The following is an actual account of the deviance project I had to do for my Social Problems class. No names were changed, I care not for the innocent For my (specific) act of deviance, I chose to make up an organization and then raise funds for it at the east entrance of the South Shore Mall. I called my organization the Hooter’s Breast Augmentation Fund for the Advancement of Equal Opportunity Employment (flyer attached). Equipped with a collection bucket, 75 flyers, and my wingman for the assignment, Daniel, I started approaching any person who entered the mall from my entrance between five and seven Saturday evening, pleading for assistance with my “very noble cause.” Of course when one acts deviantly one must dress the part. My manner of dress for this particular outing included a child medium sized polo shirt with “Skeyecandy” written on it, low rise jeans, stiletto heels, and enough jewelry to set off the metal detector at LaGuardia and JFK at the same time. There were several norms which I violated during the experiment. The most obvious is the interpretation of what a charitable organization is. Most people would not consider getting breast implants for women so they can be exploited a noble cause. Furthermore, some of the people I approached with my flyers are not ones who would normally support such a cause- elderly women and mothers with their kids. By involving Dan in the project, I also violated the norms of what would be considered a “normal platonic relationship.” Finally, I violated the mall rules, which clearly state that soliciting and fundraising without the express permission of the mall is prohibited. Also, after two hours passed, I decided to leave the remainder of the flyers on the counter of the Friendly’s, next to the kids’ menus. The reactions I received in response to my actions were mixed. When approached, the majority of people were wont to ignore me, not because of my cause, but because I was raising money. Some people who did listen reacted in the extremes. One man offered to give a large amount of money to the cause. A teenager laughed and screamed “boobies” and then made a request I will not include in this paper. One woman claimed she could not donate to the cause because she too was saving up for “a lift.” My personal favorite response was that of a woman exiting the Old Country Buffet. She said {sic} “You mean like fake titties or something? Hellz no, let ‘em sag like mine do.” In regards to the mall, we seemed to be stalked by mall security, even after we gave up the deviance and decided to go window shopping. In regards to Dan, there were very few implications aside from awkward silences within the conversation that ensued the next time we met. Possibly more disturbing than the actual responses, however, was the latent learning experience I underwent. I found out that, of the 135 people/groups I approached, the majority did not understand what the word “augmentation” meant. I ended up giving a vocabulary lesson to 14 of the 15 people who tried to actually give me money. When offered money, I forced to explain the actual purpose of my actions. Most people also don’t know what the word “deviant” means. Overall, the assignment was a good experience. It allowed me to act out a bit, something sorely needed as I approach the final stretch in my high school career. I got to see how different groups react to the out of ordinary. I do wish had picked something else to do, as my act is seemingly less deviant and more ridiculous upon reflection. Overall, though, it was a very fruitful venture from which I learned a lot. I think our next assignment should be deviant acts as a group.