You're in college and it seems that you are swamped with classes, extracurriculars, and homework. However, any time you are around people, whether it be in a study group, at practice, or just hanging out with a few friends in your room, there is always some conversation about hookups.
Whether you're in college, applying for college, or just thinking about it for no reason...
The hookup culture is, in fact, real.
It was always something that I was nervous about before I arrived. I was anxious about being pressured knowingly or unknowingly by friends because I just assumed that everyone was a hookup person.
Except me.
I feel like it is just one of those things that you know. I always knew to protect my feelings, even in high school.
Lots of people can hook up with someone and leave it at that.
If this is you, then by all means, hook up with as many consenting people as you would like.
But you should never feel pressure if you're not like that, although it does happen a lot. If you felt uncomfortable by one night stands in high school, you will probably feel the same way in college, and that is completely okay.
When it comes to this whole concept, the idea of gender plays a big role in the stereotypes around hookups. Of course, the normal crazy college student idea applies, but there are big biases against one gender over the other.
Although there are plenty of guys and girls that want to hook up with people in college, many boys get shit on just because they are boys. I have seen many girls simply say that they are nervous about even hanging out with a college guy because they might have ulterior motives.
With that being said, I do not mean to criticize females in this situation, either. I can safely say, as I write this as a female, that we are programmed form a very young age to protect our feelings and to expect the worst when it comes to guys intentions.
There are plenty of guys and girls that just want to hook up with people.
This does not make them bad people, college is a time where many people experiment and have fun. It is completely unfair to the guys that are not like this because there are just as many of them that are looking for a relationship. If you know you're looking for something long term, there are just as many people out there.
The key is to make sure both parties are on the same page, whether it be a guy with a guy, guy with a girl, or girl with a girl.
The hookup culture in college is not necessarily a bad thing, you just need to know whether or not you want to be a part of it. If you want to hook up with people, there is nothing wrong with that and no one should judge you for what you're doing with your body.
On the other hand, there are plenty of ways to have fun even while partying without having to hook up with anyone, Don't assume everyone is just looking for a one night stand, but keeping your walls up until you find out is still a good option. Being careful and being you should be your top priorities.
