By Sora Hwang, News Correspondent
While encouraging his audience to try on a variety of metaphorical thongs, Welcome Week speaker Harlan Cohen enlightened over 250 students on how easy it can be to meet new people in college – while sober.
Cohen, a Chicago native and a New York Times bestselling author, gave a presentation on Sept. 7 in Blackman Auditorium entitled “Getting Naked: Five Steps to Finding the Love of Your Life (While Fully Clothed and Totally Sober).”
The event, sponsored by the Office of Prevention and Education at Northeastern (O.P.E.N.), Panhellenic Council and the Interfraternity Council, centered around Cohen’s latest book of the same title, published in 2012.
“If you’re single, I can help you get lucky. I swear to you,” Cohen said to the audience in his opening remarks.
After admitting that he knew meeting people in daylight and above the influence can be frightening, Cohen proceeded to make his way through the audience, jumping off the stage to approach students. Throughout the night, he put on many hats – speaker, comedian and matchmaker.
“It was interesting. A few questions caught me off guard,” said Matt Kimball, a sophomore physical therapy major who was questioned by Cohen, selected because he was among the single members of the audience.
“You meet someone, you hook up. If there’s alcohol, it happens faster,” Cohen said to the crowd.
Cohen listed off several universally accepted statements, such as sharing feelings is stupid, everyone is defective, hooking up is easier than dating because it happens anywhere at any time, and love is hard.
The audience nodded in agreement as Cohen stated what each gender thinks of the other: men are pigs and women are crazy.
All of these things push students away from commitment, but trying to get any closer to finding a relationship means accepting themselves first, Cohen said. This was a process he titled “Training in a Thong.”
Cohen told each audience member to picture themselves standing in front of a mirror in a tight thong. The trick, he said, is being completely comfortable with what is in the reflection after taking away any distractions, like organizations, jobs and classes.
“Learn to love the things you can’t change or change the things you can’t love,” said Cohen, explaining the metaphor to the audience.
His personal struggle had been accepting his big ears, which he eventually came to love because they made him different. Once an individual is comfortable with him or herself, Cohen promised he or she would be able to approach anyone in broad daylight without a problem.
Part of the training included an “emotional thong.” While imagining themselves in this thong, Cohen wanted every member of the audience to get rid of the idea of someone being out of his or her league.
“Who created this league? I want to know,” said the author before reminding each student it was in his or her own head.
Lastly, Cohen said that having a fit “spiritual thong” means having a life outside of the romantic relationship. Cohen shared personal experiences that made him realize the importance of having other things going on besides life with his significant other.
He encouraged everyone to go meet as many people as they could and be friends with anyone they found interesting. In Cohen’s words, anything with anyone is possible in this “Mecca of opportunity.”
Cohen presented what he called the Universal Rejection Truth of Dating and Relationships – “Thousands of people will want you. Millions will not.”
Because of this, Cohen emphasized the importance of giving people “permission to not want you.” This way, staying friends is an option and no questions are left unanswered.
“A beautiful relationship is when you help each other feel comfortable in your thongs, but let each other live in a world of options,” Cohen said.
