Ana Zuniga

Professor Cohen
SOCI 1301-WC3
16 June 2016
Hookup Culture
The hookup culture has dramatically changed the existence of relationships among adults.
People are more concerned about themselves then about finding a partner and getting married.
The twenty-first century has changed the way that people view others, we have slowly began to
treat each other as mere objects. The idea of romanticism has slowly dissipated and transformed
into this new idea of casual sex. Men see women as a prey, they dont want anything serious with
them. As for women, the freedom that they possess now has allowed them to be more
adventurous.
There are many consequences for the hookup culture, lets examine women. The feminist
movement has allowed more empowerment towards women. Now there is more desire to be
successful, to look for a better future and seek a college degree. Whereas before women were
confined to their homes, now they have the opportunity to thrive in the world. women in college
calculate that having a relationship would be like a four-credit class, and they dont always have
time for it, so they opt for a lighter hookup (Rosin 10). Meaning that there are no strings
attached, and that the hookup would just merely be for fun. However, there is also consequences
for behaving in such ways. Some part of society sees these behaviors as immoral and corrupt,
and that women are not being respectful to their bodies. Yet, who are we to blame if everyone is
responsible for themselves and the actions that they commit. Young women often find
relationships with men to be distracting; hooking up for fun is one easy way to protect their own
education and career paths (Wade 1). Since women are more encouraged to seek an education
there is no need to get married at an early age, and much less depend on the salary of their men.
A casual hookup will give women the excitement they need from sex, while allowing them to

Zuniga 2
freely decide that the relationship will not go further than just a casual encounter. Yet, this is a
problem for many women, because they could lose their entity and self- worth.
Men are also affected by this new hookup culture; they are allowed to have more power
to decide if they want a relationship or not. Even though there is less talk about how men are
affected. I believe, that they can suffer the same as women. Not only can their self-esteem go
down but also they can lose faith in finding someone to marry. It is quite possible that two people
with the same mentality meet, and this will cause them to believe that the majority of the people
behave the same way they do. When in reality there are many people out there that are very shy
about their sexual lives. The problem with hook up culture is not casual sex, its the sexism that
encourages men to treat women like pawns and requires women to be just as cunning if they
want to be in the game (Wade 1). Creating intolerance for those who are not as adventurous or
who just rather stay abstinent.
Men are seen as the sexually dominant partner, that because of their strength and [power
they have more control in the sexual realm. Women on the other hand are seen as the sensitive
and caring partner who is submissive with her partner. This new sexual culture has changed the
way that people are viewed. If a women slept with a lot of men she would be seen as a slut but in
todays standards women have more power over their bodies, and have all the right to choose
who the sleep with. However, the perspective of men has changed very little, they still have more
power over women. If they sleep with more people than they are revered by their colleagues and
friends. The problem is that sex is a game where there is a winner and a loser (Wade 2). Sex has
just become a battle between the sexes (Rosin 7).
However, progressive this new era may be there are still many problems associated with
the hook up culture. Many women have complained about the double standard about being called
sluts and not being treated with respect (Rosin 9). Some may argue that even though women
have more freedom, they are not treated equally. Men are seen as heroes if they are able to sleep

Zuniga 3
with a lot of women, but if women were to behave the same way they would be punished.
Women have become less financially dependent on men and since that has happened they have
looked for better careers. Women should have the same rights to behave like men, but since there
is still a clear division among genders, it is impossible to tell when equality will arrive.
Hook ups can be seen as a way to be less involved in a relationship all without disrupting
self-development or schoolwork. While the advantages of these new culture is that there is more
room for development, a person that is involved in this type of relationship could end up getting
hurt. Not only emotionally but also physically, for every action there is an equal and opposite
reaction. Women now have more self-worth and are capable of achieving anything that they want
to. Men are also able to be successful in anything that they want to, and even tough fairness in
the field is not the same for women, everything is possible. The hookup culture provides the
freedom, the confidence, the knowledge that you can always depend on yourself (Rosin 16). The
only way to see something good from this type of culture is that it is only a phase through which
most adults go. men and womens desire for a deeper human connection will eventually prevail.
In the end everyone is capable of loving another human being, and the memories from the past
will only remain as a reminder that humans have the capacity to love despite what the
circumstances may be.
Works Cited
Rosin, Hanna. "Boys on the Side." Atlantic Sept. 2012: 1-16. The Atlantic. 29 Apr. 2015. Web.
16 June 2016.
Wade, Lisa. "A RESPONSE TO ROSIN'S ODE TO HOOK UP CULTURE." Sociological
Images. N.p., 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 June 16.

Zuniga 4

Zuniga 5
Sandra Dee

Danny Zuko

She has idealized romantic view of the events

He just wants to look good in front of his

Summer loving had me a blast, met a boy

friends

cute as can be- Women are usually more

He is exaggerating the events

romantically involved when they met

Tell me more, tell me more

someone. Women are taught from an early age

Did you get very far- this part of the song

that men are crazy romantics, when in reality

states that the friends want to know if there

that is not truth.

was sexual intimacy. Sexual relationships are

Tell me more, tell me more

always discussed among men, especially if

Was it love at first sight?- women are more

they are friends. It can be seen like a game.

concerned with being well taken care of and

Tell me more, tell me more

having someone that loves them. Sometimes

Did she put up a fight?- the theme of the

women fail to realize that everything that

song from the guys point of view is that the

shines is not always gold

encounter among the teens was sexual. By

The major theme for summer nights from the

putting up a fight, means that if it was hard to

part that is sung by the girl, is that men are

get Sandra to bed.

chivalrous creatures, and that there is the

Even though the theme for the song has a

possibility of love at first sight.

double meaning, it can be concluded that men

However, women can do much better, here she are also weak. They typically tend to be
did not succumb to the social pressures of sex.

competitive in the sexual realm, but here

Danny does not actually get any action he
was just exaggerating, to look good.

Zuniga 6
The song Summer Night illustrates gender norms in the way that men have a sexual perspective
for relationships while women have a more romantic view of love. Men are often characterized
with the necessity to have sex while women are less likely to be involved in such acts. The song
perfectly describes the difference among women and men. Men are seen as powerful and bold,
capable of taking any women to bed. On the other hand, women are more likely to be seen as the
victim, who will likely fall for the strong men. The song portrays an exaggeration from the male
part because nothing really happened (that being sexual) and the female is more secluded and
wants to keep the details to herself.

Zuniga 7

Zuniga 8

Zuniga 9