November marks the annual Warren Hills Powderpuff football on the turf. This event brings the community together, fundraises for a worthy cause, and promises an energetic, fun night. Theoretically, this checks all the boxes, but the sexist reality paints an entirely different picture.

This archaic tradition’s roots in the 30s have not matured since. Reversing the strict gender binary for one night is seen purely as farce. The entire event’s foundation exists on the sexist notion that each gender acting oppositely feminine or masculine in behavior and practice for a night is amusing.

The lack of male cheerleaders signed up for Powderpuff, besides the most brazen, class clown type shows what we really think of the game and anyone who acts slightly effeminate: a joke. The behavior the male cheerleaders exhibit is on par with a crude, mocking, pathetic drag.

Though the football player girls mostly play the sport for the night, the boys in overly feminine costumery line the sidelines with attempted (and failed) stunts and overly exaggerated effeminate gestures and voices.

The girls at Hills do not need some rough and tumble consolation prize. With state-title winners, such as the field hockey team, they do not need a watered down version of an exclusively male-dominated sport to prove their worth. The “Oh look, girls can do sports too!” attitude is trite and ancient.

Powderpuff may only be one night, but if the cause is as an important part of the event to the community as the buzz and hype surrounding it suggest, then the prep should be given the same, if not more, time and resources than an actual football game. Otherwise, fundraising becomes a catch-all card to play, absolving any toxicity from the foundation of the event.

For a masculine- dressing girl or feminine- dressing boy, who has undoubtedly experienced society’s mockery, Powderpuff’s participation in the cross dressing is not only absurd, but cruel.

This only fosters a toxic, and unsafe, environment, completely opposite of what schools are supposed to encourage within their community.

If we do not take a look into the 21st century with our ideals, even surrounding the most “trivial” events, the progress of equality in this country will go nowhere.

The simplest grassroots of sexism, both internalized and explicit, are the ones with the tightest grip on our culture.

There are much more modern and inclusive ways to bring the community together and raise money for a very worthy cause.