Fran Stygar
@fstygar
Even if you’re not the type of guy or gal who’s into them, just about every college student in America has a general definition in mind when they hear the term ‘hook-up’. And if you don’t, please read on for my own personal definition.
To me, a ‘hook-up’ is when a person (male or female) spends the night with someone. Sex need not be a factor, and said person either knows them or doesn’t. You can choose to hook-up with a friend or whichever random person at the bar seems the most appealing that night. And whether or not the people in the hook-up ever see each other again is completely up to them.
So is the hook-up a good or a bad thing? Well, that’s completely up to individual opinion. To me, it’s pretty neutral.
College is supposed to be a time in a young person’s life where they explore who they are as a person and a sexual body. If you’re still uncertain about what you like, why not test the waters? Just because you make out with a guy at a party doesn’t mean you’re suddenly obligated to marry him. Or what if the girl you shared a bed with last night has a bunch of posters of your least favorite sports team hanging on her wall? Should you have to date her just because you were too distracted last night to notice? Probably not.
Either way, if the mutual goal of the people participating in the hook-up is just to have fun without commitment, then they should be free to have all the fun they want.
However, it should go without saying that people should always be cautious if they choose to hook-up with a stranger. With all the recent crime issues going around campus and reports of sexual assault all across the country, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If neither you nor your friends know anything about your chosen object of affections, maybe it’d be smart to ask them to keep an eye on you. Make sure your cell phone and Wittenberg Police’s number are on hand, too. If you’ve got a creeping suspicion that your hook-up isn’t going to be giving you the kind of night you expected, don’t feel as though you’re not allowed to break the hook-up contract.
The big word here for me is consent. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys hook-up culture, good for you. It’s your body and you can do what you want with it. And if hook-ups just aren’t your thing, that’s fine, too. The choice is your own.
