How themed parties and dress codes bridge gender imbalances in Beijing

Last month, I attended a “Mad Men” party at a friend’s penthouse in the CBD. He served Gordon’s Gin and Cutty Sark Whiskey, discouraged dancing and encouraged chain-smoking. Everything about the evening suggested a testosterone-dominated affair, and yet, miraculously, women showed up en masse.

With over 110 men for every 100 women, China knows a little something about gender imbalance. Yet, the party was proof of one great truth: There is no protection against a sausage fest greater than a dress code. “Nothing adds to the excitement like an excuse to wear a costume or party dress,” explains Beijing socialite Emma Starks. Bei Da student Mariel Goddu phrased it a differently: “It’s about having an excuse to look really slutty.”

For most men, no theme is needed beyond “open bar.” However, that’s hardly irresistible for Beijing’s women. “Girls need more than a promise of good company, the incentive of fun and gift of intoxication to go out,” says Santana Wulsin. “They need to dress up. I assume this is tied to their genetic need to accumulate outfits and a vast stockpile of shoes they will never wear again.”

So, what then are the best themes? “There is a range of important criteria,” explains Goddu. “You want something that photographs well. You want looks that girls have wanted to try, but have thought socially unacceptable … Essentially, any party planning must begin by asking, what will this theme enable girls to wear?”

While there is surely a great range of intriguing party premises, one should be avoided at all costs: the Debauchery Party. “Never throw one. Never go to one. Never look at pictures from a debauchery party on Facebook,” advised one respondent who asked not to be named. “The word ‘debauchery’ is a magnet for ugly people. It’s like being in a sea of overweight theatre tech girls all pretending they are extras in Moulin Rouge.”

Jonathan Haagen