Look Out for Hook-Ups!

By Malissa Osei

Ah, the teenage years.  The age of hooking up!

Since when did hooking up become the rule rather then the exception on college campuses? Apparently “going steady” has been in steady decline among adolescents and young adults since the onset of the millennium. It’s no wonder that by the end of my first semester of college, the social scene was turned into an awkward web of who had hooked up with whom the week before…and who those people were seen with a week later! With tunes like “Promiscuous Girl” blaring over radios and T.V. screens across the country, the decline of monogamy has become commonplace in American culture.  It makes one stop for a moment to ask—whatever happened to dating?

In search for an answer, I talked with several local college students about why they feel courtship has waned while the “hook up” reigns (when referring to a hook up, we are including anything from an innocent first base to hitting it out of the ballpark). Katrina, a third year nursing student at Fordham University in New York, commented, “Guys feel there is no need to date.  Hook-ups get you straight to the point, so, why bother with a date?” When it comes to this response, she is not alone. In a recent survey conducted by the Institute of American Values, only 50% percent of college girls reported being asked out on dates by their male peers, but let’s not pass the blame only to the guys. When it comes to the “hook up culture,” girls are not merely going with the flow. In fact, plenty of girls relish in the idea of having a steamy encounter. Why?

The reasons are not too clear.  Could it possibly be that when confronted with the freedom of a college campus, young women feel an urge to take social risks?  Is the prospect of hundreds, maybe thousands, of other curious young classmates and partygoers too tempting?  Do some just want to keep their options open before making an eventual commitment in a healthy relationship? For young women, the appeal to hooking up may also be an attempt to gain control of their own sexuality through sexual conquest, a desire for sexual exploration, or maybe, the 1980s icon, Cindy Lauper had it right—girls just want to have fun!  Sabrina, a junior at the University of Massachusetts, shared that “College is a time for self discovery and after being in high school for four years it can be, for some girls, a sexual awakening.”

This article is by no means written to condemn or shame those who choose to have guilt-free sex. Women have come a long way in redefining the sexual norms imposed by society. This article is meant to remind us all that although it’s exciting to explore, it’s just as exciting to wait until you’re truly ready to explore your sexuality with someone special.  The important advice here is:  Do not do anything you’re not comfortable doing just because everyone else seems to be doing it!  We must try to avoid creating a social environment whereby young people feel the pressure to seek out a fling instead of a real relationship.  There are still many girls and boys out there who opt to have committed relationships or who put limits to what they are willing to do at a certain age.  There are even those who wait for the right person to come along, sometimes waiting for marriage to fully explore their sexual curiosity.  In the end, no matter what lifestyle you choose—remember—be safe, healthy, and happy.