The expansion of the “hooking-up” era on college campuses has been drastically increased in recent years. In the book, Hooking Up – Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus, Kathleen A. Bogle explores the new sexual culture though real life stories and interviews of college aged students. Once centered on the initial concept of the “calling” script, many young people have chosen to adopt this script of “hooking-up”. In this paper, I will define the concept of “hooking-up”, explore the social forces of its emergence, and introduce the several connections between gender and social behavior expectations in today’s day and age.
In recent years, the exact definition of the term “hooking-up” has been one that has puzzled many individuals. According to Bogle, the reason for this is that the definition of the term can be different for each person. Based upon an interview with Tony, a senior at a state university, the term “hooking-up” can be defined by many as “having sex”. Others, such as her interview with Trent, can reveal this term as also referring to something less than sexual intercourse, such as “kissing” or “making out”. After Boyle’s research, she can conclude, “you cannot be sure precisely what someone means when he or she reports having “hooked-up” unless you ask a follow-up question to see how much sexual activity took place.” As a senior at a public state university, I would I would define the term of “hooking-up” as referring to a committing any sexual act with another individual based upon my experiences in college. This would include any form of sexual intercourse, but exclude acts such as kissing. The fluidity of this term allows the defining properties of “hooking-up” to cover a large spectrum of sexual and non-sexual...
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...e country. As seen throughout the reading, defining the concept of “hooking-up” has proven to be a difficult task that can be done only on an individual basis. Exploring the social forces of its emergence and the several connections between gender and social behavior expectations in today’s day and age has allowed me to become well informed on the subject of hook-up culture. From the information provided in her interviews college students, Bogle allows the reader to glean a clear perspective from those within the hook-up culture. I feel that her interpretation and method of introducing the hook-up culture and the many factors surrounding this new sexual era is not only very relevant in today’s society, but also for future generations to come.
Works Cited
Bogle, Kathleen A. Hooking Up: Sex, Dating, and Relationships on Campus. New York: New York UP, 2008. Print.
Donna Freitas “Time to Stop Hooking Up. (You Know You Want to.)” First appeared as an editorial in the Washington Post in 2013. In this essay Freitas aims to convince her readers that hooking up may seem easy and less stress than a real relationship, but in reality they become unhappy, confused, and unfulfilled in their sex life. “Hookups are all about throwing off the bonds of relationships and dating for carefree sex” personal experience, compare and contrast are a few techniques Freitas skillfully uses to strong convincing essay.
The continuation of romantic friendships at all women’s colleges is greatly attributed to the freedom of choice, as described by psychologist Carla Golden. This is in contrast to Helen Horowitz’s account of a linked erotic element to all women’s college traditions. With evidence such as the photos found in the Sweet Briar Archives and the personal testimony of Dr. Sally Miller Gearhart, the dynamic of the public vs. private pedestal must be considered when applying McCandless’ pedestal theory to the social like at Sweet Briar College. Faculty and students alike continued in romantic friendships well beyond Wilks’ findings at Barnard College, though they were not publicly discussed. This is greatly attributed to Sweet Briar’s ability to distinguish what is deemed “private” and what is “public.” Sweet Briar College, though never publicly addressing the issue, provided a safe environment for women to continue exploring their sexuality. Therefore, this evidence supports an extension to McCandless’ original pedestal timeline of 1920 -1940. There is no evidence that the administration ever rebuked this type of behavior, but rather warned their students of the dangers they could face beyond the gates of Sweet Briar. The evidence shows just a few degrees of separation between the relationships and romantic
Conor Kelly argues in her article, “Sexism in Practice: Feminist Ethics Evaluating the Hookup Culture” that the hookup culture is sexist and disempowers women. Although, he mentions it is difficult to define “hooking up” but majority of the students will agree that it involves “some level of sexual activity without the constraints and expectations of a relationship” (Kelly 65). In other words, when two people have casual sex with no strings attached, when they both finish they both can go on with their lives without
In the essay by Vanderkam, she says that hook ups “have all but replaced dating at most colleges” (Vanderkam 345). Some support that she uses when proving this was that she said “only half of the women .. had been on six or more dates...a third had been on no more than two” (Vanderkam 345). This shows that this is not just some fad that some kids at colleges are trying to start but rather it is something that is already implemented and has affected most college students. In the short story, Jackson was explaining how all of the citizens were coming together for the lottery when she said “The other boys soon followed his example” after she had saw one boy who had picked up some stones on the way to the lottery. Later in the day after the selection process of the lottery had been completed a person from the crowd yelled “Come on, come on, everyone” (Jackson 1243). Both of these quotes show how quickly the citizens are to listen to and follow the actions of other people. These qualities have even been taught to the children. These two texts show how people are quick to follow the lead of another and that stems down to the younger generation which means that the trait of following will only continue to grow. Also in the essay, Vanderkam said that hook ups have “pervade[d] college culture” (345). This shows
As stated in the book, “college students have much to teach about sex” (8). That is because the values, ideologies, and worldviews of the students are representative of greater American culture. Although flawed, hookup culture on American campuses hold the possibility of accepting a culture of inclusivity, care, pleasure, and freedom while also rejecting predatory behavior, racism, classism, and abuse. Dismissing hookup culture all together is blind to the reality that young adults are going to have sex, and since sex is non-negotiable, one’s aim should be to foster open dialogue and critical thought onto a future where everyone enjoys the ability to freely explore sexuality, sex, and gender on their own
In reaction to the media’s numerous stigmas around college hookup culture in recent years, sociologists and psychologists have begun to investigate adolescent and young adult hookups more systematically. In “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women?” by Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Laura Hamilton and Paula England, this issue is addressed through a reaction to previous articles from sources on opposite sides. One side of the argument over sexual activity for young women places them at risk of “low self esteem, depression, alcoholism, and eating disorders,” while the other side argues that the underlying issue is the “moral panic over casual sex.” This issue has been seen by many as a “sudden and alarming change in youth sexual culture,” but systematic research has shown that experiences of young women in college
Sander, Libby. "The Chronicle of Higher Education: Students Try to Break Taboo Around Social Class on Campus." BATTEN CONNECTION. ( ): n. page. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. .
