The Emergence of a Hookup Culture in Contemporary American Culture - Essay Example

?The Emergence of a “Hookup Culture” in Contemporary American Culture Modern American society has evolved considerable fast in the past half century despite the prevalence of puritan and conservative traditions for more than four hundred years. This created a movement of values from a family-oriented lifestyle to an individual-centered one, in addition to the strong effects of mass media in shaping the minds of many people (Garcia et al. 2012: 172). Among the changes that came along with the modernization of society is the greater acceptance of sexual freedom, which is something that is unthinkable before the advent of the sexual revolution around the 1960’s (Bogle 2007: 778). The things that grandparents or older people would consider to be taboo, such as having sex before marriage, having multiple sexual partners, or even having sex due to peer influence are at present things that most people, particularly members of the younger generation believe to be acceptable and even a norm (Eaton and Rose 2011: 844). In addition, there is an increased importance in building a career over the establishment of the family, which not only moves back the age of marriage but also has the potential of discouraging partners, especially women in giving birth and having children while still having a career (Armstrong et al. 2010: 24). Also, there has been a slow but gradual acceptance of gender equalities between both genders, making it possible for women to do more things than what were deemed possible half a century ago, and this includes additional freedom in sexual choices. Thus, based on the various factors that could influence the mindset of most people, it is highly plausible that the dramatic shift in values and beliefs in the society combined with lesser expectations of marriage and child-rearing among young adults prompted the greater acceptance of casual sex or a “hookup culture” in contemporary American culture. One of the factors that could have contributed to the growth of the women’s liberation movement is the loss of traditional gender roles in modern American society. While previously women were confined to their homes, they were now gaining recognition in their greater roles for the development of the society, and for the first time their functions were not limited to traditional homemaker and child-rearing roles (Eaton and Rose 2011: 845). There were more women seen in public doing things that were expected to be done by men, such as getting a college degree, working in an office, or under public service. These women were able to achieve something, which also gave them the mindset that they can do anything that a man can do, aside from the traditional gender roles that were assigned to them (Garcia et al. 2012: 172). Having an advanced education opened up not just the avenues for other career opportunities, but this also changed how many women view relationships, including sex (Stone, et al. 2006: 294). This shift from being an at-home person to being seen in public did not only give additional career choices for women, but also additional freedom in relationships, whether sexual or romantic in nature. Starting from the 1960’s when the concept of dating was starting to lose its hold on college culture, the idea that having non-committal sex with others becomes a much more lucrative choice for most people, especially women since there is no hassle of having to choose between getting tied down to a relationship or having to bear children over expanding careers (Bogle 2007: 779). This way of thinking has made most women liberal in terms of their sexual freedom, and it is assumed that the engagement to such behaviors was not only rebellious in nature, but also helped in spreading the culture of casual sexual encounters since there were many people who were much more open-minded about it (Shukusky and Wade 2012: 495). Despite the fact that there has been an increase in the number of women engaging in casual sexual encounters, there has been an observed trend in the slow progress of moving from having sex with expectations of commitment to a fully non-committal sexual relationship, which is a trait that has been much more observed and recorded among men (Stone, et al. 2006: 290). This can be due to the evolutionary origins of how relationships form between and among males and females, wherein males put greater efforts on being able to sire as many children as possible through multiple females, and females in turn choose to mate with only the males capable of bringing in enough resources to allow children to grow up into adults (Ryan and Jetha 2010: 7). This creates a greater need for a committed relationship among women than men, since it is expected that after having childbirth, women would become very much vulnerable in terms of resources and companionship, thus the need for a committed partner in enduring the stresses of childbirth and rearing (Eaton and Rose 2012: 847). It has been believed that worries of having to bear children at the prime of their lives is what prevented most women to freely enter casual sexual unions, for the fear of having to raise children