Isabel Diana

In 2018, I spent a semester studying at MASSART College, a school located in Boston and happens to also be surrounded directly by 9 colleges and a university within walking distance. The area was highly populated by students ranging from late teens to late 20s. This also means that most identify as underage under the American Alcohol Laws and most are sexually active.

Apps such as Bumble, Tinder, Snapchat, Instagram are thriving in these environment. People meet so quickly and intents are clear and plans move fast. So when it comes to hookup culture this in many ways is the perfect breeding ground for it.

Through out my time I met and heard a lot of stories from girls about what they had experienced within hookup culture, to their specific experiences when talking to and meeting up with mostly males, but not to say it's not present in hookups with those identifying as other genders or sexualities. The thing about these stories is that they are not uncommon. Most girls will have at least one story about a hookup that went wrong or a situation with a male that was problematic to say the least. The thing is we don't talk about it.

Which intern made me think about the social value of hookup culture. Are people aware of the social structure? See the articles exist, the academic texts are present. The problem is that we aren't speaking about it casually or debunking it. Media and hollywood are still glorifying hookup culture and it's now been officially considered an important role in the college experience much like drinking.

This installation was based on a list of 14 sources, from interviews, Instagram post, academic papers, books and news articles. I wanted to show accurate language used to describe hookup culture. If you go looking for it it is there. The work was made to de-glorify hookup culture and show what a female experience within hookup culture is more accurate to look at.

The work was presented as an installation, the prints are presented in the space that birthed them; parties, alcohol and mess. I leave you with these questions: Are we talking about the aftermath of a hookup? Are we talking about the double standards of hookup culture? Are we talking about how men dominate hookup culture?