Hook up culture does away with dating

Last Thursday, Boston College students gathered to discuss the social culture. The discussion, titled "The Hook-up Generation: The Connection Between Hooking Up and How It Makes Us Feel about Our Bodies," was part of BC's Love Your Body Week, co-sponsored by the Women's Resource Center and women's studies department, and coordinated by Mari Knuth-Bouracee, LSOE '09, and Amanda Read, LSOE '09.

The panel was led by Mary Troxell, professor in the philosophy department, and Pamela Lannutti, professor in the communications department. "We want this to be a discussion that everyone is involved in, in which we listen to others' opinions on the issue," Lannutti said. Students discussed several aspects of the hook-up culture and what trends and social norms had contributed to their generation being deemed the hook-up generation.

The panel said there are two ways to define hooking up. The first interpreted the practice more neutrally than the latter, which defined hooking up as, "When two people agree to engage in sexual behavior for which there is no future."

Some felt that this was not an equitable definition of hooking up, and did not reflect what truly occurs within the hook-up culture. "I know a lot of relationships that have started with a hook-up. Dating has disappeared with the introduction of the hook-up, so hooking up has become a way to initiate relationships," said Rachel Wojciechowski, LSOE '10.

Other students felt that because of the unsteady, unpredictable nature of a hook-up, honest emotions and the basis for a healthy relationship were compromised. They felt that the hook-up culture had socialized many members of their generation to go against their instinct of equating emotions and responsibility with sexual encounters, as having casual sex is now considered socially acceptable by many. It was here that they agreed the feelings of "being used" most often associated with hooking up arise.

While different opinions existed on the long-term social effects of hooking up, many present said that it was a detrimental social habit that held negative consequences in terms of body image and self-esteem for women. "As females, we immediately hold it against ourselves if someone does not want to hook up with us," Troxell said.

Some said that these detrimental societal standards exist for both genders. "I feel like there are expectations for guys just like there are for women. For example, if a guy wanted to take a girl out a on date, his friends might ask him why he isn't just hooking up with her," said Emily Wilson, A&S '10.

"In our society, I feel like gender roles and preconceived notions have become such a huge part in the concept of a date, that it is hard for either gender to use the date as a means of getting to know someone anymore," said Brynn Huguenel, A&S '12.

Lannutti spoke of a study she had recently read that dealt with how distorted the tradition of dating had become due to gender roles. "The study dealt with female-initiated dating, and participants were given a scenario: a girl meets a guy and asks him to go to movie that weekend. They asked both men and women to read the story and associate characteristics. Men immediately associated the fact that this woman must be unattractive because she was asking a man on a date," Lannutti said.

Other factors that some students said contributed to the perpetuation of the hook-up culture include the media and a social dependency on alcohol. "I believe that alcohol plays a large role in the hook-up culture, which is a big reason why it's so attractive to and prevalent among college students," Huguenel said. "Hooking up is an American phenomenon because the drinking culture is an American phenomenon," Troxell said.

"The media tends to promote loose sexual morals, and that becomes a part of what we value as well. I think that its potentially dangerous for people with low self-esteem that are trying to seek affirmation," Wojciechowski said. "In society, there is now a skewed perception of what it means for a woman to be powerful. It is reflected in the way that she dresses and the unlimited number of sexual partners she has. I definitely think that that is prevalent on BC's campus," Wilson said.

Students also discussed reasons why they felt the hook-up culture should be rectified. "There is this idea that if you don't hook up you are outside of the dominant culture, which can make you feel bad about yourself. If you do hook up, you can be judged by men and women and stereotyped, which can also make you feel bad," Lannutti said. "Hooking up is continuing a stereotype of our generation, and I believe we need to change this," Huguenel said.

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