*Names have been changed to protect those interviewed.
Monday mornings for many students not only involve being cranky and going to class, but checking in with friends to see who hooked up with whom that weekend. Whether you are the one sharing your stories or just listening as a bystander, everyone knows that college can be a whirlwind of hookups.
Defining what a hookup is can be different for everybody.
“Anything from making out to other stuff but not sex,” sophomore Brittany Dougherty said. However, senior Rachel Waters says it can include sex. “It’s any kind of intimate physical contact.” Basically, hookups can be making out, touching, oral sex or sexual intercourse. Everyone has their own perception of what a hookup is and simply ask for clarification just in case you’re thinking two different things.
Hookups on Cabrini’s campus are frequent, and many people accept the culture of hooking up even if they don’t participate in it. “I don’t see anything wrong with occasionally hooking up,” Dougherty said, “but I don’t think a person should hook up with multiple people in one weekend.”
It’s not uncommon for hookups to occur between people that didn’t know each other previously.
“Sometimes I know of them, just not personally,” Dougherty said. But often, especially if alcohol is involved, senior Michelle Caruso said, “It’s more common for me to hook up with random people.”
There is no protocol for hooking up which means things can get awkward very quickly. “I only ask for their number if I liked hooking up with them,” Caruso said, “But I would never ignore someone I hooked up with because it’s rude.” Other people, however, will admit to never speaking to the person again and seeing nothing wrong with it.
More often than not, hookups may continue for a few weekends and end when one of the people loses interest. It’s possible for feeling to develop during this time and that is when people end up bitter and hurt. “If you think every boy you are hooking up with wants to marry you, then you are making a mistake,” Caruso said.
Not every hookup ends on a bad note. “If you hooked up because you are close and had chemistry, then it can turn into a beautiful relationship,” Caruso said. If both people become committed and true to each other, it’s possible for the occasional hookup to become a long-term and loving relationship.
The question is, does everyone who hooks up want to get tied down in a relationship? Or are they perfectly content being free to be with whomever they want? “When I hook up with people, it’s just for fun. I only hope for a relationship out of it if I hook up with them multiple times,” junior Caitlyn Ricardo said. “Most of the guys on campus who are willing to rush into a hookup quickly aren’t the ones who are looking for anything serious,” Dougherty said.
“I was looking for a relationship or something that could eventually become something more than the drunken Saturday night fling every weekend,” senior Sarah Waters said, who is now in a relationship with someone that began as a hookup.
The hookup culture may follow you after graduation, because bars and clubs continue to breed random hookups for as long as you attend them. TV and other media don’t discourage hookups outside of college especially with popular shows such as “Sex and the City” or movies like “Knocked Up.” It seems normal for single adults to participate in the hookup culture just as much as college students.
Many feel hooking up is nothing to be looked down upon and it certainly isn’t a vital part of college if you don’t want it to be. Allowing yourself to take part is your own choice and is fine as long as you are being conscientious and smart about hooking up. “Hooking up is fun,” Dougherty said, “but relationships can change your life.”