alone while being seen through judgmental looks from other members of the society secretly having remainders of the puritan past (Armstrong et al. 2010: 25). Such ideas initially prevented the onset of a hookup culture due to potential retributions and fear of stigmatization by others. Regardless of such origins of the need for females to enter a committed relationship prior to having sexual intercourse, as well as fear of having stigmatized for being sexually liberated, other changes in the society allowed for the entry of new technologies that not only allow them to engage freely in sex, but also without having to worry about getting pregnant or even becoming stagnated in their careers. The birth of contraceptives have made casual sex even more possible and less troublesome for women since the chances of getting pregnant become diminished upon their use (Armstrong et al. 2010: 23). The additional stigma of conceiving a child out of wedlock and its likelihood is also diminished, which is another factor since it is not only something looked down upon by the remaining puritan members of society, but also prevents career advancement since efforts on raising children are still seen by the society as much more important than the former (Stone, et al. 2006: 289). It is believed that in gaining additional sexual freedom, women are in a way empowered since they do not have to rely on traditional gender roles in terms of getting sexual satisfaction, being limited to a home-based role of bearing children, and gaining an edge by reclaiming matriarchal roots (Ryan and Jetha 2010: 134). Also, women are given the chance to exercise promiscuity without much retribution since even most men are already attuned to the common occurrence of casual sexual encounters without having to be judgmental about it (Farvid 2010: 233). The greater acceptance of most people in such relationship setups have changed the trend of dating before sex to just sex, with or without the additional commitment. The wide acceptance of casual sex has become common among sexually-active age groups, and is more often than not done as an act for personal gain among these individuals. There has also been less emphasis in the context of having sex while being in a relationship, as opposed to sex for sex’s sake, wherein people engaging in such acts become emotionally disengaged with their partners just to satisfy their own sexual needs (Farvid 2010: 234). Regardless of whether the chance encounter would be satisfying or not, the mere fact of engaging in something gives participants enough reason to continuously pursue such endeavors (Shukusky and Wade 2012: 495). Moreover, the increased availability of intoxicating substances such as alcohol and drugs made it far easier for young people to lose their inhibitions and just enter casual sexual relationships without having to think of any reasons other than personal commitment, as observed among spring break parties and the like (Sonmez et al. 2006: 896). This kind of lack of reservations with an act that previous generations have considered to be the highlight of the union between two people has made sex much more convenient, less of a hassle, and more of a personal choice (Eaton and Rose 2012: 848). The culture of engaging in casual sex can be considered to be based on personal preferences, but is must be noted that not all people engaging in hookups actually do these things as they have chosen to, as most of these encounters happen on parties or in events where many groups of people come together and thus could have only happened through peer influence (Garcia et al. 2012: 168). Such events have changed the definitions of college or group parties, wherein the addition of intoxicating substances has rendered such parties wild and untamed, further encouraging an environment that fosters hookups among attendees (Bogle 2007: 782). In a typical example, most hookups take place after encounters in social places, such as bars, clubs, fraternity as well as spring break parties (Bogle 2007: 778; Sonmez et al. 2006: 895). Due to majority of people in these parties already having lost their inhibitions, it would be easier to initiate hookups since both parties are agreeable to do so on such terms (Bogle 2007: 781) In addition, most people attending such parties not only allow such hookups to persist but also create the conditions for these encounters to happen, in the process this creates an environment that encourage a culture of casual sex among participants (Sonmez et al. 2006: 910). In the event that attendees do participate, whether or not it was based on their own choices such hookups are still expected to occur, both from their own choices as well as the peer pressure exerted in the atmosphere of such large-group get-togethers (Sonmez et al. 2006: 905). In addition to the changing values of most young people with regards to meeting different kinds of people and forming relationships, mass media also had a major role in spreading the culture of casual sexual encounters, even to the point of glorifying it in most songs, prose, and shows (Garcia et al. 2012: 161). Due to the lack of strong parental influence in the selection of television programs for