Many health experts argue that hookups can do more harm than good. They worry that hooking up can do a disservice to young women by negating their emotional needs, putting them at increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, and leaving them unprepared for lasting relationships.
The phenomenon has been the subject of recent books, such as Unhooked by journalist Laura Sessions Stepp. BU Today : How have the ways young women relate intimately to young men and the way they think about intimacy changed? Grampetro: I would say that in general the way people relate to each other in a dating or courtship kind of situation is very different from even five or six years ago, particularly for college students.
A lot of communication is happening via Facebook, text messages, and the like, rather than in person or even on the phone. In terms of a difference for women specifically, the rules are different from what they once were. Society and popular culture have encouraged women to take the lead in dating situations, whereas in former generations a woman would never call a man and ask him on a date.
In terms of intimacy, it has also become more normal in our culture for women to enjoy being single and even to revel in it, because it presents an opportunity to date multiple people, and for some women, to be intimate with multiple people. Traditionally, men were the ones for whom it was normal to have multiple partners or to be something of a player; if a woman did so, she was labeled with much more negative terms, and she still would be, to a degree.
What appeals to young women about hooking up? Why is it so powerful? Much of the attention comes from the recent publication of books examining the trend, such as Unhooked by Laura Sessions Stepp and Hooking Up by Amber Madison. There are plenty of college students who choose not to engage in sexual activity at all and plenty of others who do so within the parameters of a committed relationship. What makes hooking up more appealing than dating?
