The difference between our generation and that of our parents is apparent in many ways. One of the strongest differences is our values and ideals when it comes to relationships when you are young. Nowadays the definition of a relationship is changing and it is more common to see kids having casual sexual relationships or “hooking up.”
“[Back in my day] nobody just hooked up,” chemistry teacher Aaron Freeman said, “And if you did, you told no one.”
In a study done by the Archive for Sexual Behavior, Baby Boomers had the same amount of sexual partners as Millennials. Baby Boomers had an average 11.68 sexual partners while Millennials have just 8.26. However, this only means that the amount of sex was similar, not who they are having sex with. In other words previous generations would see more long lasting relationships instead of the casual sexual relationships.
“Times have changed,” senior Caleb Stewart said. “People are more comfortable with each other now.”
In a study done by the University of Chicago, researchers studied people’s acceptance of sex before marriage. In the 1970’s the acceptance rate was 29 percent but then jumped to 42 percent in the 80’s. In 2008 the number breached the 50 percent threshold and is currently around percent.
Jane Hanna remembers how things were back in her high school days.
“Things just [went] at a slower pace,” said Hanna, who teaches family and consumer science. “You got to know [the person], you didn’t rush into all the intimacy, [you waited] until much later.”
Many students have an idea of why things have changed.
“Back in the day they had higher standards that people followed,” Stewart said. “Now people are generally more comfortable with different lifestyles.”
Some students attribute the change to the messages of current music.
“I think a lot of things are really sexualized now,” junior Ava Johnson said. “A lot of music talks about hooking up and having sex and not being in a serious relationship with that person.”
It can be generally assumed that the songs kids listen to is much more vulgar and sexual than the songs their parents listened to. For example, one of the most popular songs of 2016 was “Broccoli” by D.R.A.M ft. Lil Yachty. This song is about drugs, another topic that was not as common in previous generations’ songs, however it has this lyric: “Said that I can get that [expletive] easily, said that I can hit that [expletive] greasily.” A lyric like this would simply not be heard for a song on the radio just 30 years ago. In fact, 30 years ago one of most popular songs was “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston. The song is all about true love and its meaning is perfectly displayed in this lyric: “I say a prayer with every heartbeat, I fall in love whenever we meet.” Houston conveys emotion and true love with her song while D.R.A.M. expresses that he is only concerned with sex. This is a common theme in songs nowadays, with conveying less commitment to a person.
Others see this change in culture as a reflection of how young people dress.
“Girls tend to wear less than they used to,” junior Hayden Rapsky said. “You can look at a picture from the 1950’s and clearly see that the fashion was much different.”
Some teachers believe that the way kids dress is much more sexualized.
“Girls respected themselves and other people by not showing everything,” Hanna said. “In my opinion it’s better to leave it for the imagination.”
Another possibility to the change in culture is kids’ openness with sex rather than it being deemed more taboo to high schoolers in the past. Often in the halls of Northwood there will be couples “making out” in front of everyone.
“[Making out in the halls] is disgusting,” Freeman said. “I would have never done that as a high schooler. There was none of that happening in the hallway when I was growing up. If you did, everyone would know and it would come with a certain reputation. The extent of public displays of affection was holding hands and potentially a peck. [People who make out in the halls] have no personal boundaries.”
One student sees the benefits in both relationships and just “hooking up.” She chooses to be in an open relationship. An open relationship is when two people are together but agree that they can hook up with other people as well.
“My boyfriend is pansexual,” an anonymous senior said. “He has never had an experience with a boy before and I didn’t want to take away [his] experience with a boy. He then brought up the idea of having an open relationship. He [said] he would feel guilty if he did something with one of [my] male friends and [I] wasn’t allowed to do the same thing.”
There are many different opinions about just “hooking up” without maintaining an actual relationship. Some students feel that you shouldn’t hook up with anyone.
“I think it is kind of weird if you don’t know the person at all,” the anonymous senior said. “But if you are friends with the person, it should be fine.”
Other students believe that having a meaningful relationship is much more beneficial.
“If you are just hooking up, it’s lust, not love,” junior Morgan Simmons said. “[Sex] is not something that should just be shared with others. I think it is something special that you should share with the true love of your life. I don’t believe it should be something you just casually do.”
Some members of previous generations also do not agree with the way teenagers are acting and think they should take a step back.
“I think anything goes with teenagers today,” Hanna said. “They don’t think about respecting themselves or the person they’re involved with. They don’t think about where they are and how the situation could affect other people. They need to slow down, take time to get to know each other, and respect each other.”
– By Tanner Althoff
