One of the Boys: Female Midshipman Climbs to the Top of the Herdon Monument

Last week, photos of the annual Naval Academy tradition where midshipmen pile shirtless on top of each other to try to reach the top of a lubricated pole known as the Herdon Monument went viral.

I posted photos of the event last year, but what caught my attention his year was seeing a female midshipman amongst the crowd of hunky boys. Last year when I blogged about this, I thought briefly about female midshipmen and whether they participated in this ridiculously homoerotic tradition. I’m glad to see that this year the ladies were represented atop of the human pyramid. You go, girl.

Hunky Navy Boys Work Their Way Up a Lubricated Phallic Symbol

Before a boy can be considered a man he must strip down to his shorts and climb on top of other boys to reach the peak of a slippery tower. That’s been the tradition at the Annapolis Naval Academy. Who knew teamwork and discipline could be so… gay?

Each year, the freshman class at the prestigious navy school comes together to climb the Herndon (hard on?) Monument covered in lard just for the special occasion. The goal is to use pure bodily strength and replace a sailor hat on top with that of an officer’s.

After the task is completed, the boys get hosed down for some celebratory waterworks.

Photos: BuzzFeed, The Washington Post

BOY TOYS TALK BACK: Why must military traditions be so blatantly homoerotic?