Donna Freitas in The End of Sex gives her thoughts on how hookup culture is affecting specifically college students. Her judgment comes out of a space where she wants, “to empower them (participants in hookups) to seek the kinds of relationships they want…” (16). Though her perspective comes from a good place, her argument has points that are shaming, archaic, dismissive, and one sided. Her argument seems to be that of a pro-woman stance at times, neglecting one of the key feminism ideals of choice. Freitas uses patriarchal arguments to back up her ideas, tarnishing her perspectives that come off as woman empowering. The book, The End of Sex, neglects to be conscious of female independence
According to the article “Tinder and the Dawn of the “Dating Apocalypse,’” “People used to meet their partners through proximity, through family and friends, but now Internet meeting is surpassing every other form” (Sales). Jo Sales’ point is that the Internet is overtaking other ways of meeting a partner. In the past, the way of finding one’s potential partner was through family members, but now society is moving in the direction of using the Internet as a way to find their partners. Students in college provided a great amount of information regarding hookup culture, which supported Jo Sales arguments. According to Martin Monto and Anna Carey, “Current research and the popular media have claimed that the hookup culture is a widespread phenomenon that has replaced traditional dating...” (Monto and Carey 606). In making this comment, traditional relationships that were once said to be loving and caring have moved to sexual activity called hookups. Research shows how hookup culture has overtaken the roots of traditional dating and will continue to expand in the future. The study shows how college students were involved in one-night stands frequently knowing that they do not want to build a long lasting relationship. Traditional dating in the past formed stable relationships, and the idea of hookup culture was not even a topic of discussion. Questions
Hooking up on a college campus has its positives and negatives. First off men benefit more from hooking up than women do. Women benefit more from traditional dating. The article “To Hook Up or Date: Which Gender Benefits?” by Carolyn Bradshaw, Arnold S. Kahn, and Bryan K. Saville explains how men benefit from hooking up and how women benefit from traditional dating. It explains the consequences of hooking up and the consequences of traditional dating. Hooking up has become so popular on college campuses that it has become the norm. In the article it explained how both genders have a similar ideas to hooking up as well as similar ideas to traditional dating. Both genders said hooking up is more popular than traditional dating because there is no commitment to continue the relationship. You meet a stranger at a party and if there is alcohol involved it makes the “hooking up” an easier process. You then start flirting with the stranger and engage in sexual behavior whether it is kissing or having sex. Traditional dating does have its benefits as well because you have the feeling of being liked/loved and also your partner is a friend to share happy moments with. The article did mentioned that both genders wanted a traditional date if you knew the other person had the same feelings for you.
Since the dawn of man, sex has played a crucial role in society. Before they learned to read or write humans were engaging in sex and without it none of us would be here. In today’s society, sex has grown to become much more complicated. If I were to ask a group of people on the street what they believed sex was? I bet they would have a hard time answering. The question puzzling society today is how do we define sex? Can we define sex? These are questions raised in Tracy Steele’s article “Doing it: The Social Construction of S-E-X”. This article is about the current questions and issues that have been raised about sex within today’s society. In this paper I will summarize the key points of the article, while sharing my own thoughts and opinions of Steele’s findings.
Taylor, Kate. “Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too”. The New York Times, July 12, 2013. Web.
... what he’s doing. Copulating too would be inaccurate, because it would imply two people and only one is involved. Nor does rape cover it: nothing is going on here that I haven’t signed up for,” (Atwood Handmaid’s 94). Although she remembers a time when sex meant more, for Offred that time is almost nothing more than a memory.
...ve begins generating rumors for male peers who do not qualify as a stereotypical male. For instance, Olive pretends to have sex with a male peer during a popular house party (Gluck, 2010). This imaginary hook-up benefits the male peer’s bullying dilemma. Again, gender policing occurs between men when masculinity is questioned (Kimmel, 2008). “One survey found that most Americans boys would be rather be punched in the face than called gay” (Kimmel, 2000, p.77). The gender police govern Olive’s and the male peer’s status in social standings. America’s obsession with sex disregards if a girl truly sleeps around.
Paul, E. L., & Hayes, K. A. (2002). The casualties of “casual” sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookups. Journal of personal and Social Relationships, 19, 639-661.