Media exaggerates hook-up culture, should not be attributed to girls’ low self-esteem

Hook-up culture is an over-exaggerated concept within this generation. It is so exaggerated, in fact, that it has been unreasonably attributed to the self-esteem issues college-age women face.

Recently, The Daily Beast’s Women in the World blog reported on a Boston College study that found girls have lower self-esteem in college. Hook-up culture is being blamed for this decline in self-confidence, according to the blog.

Females should not be singled out as the only ones affected by this “no-strings-attached” hook-up behavior that is associated with members of Generation Y.

Both males and females play a role within a casual relationship, and the feelings both sexes have about the behavior should be considered.
Social media and the ability it allows us to “over share” contribute to this lack of self-esteem.

The concept of random hook-ups becomes normalized when members of this generation share their sexual experiences through blog posts. Mobile applications like Tinder also enable the convenience of hook-up culture.

The fear of missing out on the model of romance portrayed on social media negatively affects both college-age men and women. Both take the inability to find these types of relationships personally and feel unworthy because of it.

Because of this digital availability and transparency, hook-up culture is supposedly becoming a definitive characteristic of this generation.

Unfortunately, the over-hyperbolic portrayal of hook-up culture by the media does not quell this inadequacy among young people.
The media’s portrayal of hook-up culture, such as an article published by The New York Times titled “Sex on Campus: She Can Play that Game, Too,” details how women are leading the movement of hooking up. These stories overshadow the articles that cite the truth: Not all millennials are hooking up.

While hook-up culture has been primarily associated with millennials, it is a trend that has shaped relationships for decades.

A study released by the University of Portland during the summer compared the reported sexual behavior of college students between 1988-1996 and 2002-2010. The results concluded college students have less sex now than their peers did 15 years ago.

“No strings attached” is nothing new. “Hooking up” is a thing of the past and the present.