Carly Accolla

As a society, it has taken us a long time to accept sex as something more than a procreative act. Now that we have, a culture based purely on being sexual has emerged and taken young people by storm. Currently known as ‘hookup culture’, it is distinguished by its casual and sexual nature. While the exact definition of a ‘hookup’ is relatively ambiguous, what is done during one can range anywhere from kissing to penetrative sex, and is often not repeated or only done a few times. These encounters are often preceded by a night of drinking, and sometimes even end the next morning. (#) The allure of casual sexual encounters did not emerge overnight, but rather was built on years of exploration in the realm of sex and sexuality. In this essay, I plan to explore the evolution of hookup culture and casual sexual encounters, and the role that the media has in its evolution.

A Breif History

During the 19th century people were expected to control their sexuality, and women were expected to save themselves until marriage. If they did have any sexual encounters before they were married, they were considered to be ruined. Men were not held to the same standard, and many often experienced their sexual awakening in brothels. The main goal at the time was to marry off men and women, so unmarried people were not appreciated. Older single men were seen as suspect, and Bachelor Taxes were implemented with the intention of forcing men into marriages (#class 3-21-23). Singledom was a time of preparation, especially for young women being courted. The rules that surrounded courtship were on the stricter side, and often left no space for premarital sex to occur. In the intimate houses that many often had, the couple was often under the watchful eye of a parent type chaperone (#class 3-16-23).

With the rise of cities in the 20th century, courtship practices were put under strain. With smaller homes, potential couples were forced out into places like dance halls and movie theaters, thus leading to the early concept of dating (#class 3-16-23). This was a casual practice, commonly seen on college campuses that had recently become co-ed. Often one would go out on a date with no intention of seeing the other person again. Dating was not something that was done to find a life partner, but was rather entertained because of the competition it provided. Beth Bailey delves into the competitive nature of the rating and dating system on the college campus in From Front Porch to Back Seat: Courtship in Twentieth Century America. The competition seen between college students related to who could get the most dates with the highest ratings. There was a whole system that placed different people higher in the rating and others lower, all dependent on the dating system and word of mouth. One’s popularity was often determined by the experiences of others, their judgements used in aiding others decisions. This also related a lot to building an image for oneself within the community, and had very low stakes due to the fact that it really only existed in these specific locations (#). This parallels the common college hookup culture that many students are faced with in the 21st century. The more that one expresses they are hooking up with others and their name gets around by word of mouth, the more popularity they have. One of the notable differences between the two different eras, besides what is actually being done, is the views of men versus women. Often men who have more sexual experiences are celebrated, while women can be shamed for that same thing. After World War Two had ended, the rating and dating system became less and less common on college campuses, but rather moved to high schools. The people that had been involved in this system began to write advice columns for teenage people, and thus it spread. This culture was also important in the context of dances, in which women saw their night as successful when they had been cut in on by multiple men. There was a certain rush and triumph that was associated with being passed around at a dance(#).