Hookup culture: the era that began in the early 1990s and has since prevailed on college campuses and elsewhere when hooking up has replaced traditional dating as the preferred method of heterosexual liaison.
Hookup culture has replaced the traditional world of dating and romance, especially amongst teenagers and those in their early 20s.
For those individuals who still choose to believe in the old, traditional ways of dating such as giving flowers, cute and thoughtful dates, acts of chivalry and just all-around focusing on the romantic aspect of the relationship and not just the physical aspect, those individuals may find dating in the new age quite difficult.
Here are some things that people who still believe in old-time romance can do to keep the traditions alive:
Respect
This one should apply to everybody in the world, not just those who this is targeted towards, but this is a big one.
Within hookup culture, it seems as if respect has been lost. More often than not, if somebody wants to take things slow, that can lead to being ghosted and/or drama being started. This backlash is unnecessary.
For those who still believe in old-time romance, show whoever it is that you are involved with, trying to get involved with or already dating, the utmost respect. Show them that you will respect all of their decisions, choices and that you are just happy to be alongside them while they live their life and while you live yours.
Soul connection over shallow attraction
Focus on who the individual is on the inside rather than what they look like on the outside. You can find lust with who the person is on the outside, but you cannot fall in love with skin.
Love over lust.
Emotional growth
Push each other to become you want to be. Do not control their decisions, but do not stand back and let them hold themselves back from achieving their goals. You may not make your significant other a better person, but you can push them to better themselves through love and communication.
Surprises and grand-gestures
Nobody is saying you need to surprise your significant other with a trip around the world, but a surprise picnic or a surprise gift can go an extremely long way. It is not what the surprise is, it is the gesture and the thought that counts. Surprises will show your significant other how much you appreciate and care for them.
Communication
This one falls under the same category as respect.
Communication is the most important thing you can do in a relationship. One of the problems with hookup culture is that there is close to no communication involved, it is mainly just physical, and if someone will not give you what you are looking for physically then you will most likely never hear from the other individual again.
Communication: telling each other your thoughts, feelings. problems, telling your significant other pretty much everything is truly the best way to either start up a relationship, as well as keep a relationship going strong. If there is no communication, then the relationship is lust based, not love-based.
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