Breaching Experiment: Buying Condoms

Catherine Ang      February 24, 2015

Sherry Gonida  Emily Roque

Janica Ng

Kimberly Tan

SA 21 - E

Breaching Experiment: Buying Condoms

1. What norm did you violate?

The  norm that we deviated from is that girls shouldn’t be wearing clothes that are too revealing and neither should they be the ones buying condoms.

2. Describe the breaching experiment in detail. What was the activity? Where did you do it?

For the activity, the group went to the supermarket and drugstore in Sta. Lucia Mall and Trinoma, where 2 of our groupmates went around looking for condoms. The rest of the members served as observers and were in charge of documenting the reactions through the use of a camera phone. To see whether there would be a different reaction, one of our groupmates wore revealing clothes, while the other wore decent clothes. Cathy, who wore revealing clothes, walked around the supermarket looking for the condom section, and proceeded to buy them, while Sherry went to the drugstore to buy condoms.

The group decided to conduct the activity in two different malls - Sta. Lucia Mall and Trinoma to show and determine whether there will be a different reaction between the various social classes situated in these two malls.

3. What were the different reactions of the people? Why do you think they acted this way?

Sta. Lucia Mall: As expected by the group, many males responded in a perverted way, whistle-calling and staring Cathy up and down. Male supermarket personnel even made perverted comments about her and one customer stayed around her to stare at her more. In the bathroom, right before going outside to start the experiment, the janitor whistled at her and called her “chicks”. One guard asked for her age. When she asked for condoms from a saleslady, the male salesman asked why she didn’t ask him instead. After their conversation, the observers overheard the saleslady saying “Grabe bata bata pa, bumibili na ng condom” to the other salespersons.

Females in the mall were less perverted but rather more judgemental. They stared at her making a face that seemed to show disgust and disapproval. Others seem to judge her fashion style and overall appearance.

As for Sherry’s case, the woman beside her also gave her a judgemental stare upon overhearing her asking for condoms to the salesman. On the other hand, the saleslady also had a shocked reaction on her face when Sherry asked for a box of condoms.

Trinoma: Upon entering the supermarket, many of the guards and male supermarket personnels were staring at Cathy in a perverted manner. There were only a few female citizens who reacted to the way she dressed. Most of the citizens that we had passed by did not seem to mind the way she dressed, and most of the reactions were from the staff employees in the supermarket. Overall, there were much less reactions gathered in Trinoma than in Sta. Lucia Mall.

4. Aside from the norms, what sociological themes are at play for people to react in a certain way?

Sex, which is a private topic, is usually not shown in public. While buying condoms do not directly connote sexual acts, people would still get the hint when they see someone buying condoms that the person will have sex sooner or later. Cathy, having a young face while wearing a provocative outfit, showed a young, possibly underaged girl who was implied to go have sexual intercourse with a partner at such a young age. While this is common in some cultures, it is still frowned upon for being “improper.”

Based on the reactions that we have gathered, it also shows how Filipinos still have ideals such as maintaining a conservative lifestyle. However, the experiment showed that women must follow a certain “dress code” to avoid being called a slut or being harassed by men.

Aside from that, the different reactions shown between the two malls also suggest that social class plays a role in this experiment. Since Sta. Lucia Mall is an area where people are not that well off, while Trinoma is more sophisticated, it suggests a possibility that people from the upper class are either indifferent or used to people wearing provocative clothing. Hence, there were much less reactions from the people in Trinoma.

5. How did you feel when you did this experiment? How does it feel to deviate from the norms? Were you hesitant to do the activity?

Sherry: Deviating from our chosen norm was definitely quite an embarrassing experience for me. During the experiment, I felt as if everyone around me was silently judging me and thinking that I was a “slut” or a “whore”, even though I was wearing clothes people would normally consider very conservative. I was very hesitant in doing the experiment since I myself don’t believe that it is proper for women to buy condoms (since it is the men who will be wearing them anyway). Aside from this, I think it is quite embarrassing being the one to buy a condom, since it highly suggests that I would be doing the deed sooner or later.

Cathy: Let me begin by saying that, this activity was definitely a new experience for me. As we were doing the experiment, I tried to simply ignore the people who were reacting because showing signs of weakness would give us away. I honestly tried my best to hide my embarrassment by channeling my inner VSFS angel and thinking “W.W.O.P.D” (What would Olive Penderghast Do)  

Deviating from the norms for me, although a little exciting, was actually very embarrassing. (Especially when I asked the saleslady where the condoms  were  and she proceeded to ask her co-workers out loud about it.) It felt refreshing to dress and act like someone different because you get to see things from a new perspective. From this experiment, I have come to realize how closed minded I am as a person, as I would be one of those people who would be giving the “slutty girl” the stink-eye.

I did not hesitate in proceeding with the activity; it was actually my group mates who wanted me to not push through with it due to the fact that we found our first respondent in the safety of the ladies’ bathroom. (I got catcalled by a male janitor who happened to pass by as we were preparing in the ladies’ comfort room) I would be lying if I told you that the responses I got shocked me. I knew from the beginning that I would get hundreds of negative reactions, what surprised me the most about this experiment was that the outfit I wore would be seen as acceptable, even normal, in places I would normally go to like school and yet, I got so much attention from it in a different setting.

6. Other observations/analysis

After the experiment, the group had decided to inform the salespersons and respondents in both supermarkets and drugstores about the activity to clear up any misunderstanding and also to interview their initial reactions.

Sta. Lucia Mall:

Saleslady (supermarket): “Medyo nagulat lang ako noong tinanong ako kung saan makabili ng condoms kasi hindi naman ako in charge doon. At napatingin din ako kasi parang masyadong  bata ka pa eh.”

Woman who was beside Sherry (drug store): “Nagulat at nagtataka lang ako noong naghahanap ka ng isang box ng condom. Napaisip ako kung bakit ang dami mong condoms bibilhin.”

Trinoma:

Saleslady (drug store): “Napatingin din ako, pero medyo nasanay na rin ako dahil marami rin bumibili ng condoms dito.”