If marijuana is the gateway drug to cocaine, then some could say that “Netflix and chill” is the gateway to sex. The meme that struck the Internet in 2014 has since revolutionized the booty call game by giving Millennials an easy way to invite someone over for sex while avoiding all awkwardness.
Before "Netflix and chill" was coined, asking someone to come over to watch a movie was more like "awkward Netflix and chilling", because it wasn't clear wheat the night's agenda was. Would it conclude in a happy ending, or was the plan to actually Netflix as platonic friends? Now that this is universally understood as the booty call of Millennials, both parties are fully aware of what to expect: getting naked 20 minutes into an episode of "Family Guy."
But using cinema as a means for hooking up isn’t something new. In the 1950’s, teens used drive-in theaters as a place to park their cars and get to third base with their beau. After that, indoor movie theaters became the hot spot for hooking up. Remember when you were a kid and your mom dropped you off at the movies, only to pick you up hours later with noticeably less lip gloss on, which you presumably smeared all over your boyfriend? Fortunately, “Netflix and chill” has helped wave goodbye to the days of hiding fresh hickeys from our parents, but at what cost?
Some college students agree that sending a “Netflix and chill” text is almost the perfect way to get laid without having to spend any money. “It’s the Millennial form of an acceptable way of asking to hook up without actually going on a date,” said Rachel Abrams, a senior studying at Indiana University.
Abrams adds that although the catchphrase allows college students to hook up without creating a dent in their wallet, it simultaneously embraces the hook up culture by pushing the art of romance and expectations of an intimate relationship away. “Netflix and chilling has stripped us of taking the time to share our private selves with someone,” the IU student said. “It has turned the long lost art of dating into an easy and lazy way of hanging out with someone just to get laid.”
But the hopeless romantic may be wrong. Millennials have long been described by their elders as nymphomaniacs without an inkling of chivalry, but studies have shown nothing much differs between the two generations regarding the amount of sex they have in college.
A 20-year study of 5,000 college students conducted by Professor Sandra L. Caron, a professor at the University of Maine, showed that Generation X and Generation Y share the same amount of sexual partners in college.
Research from a 2014 study at University of Portland further supports Caron’s findings.
“In light of the recent explosion of research concerning the hook up culture on college campuses, it is important to note that sexual behavior among contemporary college students has not changed greatly over the past two and a half decades. The alarmist concerns that 'easy sex is rampant on college campuses today' are not justified," Martin A. Monto and Anna G. Carey of the University of Portland wrote.
As convenient as it may seem to send a “Netflix and chill?” text to your number one booty call, coining the term may have detracted some of the original appeal. “I kind of wish it didn’t blow up the way it did, because it was seriously the perfect way to hook up,” an anonymous IU student added. “Now it’s overplayed and can’t be used for the first time.”
So why do current college students get stuck with this reputation of being much more sexually active than any other generation? Perhaps it’s due to the high portrayal of sex in the media, or possibly the recent rise of sexual freedom movements among women, with celebrities like Amy Schumer encouraging one night stands. But more likely it’s because Generation Y was raised in the digital age, where anything can happen instantaneously by the mere tap of a screen. It can be argued that advanced technology has made today’s college students lazier than those who studied at the same universities decades before them, but it is ignorant to separate them as a unique generation that has more sex than any other did.
“Netflix and chill” has inspired viral memes and tweets, this season’s Halloween costumes, and given 20-somethings a generational and universal booty call. Despite enhancing many Millennial’s sex lives, the catchphrase has subsequently enforced the misconceived notion that they are obsessed with casual hook ups. Luckily for them, they are also often characterized by their ability to march to the beat of their own drum, meaning that societal judgment brushes straight off their shoulders.