The hookup culture is an inevitable part of college life. Whether or not you choose to participate in the antics is up to you. Hooking up in college is seen as a right of passage that occurs through irresponsible decisions usually influenced by the party scene. For those of you who feel comfortable enough to partake in the festivities, there are ways to go about it smartly and safely. For anyone else who may be happily taken or choose to stay away from the hookup culture, here are some things you won’t have to worry about:
1. Sleepovers are genuinely not a good idea.
Whether you met the guy or girl you’re hooking up with five minutes before leaving a party or have been secretly fooling around for weeks, sleeping over in your significant other’s room is usually a bad plan. A twin size bed is not meant for two people. Imagine your bed is the size of the door Rose is on at the end of "Titanic" and you’re drowning, or falling off the bed in the middle of the night in this case. No matter how tired you may be, make sure you make the walk at a reasonable hour back to your dorm to avoid an awkward walk of shame.
2. The walk of shame may seem like a fun Halloween costume, but is not something you want to be caught doing.
You better believe that if you’re walking through (or around) campus in last night’s outfit, you will be the star of Snapchat that morning. Although it may make for a good story in a few days, the reputation you’ll have will stick for weeks. If you find yourself stuck in a sticky situation without decent clothes for your walk home, have a friend/roommate bring you some sweats— you’ll thank them for it later.
3. Be aware of bad situations.
If you or a friend may be too inebriated to coherently make decisions, it is important to have people around you to avoid a situation from escalating. If you see a guy talking to your best girl friend who is clearly not in the right mindset, make sure you intervene to prevent a possible bad situation. No matter what their initial reaction may be, they’ll thank you for it in the morning. Too many stories occur nowadays of sexual assault on college campuses with a simple solution of looking out for one another.
4. Turning into a social butterfly might be your thing after a few drinks, but drunken texts make for regretful mornings.
Don’t be that late night booty caller. Drunken texts usually lead to calls to ex-boyfriends/girlfriends and speak what’s on the sober mind. I’m sure your ex wants to hear all about how much you love them, but maybe you should wait to see if you feel the same way in 12 hours.
5. College gives you the opportunity to have a life away from home, so take advantage of it.
Whatever you decide to take part of while you’re away at school is your business. This isn’t high school where the entire neighborhood has to know about the latest hookup, and what you decide to share is up to you. This doesn’t necessarily mean to go wild and crazy, but if you want to, go for it. Have a blast since these four years go quick, and enjoy having a little “secret life” that you can make as private or as public as you may like.
In all cases in the hookup culture, consent is a must. Both parties must be aware and approving of the events taking place. The presence of alcohol or drugs does not change the rules of consent and is important to remember. College is a fun place so have a great time while being smart about your decisions.
