We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context. A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. “Hookups,” or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts.
