Hook-up culture
Relationships between American boys and girls are broken.
The idea that hooking up is easier than going on dates is affecting the way we portray love. It has become easier to have casual sexual relations, and this problem is leaving our generation unprepared for love.
Hook-ups are non-committal. They fit easily into society’s superficial attitude toward
romance. With hookups being more acceptable, they have set a standard for youth and young adults to live up to, and youth feel they need to be a part of this social order. This generation is all about following what the masses do, which doesn’t help out the cultural attitude toward hookups.
Emotional intimacy is an important component that is becoming less common than physical intimacy in relationships. Feeling affection is one thing, but to have a healthy relationship you must express emotional intimacy. Being on a level of vulnerability with someone is scary to our society. It leaves this generation not having any type of emotional training for a relationship when it actually matters.
—Toriana Arledge
Vidor, Texas
