Spring break. That annual pilgrimage to somewhere sunny for teens and college students that kind of resembles a drunken orgy. I never went to Cancun or Hawaii, but I did go to Panama City one year in high school for spring break. We called Panama City "The Redneck Riviera"…and believe me it was. Northern Florida is in many ways more southern than parts of the deep south. We mostly hung out on the beach, got too sunburned and drank/tried to meet boys at night. I never participated in any bikini or wet t-shirt contests, but I did go parasailing for the first time.

Jezebel has an interesting post about an L.A. Times column observing that the young women participating in the annual spring break raunch are spinning it as a confidence builder.

"One word I heard again and again, oddly, was 'confidence,'" writes Daum."'If I can be considered hot here, I'll be hot anywhere,' a rather morose woman sitting on a bar stool in a bikini and high heels told me. 'I'm here to get confident.'"

As they psyched themselves up for wet T-shirt contests or debated whether a given guy was worth flirting with, a lot of women told me that they saw spring break as the proving ground for their attractiveness.

Love Jezebel's point:

Is a woman who participates in the drunken hook-ups, wet T-shirt contests, body shots and other Spring Break events just celebrating being young, free and proud of her body? Or is she tragically falling victim to the age-old standard, that of a woman's worth being directly tied to her appearance?

Confidence has become an easy catchall-excuse for everything from dyeing hair blonde to nose jobs and breast implants. We're living in a world with so much pop psychology and issues related to self esteem that it's almost as if, as long as you feel better, whatever you're doing to get there is okay! But what of confidence gained through intelligence, talent, skill or bravery? Isn't there intense pride in working with what you've got (small nose, obesity gene, flat chest, mousy brown hair)?

And, seeing as how most of these women are working with liquid courage, aka alcohol: What's the difference between being "confident" on Spring Break and being plain-old drunk and promiscuous?

In other spring break research, Peanut Labs surveyed students about their plans this year and found:

- Increased gas prices will keep 49 percent of Gen-Y respondents from going away for this year's Spring Break.

- The tropical beaches of Hawaii splash into the dream-trip selection of 39 percent of Gen-Y respondents surveyed.

- Young Americans would also enjoy spending their Spring Break overseas; Europe was chosen by 31 percent of the respondents as their dream Spring Break vacation.

What spring break anthem will they be belting out at the top of their lungs?

- Out of a selection of top-selling singles in March, 37 percent of Gen-Yers surveyed chose "Please Don't Stop the Music" by Def Jam recording artist Rihanna.

- From the movie "Step Up 2 the Streets," "Low" by Flo Rida was chosen as the second-most popular song by 29 percent of the 13-25 year olds surveyed.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.