the younger generation, TV has become these children’s guides in the establishment of values and beliefs (Garcia et al. 2012: 163). Songs mostly found in the top of the charts are laden with implicit expositions of hookups, while shows and movies show the normalcy of casual sexual encounters, and adding the fact that most of these are available in most media formats even bring such ideas closer to most people (Garcia et al. 2012: 167). There has been less and less emphasis given to long-term relationships and a greater importance given to engaging in sexual acts, both as a rite of passage as well as a way to experience the world (Eaton and Rose 2012: 853). In addition, there has also been massive portrayal of women as sexual objects, giving an overall image to most viewers that women are agreeable for casual hookups, thus legitimizing the acceptability of such acts (Armstrong et al. 2010: 26). Thus, the rampant use of advertising material portraying women as submissive to men has further established the stereotypical roles of participants in casual sexual encounters, making it much more palatable for some, although not all. Despite such massive portrayals of casual sex as something commonly taking place, not all participants of hookups seem to cling onto the idea for long-term, as some reports have sprung which mention some negative effects of being in such relationships (Bogle 2007: 779). In most people in modern American society, hookups are generally legitimate and acceptable in various situations, but it would be very inaccurate to say that the culture of casual sexual encounters has been fully-integrated into the society (Higgins, et al. 2010). For one thing it has been observed that around 73.3% of most people would still prefer to be in a committed relationship despite participating in casual sexual encounters (Shukusky and Wade 2012: 498). Of these 73.3%, roughly 33.3% of men and a whopping 51.5% of women actually wished that they could form a romantic relationship in one of their hookups, suggesting that the hookup culture is just one of the few avenues by which these people could form relationships faster but with lesser efforts than using traditional dating strategies (Shukusky and Wade 2012: 499). In addition, there have been higher numbers of dissatisfaction reports among participants of casual sexual encounters, along with increased feelings of regret for both men and women, which further suggests that while some are fully able to distance emotions with sex, some are unable to do so, and they feel regrets either due to having felt used or have used someone for selfish means (Eaton and Rose 2012: 853; Higgins, et al. 2010). Also, other reports showed that after a long period of participating in hookups, the psychological and emotional wellbeing of participants become diminished (Armstrong et al. 2010: 27; Garcia et al. 2012: 171). Given that such reports have existed, it appears that not all people willing to pursue casual hookups are fully-satisfied and fulfilled, that it is possible that in doing such acts a sense of longing for a committed relationship could actually persist, and that casual encounters may actually be more peer-influenced than self-driven (Bogle 2007: 782). Despite such information, it is expected that the culture of hookups would remain present in the society, since there has been lesser and lesser resistance from the society and gaining more acceptance to younger generations. In the course of the changes observed in society, the fact that sex has become less of an act driven towards child-bearing and more on something recreational and self-centered has totally changed the way that the act has been viewed, especially by most younger generations. Such changes were due to women having new roles otherwise unavailable to them due to gender role constraints, such as child bearing and rearing, and by having these new roles they gained additional career options and sexual freedom. Another cause of changes is the presence of intoxicating substances that contributes to decreased inhibitions in casual sexual encounters also allow for it to happen, especially in large group gatherings that promote hookups. Lastly, mass media further instilled the acceptability of casual sexual encounters by bringing it to a wider range of people through various media formats such as songs, television shows, movies, and other forms of advertisements. Although largely acceptable to most sexually-active age groups at present, there are still some reservations with regards to the gratification that casual sex offers, as not many people are still up to its challenges, and that a greater number of people hooking up still prefer to have meaningful relationships despite participating in such events, in addition to the evolutionary origins of why sex always have strings attached. Nevertheless, despite no clear promises of satisfaction, it cannot be denied that various social changes turned sex into a self-centered and convenient commodity fit for a fast-paced world, with hookups becoming an avenue for people to meet up and fulfill their own sexual desires without the fuss and hassles of waiting. 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