Casual hook ups fueled by alcohol may be the norm across college campuses, but Boyle, now a 21-year-old junior at the school, chose to stop. Her reasons to quit hooking up echo the emotional devastation of many college students, particularly girls whose hearts are broken by the hook-up scene.
"I saw it [hooking up] as a way to be recognized and get satisfaction," said Boyle, shaking her blond ponytail. "I felt so empty then."
The hook-up culture on campuses may seem more pervasive than ever, especially as media outlets, books and documentaries rush to dissect the subject, but some college women and men are saying no.
Some, like Boyle, experimented with hooking up and quit. Though she is Catholic, she says her reason for disengaging herself from the hook-up culture had more to do with the unhappiness she experienced afterward. Others influenced by religion have abstained from casual physical activity from the moment they set foot on campus.
Here's NRO's input:
In my own experience, the on-campus sexual culture prevalent these days (in which there's no real connection between sex and genuine relationships) has an especially negative effect on girls. They are more often the ones who come out of it feeling cheated, dissatisfied, and, in some cases, struggling with low self-esteem.
Most universities offer no guidance for students except to shove heaps of condoms at them and tell them to "be safe." University health "experts" give little thought to the emotional repercussions of sex.
