But what does “I would totally hook up with him” really mean?

Teen Vogue jumps right into the issue with a new article Modern Romance. The tell-all subtitle, From Kissing to ‘Sexting’ – Today’s Hook Up Culture is Changing How Teens Think About Relationships,  is guaranteed to raise eyebrows. But when you start reading, you realize that there isn’t one (and only one) pervasive hook-up culture because there isn’t actually one definition of hooking up. For one girl it’s just making out, for another it could be anything and everything except sex. That’s a big difference covered by one very commonly used term.

So what does that mean for you?

The one common denominator in hooking up is that it doesn’t lead to a relationship. You aren’t going to make-out with some guy and wow him with your kissing prowess (even though you probably are a fab kisser). It just doesn’t work that way. So before you hook up with with someone, make sure you know what you want to get out of it and what you’re comfortable with. Do you want this guy to take you out next weekend? Are you expecting him to text later saying how good it was to talk to you? 99.9 % of the time, hooking up isn’t going to get you any of this – that’s just not the expectation that’s set up around it. It’s a one-time deal with a one-time guy. And most of the time, you want better than that. But you have to decide for yourself. Don’t let him – or even “the cool kids” as they’re called in the article – make you feel like hooking up isn’t a big deal. When something involves you, it’s always a big deal. And hooking up is ultimately all about you.