Some said that these detrimental societal standards exist for both genders. "I feel like there are expectations for guys just like there are for women. For example, if a guy wanted to take a girl out a on date, his friends might ask him why he isn't just hooking up with her," said Emily Wilson, A&S '10.

"In our society, I feel like gender roles and preconceived notions have become such a huge part in the concept of a date, that it is hard for either gender to use the date as a means of getting to know someone anymore," said Brynn Huguenel, A&S '12.

Lannutti spoke of a study she had recently read that dealt with how distorted the tradition of dating had become due to gender roles. "The study dealt with female-initiated dating, and participants were given a scenario: a girl meets a guy and asks him to go to movie that weekend. They asked both men and women to read the story and associate characteristics. Men immediately associated the fact that this woman must be unattractive because she was asking a man on a date," Lannutti said.

Other factors that some students said contributed to the perpetuation of the hook-up culture include the media and a social dependency on alcohol. "I believe that alcohol plays a large role in the hook-up culture, which is a big reason why it's so attractive to and prevalent among college students," Huguenel said. "Hooking up is an American phenomenon because the drinking culture is an American phenomenon," Troxell said.

"The media tends to promote loose sexual morals, and that becomes a part of what we value as well. I think that its potentially dangerous for people with low self-esteem that are trying to seek affirmation," Wojciechowski said. "In society, there is now a skewed perception of what it means for a woman to be powerful. It is reflected in the way that she dresses and the unlimited number of sexual partners she has. I definitely think that that is prevalent on BC's campus," Wilson said.

Students also discussed reasons why they felt the hook-up culture should be rectified. "There is this idea that if you don't hook up you are outside of the dominant culture, which can make you feel bad about yourself. If you do hook up, you can be judged by men and women and stereotyped, which can also make you feel bad," Lannutti said. "Hooking up is continuing a stereotype of our generation, and I believe we need to change this," Huguenel said.



















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