Dating : Hookup Culture

The newest generation seems to be obsessed with hooking up- but why? And how has it become so easy?

It’s a Tuesday night and I’m laying on my twin bed in my 200 square foot dorm room. Midnight in Manhattan is just as loud as noon- if not louder. Sirens from the hospital around the corner fill the room through the dirty cracked open window in the corner. I see my friend check her phone, then get up and sit herself in front of the mirror. She begins applying BB cream to her face in small pats.

I look at her questioningly. “Where are you going?”

She continues dabbing, “ I have a dick appointment Uptown”

Ah.

This was not odd behavior. In fact, this was the norm for college kids my age, and interactions like this between my friends and I were quite common. I began to wonder why though. When did hooking up become so normal? So casual? So easy.

Back in the 90s hooking up was prevalant, but it wasn’t as simple as it is today. Popular shows at the time like Sex and the City presented it as a process; dressing up, going out, flirting, and finally, bringing that person home. It was a series of steps, it took effort, and you had to actually try.

With the advancement of technology came the advancement of hookup culture. Suddenly you had your iPhone to facilitate all the long boring pre-hookup games you had to play to get laid. And, even better, you didn’t even have to leave the comfort your house (or tiny dorm room).

And then there’s dating apps. Well intentioned, but not typically used by college-aged people for their intended purpose. In fact, in a study about how people engage in relationship behaviors through Tinder, more than half the participants said they associated the app with hooking up rather than dating or meeting up. And while Tinder is certainly a popular app for faciliating hookups it’s not the only one- countless of other dating apps are used for the same purpose.

Ok, so people are hooking up a lot. And?

There’s nothing wrong with hooking up. Sexual expression is good, healthy even. But there are some concerns, and things we should be talking about more often.

The CDC has found that STDs are on the rise– and people ages 15–24 are laregely accountble for these numbers. It seems as though through the haze of one night stands people are forgetting about their safety and health, perhaps even blatantly ignoring it. The dangers of these unsafe practices need to be spoken about more, and colleges should implelent programs to do so. Giving out condoms just isn’t enough- not anymore.

Physical dangers aside- the mental consequence of hookups is also prevalent. With the rise of casual hookups comes the rise of sexual assault. Drugs, alcohol, and other contraband make consent difficult to decipher and also makes it east to prey on those who are impaired. The FBI’S Crime Reporting program found an almost 20% increase in reported rapes from 2014 to 2017- an alarming jump.

Hooking up is great. Expressing yourself is even better. But we need to acknowledge the problems that can come with it- and address them. No more skirting around the issue.

It’s time to buckle down on the issue of hooking up.