Six Freshman Sociology Students (M+F)

After much hemming and hawing from the Institutional Review Board, I was able to secure an agreement with a sociology professor at the local university. He would offer a first-come, first-serve chance for extra credit in his class to three female and three male students in exchange for their participation in my experiments.

And so, on a Sunday in early September, I found myself in a small conference room at a local hotel, looking at six college freshmen in various states of nervousness.

I had been given a small amount of information about each of them as part of the application process, but I will be replacing their real names with pseudonyms to protect their anonymities:

Robert (23, M): A Hispanic guy with close-cropped hair. The oldest member of the group and the first to arrive, his survey results revealed that he had recently finished his military service and was now beginning college. He was 6’2 and visibly well-built. He arrived wearing a tight, grey t-shirt and khaki shorts. His demeanor was generally friendly.

Ryen (18, F): The second participant to arrive was a pale girl with curly brown hair reaching the middle of her back. A wiry girl, she was the tallest of the female participants according to her application, but her tendency to slump concealed her 5’8. A bit fidgety, she seemed particularly nervous to be attending, and I got the impression from her survey answers that she was sure she wouldn’t be among the first three girls to submit an application. She arrived wearing black leggings and a blue sweatshirt adorned with the school logo.

Danielle (19, F): The second female participant was next to arrive. Danielle was a black girl with dark, curly hair and wire-framed glasses. She stood about 5'4 and arrived dressed in a black, white, and gray striped cardigan, covering a white t-shirt and jeans. She appeared to be of about average build. Her survey answers were those of an overachiever, seeking to pad her grade early and often, and she was quite friendly upon arrival.

Mike (18, M): The second male participant was next. Of all the contestants, his survey answers were easily the most enthusiastic at the nature of the Experiments. He had shaggy brown hair and a beard that could probably have used a trim. He stood about 5'10 and was visibly a bit overweight, dressed in a short-sleeved blue, button up shirt, which was open to show a white t-shirt underneath. He also wore khaki cargo shorts

Brian (18, M): The final male participant was a white guy who would best be described as "scrawny." He was about 5'5 and looked very thin in his blue jeans and grey t-shirt adorned with a comic book logo. His hair was blonde and unkempt. He had agreed to the experiment, according to the survey, because he claimed to be in need of all of the extra credit he could get.

Gina (18, F): The final female participant to arrive was a white girl with short, black hair and dark-rimmed glasses. Upon entering the conference room, Gina quickly folded her arms. Her introductory survey was clear as to why. She seemed to view herself as martyr, taking part in this "exploitation" (and earning some extra credit in the process) so that other women wouldn’t have to. Gina was short (5'1) and curvy but quite a bit overweight. She wore a black leather jacket, black jeans, and a thin mouth stuck in a defiant line.

Once the last participant had checked in, I quickly moved to the conference room door, locking it and inwardly cringing at the connotations of that action. I didn't want anyone barging in, but it also gave the event an unintended sinister feeling.

Me: I think it's a good idea for us to break the ice with some introductions. So let's go around the room and each of you say your first name, how you feel about being here today, and how you plan to use the rest of your Sunday afternoon once we're done here.

I gestured to Robert to start us off, and then the group went around the circle, which I had taken care to arrange by alternating gender.

Robert: I'm Robert. I'm a bit nervous to be here, I guess, but it's nothing I can't handle. And once I'm done here, I plan to spend the rest of the day with my wife and our son.

The last answer drew an "Aww" from Ryen.

Ryen: Hi everyone, I'm Ryen. I'm honestly terrified to be here.

She giggled as she said that last part.

Ryen: And, I guess, when I'm done here, I'll go back to my dorm and relax and watch some TV.

Mike: Hi, I'm Mike, and I'm pretty excited to be here. When this is over, I plan to watch some football. But I'm open to other ideas.

He quickly added that last part and began giving meaningful looks to the female members of the circle, who seemed less than enthusiastic at the prospect.

Danielle: Hi, I'm Danielle. I'm pretty nervous to be here, but it's also kind of exciting I guess. I like that I'm going to get to be in a real sociology experiment. Oh, and when we're done today, I have to study for a history quiz.

Brian: Hi guys... I'm Brian. I'm kinda nervous too. When this is over, I plan to watch a couple movies in my dorm.

Gina: I'm Gina. I guess I don't mind being here so far. But when we're done, I'm gonna need a long shower.

Mike: Me too.

That drew laughter from nearly everyone (including me). Gina, however, merely rolled her eyes.

Me: Okay, as you all know, the point of today's experiments will be to explore each of your attitudes toward nudity, particularly being naked in front of your peers. To that end, I've prepared a few potential experiments. Each of the experiments is written on a note card in this lovely bag.

I held up a brown paper bag.

Me: So now, we're going to draw the first card and conduct our first experiment.