chance to almost reclaim body image."
In recent years, however, the message of Lingerie has become less clear to the rest of campus, according to Valleau.
"Dartmouth does have a very short institutional memory because obviously the people who started this had a very clear idea about what it is," Valleau said. "It's important that we start taking an active role in sending the right message."
After attending Lingerie in the fall, Zev Kane '15 said he was not convinced that the Tabard had succeeded in sending this message and said he did not plan on going back to the show in subsequent terms.
"I came into the show fairly open-minded, and I left confused and didn't understand what the organization's purpose was," Kane said.
Kane was disappointed by the show and felt that it had not lived up to his expectations, he said.
"I don't think that they achieved their message because I think that there's a way to explore sexuality without taking your clothes off, and I think that there are probably more constructive ways of doing it than just letting a bunch of doe-eyed freshman boys watch," Kane said.
Yan said that there is always a large male audience that likes to attend the event, but most of the cheering that takes place is supportive rather than derogatory.
Many Lingerie performers, however, are not concerned with the audience's perceptions but rather their own empowerment, according to Yan.
"It's about celebrating how healthy I am in this moment and to really say that I lived my life to the fullest," Yan said. "This is just for me."
The spirit of openness and individuality promoted by the show ties into the Tabard's mission as a social organization, Valleau said. The organization is highly inclusive and allows anyone, including graduate students and community members, to join at any point in the term.
"There's a line in the mission statement that says the Tabard stands as a testament to the ability of a community to shape its environment," Valleau said. "The Tabard provides a sanctuary for people to be free to express themselves how they want."
The Tabard realizes, however, that events like Lingerie can give the wrong idea to the rest of campus, Valleau said.
"Since our big event for the term is Lingerie, people take that and that's what they know about The Tabard," Valleau said. "So people form perceptions from that, and it becomes very sexualized because not a lot of people do know our message and we're trying to work on that."
Faculty advisor to the Tabard Aden Evens admires the inclusive spirit of the house as well as its stance on sex and gender, he said. Evens said he approves of the progressive agenda that the Tabard wants to advance but worries, however, that the Tabard has lost sight of some of its goals as an organization.
"I don't think the Tabard is trying to promote much as an organization right now, and I think that they need to take that a bit more seriously," Evens said. "If they reach out more they could have a huge, positive effect on the rest of campus through the adoption of social responsibility."
Yan said that the Tabard's stereotypical association with sex and drugs is not representative of the organization as a whole.
"Yes, Tabard holds a lot of sex-oriented events," Yan said. "However, I think it's more about celebrating our freedom and youth and about doing it in a safe and responsible way."
The Tabard hopes that stereotypes will not dissuade students from joining, according to Amanda Duchesne '13, who will be president of the Tabard next year.
"There are so many different kinds of people here that think in so many different ways, and they challenge the way you think and the way you were raised to think," Duchesne said. "I don't want reputation to ever make someone not come here."
Valleau said that the Tabard is a space that people who do not always feel comfortable on campus can use as a social resource, but that every type of person can feel at home in the house.
"We have double members of [Theta Delta Chi Fraternity]; we have double members of [Zeta Psi Fraternity], of [Kappa Kappa Kappa Fraternity]; we have double members of [Alpha Xi Delta Sorority]," Duchesne said. "I think that really speaks to the space, that we do our best to include every perspective."
The Tabard holds open meetings every Wednesday at 10 p.m. and historically, attendance has been high, according to Valleau. Recently, however, attendance has dropped, and the house is trying to attract more people to meetings.
Yan attended open meetings for the first time last week and said that Tabard members were friendly and accepting.
"When I went to meetings, it was a very genuine, real experience," Yan said. "It was not only a social group, but also a discussion group for social justice, and I think that's something that they would want to be more well-known for."
