Does Hookup Culture Silence Women?

Author

Kylee Rose Rock, University of New Hampshire, DurhamFollow

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Project Type

Senior Honors Thesis

College or School

COLA

Department

Philosophy

Program or Major

Legal & Political Philosophy

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

First Advisor

Laure Barillas

Second Advisor

Charlotte Witt

Third Advisor

Nicholas Smith

Abstract

The issue of hookup culture on college campuses is of concern to many feminist scholars, given the alarming rates of sexual assault and unsafe sexual experiences in the college setting. This essay argues that hookup culture has the ability to silence women by means of the social landscape which college-aged adults find themselves in today. Further, this essay examines the social experiences of young women on college campuses, and advocates for a change in social habits and scripts through reconsidering our approach to the anti-porn movement in today’s modern culture. Drawing upon literature from Rae Langton’s work, "Speech Acts and Unspeakable Acts.”, “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian and “Talking to My Students About Porn” written by Amia Srinivasan, it makes the case that hookup culture masks itself as a tool of sexual liberation, while functioning as an oppressive structure which women are obligated to conform to.

Recommended Citation

Rock, Kylee Rose, "Does Hookup Culture Silence Women?" (2024). Honors Theses and Capstones. 859.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/859