Hook-up culture isn’t new.
As humans, we’ve been having sex on the first date (or even without a date at all) since the dawn of time. Though Ms. Jordan claims no one spoke openly about rape, consent, or sex before Y2K, history is filled with people publicly talking about sex.
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The Bible obsesses over our intimate parts.
India gave us The Kama Sutra.
Eighteenth-century France gave birth to the Marquis de Sade.
Nineteenth century England enjoyed Oscar Wilde, legalized prostitution, and steady access to flagellation porn; even our parents in the mid-twentieth-century US indulged in some free-love in San Francisco.
And since forever, pearl-clutchers like Ms. Jordan have fortold of the death of back-seat hand-holding and chivalry. (Protip: Medieval chivalry and courtly love assume marriage and romance are incompatible.) Ms. Jordan clings to a nostalgic vision of the past, but the truth is that our parents talked about sex. Most of our parents probably did have, have had, or do have casual, premarital, extramarital, postmarital, non-marital, and/or otherwise sexy sex sex.
Ms. Jordan claims you should let a man pay money twice before he sees your beef curtain (so it really means something), but the big secret is: you can have sex when you and your partner feel comfortable. There is no magic number that suddenly makes sex mean something (whatever “meaning something” means). Know that if you’re ever confused about sex, you’re not alone. Humans have always been confused about sex. That’s why we can’t stop talking about it.
Jenna Allen is a senior English major. Letters and feedback can be sent to letters@collegian.com
