by Samantha Hyland

Created on: June 25, 2010   Last Updated: June 26, 2010

    If you were to ask Grandma Sally how she met your grandfather back in 1950, I can almost fully guarantee that their fairytale romance at the time started with some form of a “date.” Whether they were family friends, met working at a diner or school, or they met in the war, it is almost undeniable that at some point, there was a date and then a few more before they became more intimately involved.

Well, times have changed and it's definitely arguable whether it is for the better.

Primarily popularized in the past ten years, the “hook-up” culture has replaced the traditional, “old-fashioned” ways of meeting the opposite sex. Most of the time, hook-ups are meant to be quick, instant fixes of gratification with no strings attached and no future follow-up or commitment expected from either person. But it seems that a vast majority of high school relationships have started with a hook-up before going on a first date. Most high school girls claim that they “hook up” with boys that they are interested in because they believe it will lead to a relationship. In contrast, a majority of boys do not hope for the hook up relationship to become anything more serious than the instant fix it started out as.

Hook-ups have noticeably become the norm in today’s younger generation, regardless of the values and teachings that have been in place for decades and centuries prior to the twenty-first century. Are these teachings of self-modesty, purity, and wholesomeness an archaic point of view? Or have we allowed ourselves to become so heavily influenced by society and the media’s implications of what’s “sexually acceptable” according to popular TV shows that almost glorify spontaneity? Are hook-ups prior to committed relationships more commonly beneficial or detrimental to its participants as individuals? Despite differing but very solid point of views, it can be agreed that times have indeed changed.  

The hook-up culture is so deeply embedded in the younger generation of today that it’s unlikely that this trend will die out among younger generations. But when making personal choices, it's always important to reflect on how your decisions may affect you and the significant other’s feelings and integrity, and if it’ll bring you closer together or work against you in working towards a relationship.

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