Powderpuff: a tradition that has been around for what seems like forever in the current generation of Brookline High students. It is a day where Juniors and Seniors become mortal enemies, and all grades swear that they either ‘bleed’ blue or red. A day where a blue sophomore does not dare walk down a red hallway to her history class, seeking out all other routes possible to avoid the lethal silly string of the opponent. Although this annual showdown does bring out everyone’s very most competitive natures, it also unifies the school.

Powderpuff is unarguably the biggest, most inclusive and most hyped up event of the year. The Powderpuff team encourages all girls to get involved, even those who have never played or even watched football before. Then, with the rest of the grades behind their teams, truly everyone becomes a part of the Powderpuff festivities.

Some argue that Powderpuff is a sexist event. They think that Powderpuff is made out to be more of an aesthetically pleasing but not ‘serious’ athletic performance. They also say it is the only sport in which boys change their facebook profile photos to the girls’ player photos, Powderpuff is more about girls looking good and pleasing than it is about playing the game. Through the eyes of this perspective, Powderpuff encourages some of the gender norms and stereotypes which women face in society, like needing to be physically attractive, not being serious, and not being athletic. Some also claim that Powderpuff, being something other than a true sporting event, is just an excuse for boys to go and watch girls run around in their tight leggings, also supporting the view that Powderpuff is sexist.

I disagree that Powderpuff is sexist and see it purely as a fun and important tradition because of the unity that it brings to the school. Any girl who played Powderpuff last year would tell you that the game is played only with the intention of winning, not of ‘performing’ for male spectators. Had I been concerned about my “performance,” I would have been ashamed by the number of times I was knocked to the ground by the Senior’s offense last year. In addition, I feel that the boys changing their profile photos is in no way a malicious act, but something supportive of the girls playing. Powderpuff is anything but sexist because it offers girls the opportunity to play a sport that for all of history has been dominated by men.

As Thanksgiving is approaching, the hype for Powderpuff is increasing. The competition will be fierce, for in the junior class we have a number of outstanding athletes who will be ready to play, and the senior class has a fire lit under them for this to be the year that they win. We will see how these two forces play out on the field. Don’t forget to wear your colors for Powderpuff and come to pep rally and the main event. #bleedblue