Discussions In Culture: Casual Sex & The Club

Image courtesy of Aleksandr Popov under the Unsplash Licence

Freshers' week is notorious for relentlessly clubbing and socialising, whilst simultaneously trying to settle into your new space for the year, only to do it all again the next night. This bustling lifestyle injects the perfect kick of adrenaline to those wanting to embody a more adult persona as they shift into a new chapter of their life. Getting ready to feel and look good, so many pre-drinks with your new flatmates that you may not even remember getting to the club, making new friends and kissing strangers. Such is the life of a fresher; however, this lifestyle doesn’t exist without its challenges. 

At the start of a night out, energy is buzzing with dancing, laughing and feeling carefree. But then maybe your friend kisses someone, your other friend gets someone else’s socials, and you feel like you need to catch up with them. Dance more, drink more, talk more, kiss more, have more fun. The pressure that exists in this space, i.e., club culture, has many similarities with hook-up culture. 

Hook-up culture follows the pattern of a non-committal lifestyle through the pursuit of multiple flings or talking stages. Often, people express their casual experiences as ‘living in the moment’ or ‘being young and carefree’. Beneath the surface, a pressure often lies that revolves around having a love life that is constantly changing in an entertaining and spontaneous way; therefore, it willingly lacks the consistent structure that a committed relationship can sometimes bring. Both have their purposes and benefit different people, lifestyles and preferences, yet at the same time, there is a notion that committing to something more stable or long-term doesn’t fit the expected ‘experience’ of university students. This results in hook-up culture and club culture being linked, as clubbing is a very common element of the university experience. Conveniently, clubbing assists those looking to embrace hook-up culture in finding matches for their quest by gathering a group of people of a similar age with shared interests and allowing them to select the best suitors for their needs. 

Clubbing can be a disorganised and frantic experience. It can be loud, people push and shove, and sometimes you have no clue how you ended up in the bathroom, only to find yourself speaking to a friend outside, then back on the dance floor, and suddenly, in an Uber home. Hook-up culture can be a world of mixed messages, noncommittal energy and disorderly structure. This interacts with how people engage with the clubbing experience; what their intentions are, and the success of the night is determined not solely on how much fun you and your friends had, but more so by how many people you felt were interested in you. Ultimately, this means that club culture isn’t always about dressing up and going out to have fun. The notion of hook-up culture and the incentive to fit in with it takes away from what should be a carefree time of dancing with friends and turns it into having to impress people, otherwise you risk seeming uncool or unappealing to them or even, eventually, to yourself.

On the other hand, club culture and the way it is intertwined with hook-up culture can greatly benefit many people. New and exciting experiences can develop, the opportunity to grow and learn is presented, and as one typically participates in the cultures at a younger age, they can both play a role in self-discovery when it comes to having clarity around their sexuality and romantic preferences. Without the two being linked, people wouldn’t have the dedicated space to explore their options and meet new romantic interests organically. Additionally, the interlinked cultures can play a massive part in empowering and boosting the confidence of those participating, as in a contemporary world of dating apps, rejection and competition, people can see what - and who - is really out there for them (which often happens to be a lot!). 

All in all, while the two cultures can have some drawbacks, the opportunity to have each experience as a learning curve in such young and formative years of our lives benefits us greatly. It is what grants people the chance to learn their communication styles, morals, and personal standards for a relationship and limits the chances of heartbreak or severe emotional injury when the cultures are carried out honestly and respectfully to both yourself and anyone you may choose to experience them with.

---

Edited by Zarah Hashim, Sex and Relationships Editor