Presenter: Kelsey Dunne
Co-Presenters: Erika Stanford, Dayna Silvani
Faculty Mentor: Julie Heffernan
Presentation Type: Poster 9
Primary Research Area: Social Science
Major: Educational Foundations
On today’s college campuses, there is a sensation created around “hooking-up.” Created and enforced by mass media, the idea of everyone taking part in casual sex is commonly believed as a true practice occurring on college campuses. Through the book, Gender: Ideas, Interactions, Institutions (Wade & Ferree, 2015) we come to understand that those with the most influence and power, “…white, wealthy, heterosexual, conventionally attractive, able-bodied, and socially adept,” validate and perform these actions that shape the sexual culture. However, this image of sexual activity is disproportionately presented, as the majority of students do not take part. With the research of many others, the realizations of pressures to take part in these practices become apparent. This can cause a dangerous atmosphere as we regulate the sexual actions of others, ensuring that it falls within the lines of the sexual script, the guidelines that rule sexual interaction. This makes way for a dynamic in which men are assumed to initiate sexual contact and the acceptance or denial is up to the woman. However, this makes space for miscommunication or mixing of signals, producing the opportunity of unwanted sexual interaction.