The Toxicity Of College Hookup Culture

I would just like to state that when I say "girls" or "women" I'm not implying that it is the entire gender. I'm specifically referring to the many girls I've seen and talked to.

College life is dominated by one-night stands and romantic flings. When a girl goes out, it is expected that she wears the trashiest, most revealing clothes she owns. Flaunting off her boobs and body figure, the only thought in her drunken state is to hook up with a guy.

Biting her lip, giving a guy a seductive look, and/or 'accidentally' stumbling into a guy to grab his attention is only the beginning of the night. With jungle juice pumping in her bloodstream and the acrid smell of alcohol and sweat, she begins to let loose.

Getting warmer by second, she starts moving her hips. Closing her eyes, she lets the beat of the music guide her movements, hoping to impress any guy. And as she feels someone come up behind her, their hands on her hips and moving with her, her breath is knocked out of her.

Yet, all she can think about is that she should have worn something less tight so that she could grind that much harder. Songs fade into one another as time flies by to the point where she loses track of everything.

Where is she? Who is she dancing with? How drunk is she? The room is spinning, but somehow it doesn't matter. He spins her around into his arms, frantically attacking her lips, and she lets him. Because this is what this night is about after all. Right? And perhaps she goes back with him to his or her place and continues those festivities. Maybe not.

Nevertheless, why must parties always be about hooking up? Why can't they just be about having fun? Comically dancing and singing with your best friends? Partying with friends is never boring, yet girls don't ever think about having a fun girl's night out when hitting the club or attending parties. Instead, they think about guys. But why is that?

I believe that girls go into college with the presumption that they MUST get with a guy asap. Although women empowerment has never been more powerful and inspiring than it is now, the idea that a girl needs a guy in their life to feel happy and complete still is drilled in the back of girl's minds.

Additionally, with so many people wrongly associating college life with hook-ups, girls just assume that that is what parties are about. They are subconsciously driven by incorrect misconceptions, never fully aware of why they do what they do, but rather only knowing they have to.

At least, they must if they want to fit in. Although this is obviously incorrect, many women still believe this, no matter how much they pretend that they don't. After all, nobody ever wants to be alone. This is even more true for freshmen girls who are still figuring out their friends; therefore, try their hardest to be accepted by everyone so that they're not left out.

It is time for this to change. Women need to not only be shown but fully understand how society has been misguiding them. Parties can be about whatever one wants them to be about. This toxic hook-up culture is forcing girls to become someone they're not just to apart of the social norm, which is dramatically harming their mental health.

Women often feel as though they've gone through every hoop to please everyone. However, at the end of the day, most will feel as though their efforts weren't good enough, making them feel depressed and miserable. All any girl wants is to feel like they belong, but society is making that increasingly difficult.

But girls! You are strong, independent individuals who are queens of fucking everything. You slay at every single thing you do in your life, paving your way to success.

Powerful, badass, ambitious, and resilient women don't need to constantly hook-up with someone because they have too. Fuck that. They can do whatever they want. Women are so much more than a tool to please others. More must be done to make girls not only realize this but more importantly embrace it.