How many times have you been given a sample in the mall food court and have actually gone to that restaurant to buy that same exact meal that you just tried? Probably never, so why should I treat my body like a sample on a toothpick allowing any and everybody to come by and taste, but never requiring that they actually buy the real thing.
A couple months ago, I attended Theology on Tap, an event for young adults in the Catholic Church held at a bar each week, at first I was skeptical because I am not Catholic nor did I understand how a religious group was having an event at a bar. But who am I to judge? Anywho, the speaker shocked me with her topic, "The Exploration of the Hook Up Culture." So now we have Catholics united in a bar discussing hooking up, whoa! But here I am all ears because this has been a topic of conversation with many of my friends, since I am the single one.
The speaker began with the definition of hookup, by using a reliable source, the urban dictionary. According to the definition, a hookup is a vague term that describes a casual interaction, including but not limited to making out, touching, oral sex, or sexual intercourse. She explained that our society has accepted sex as a casual event no longer valued like it used to be, which was meant to give pleasure to a man and his wife. She further explained why the hookup culture is so popular; it is primarily due to the influence of media in music with songs like Blurred Lines, with movies such as No Strings Attached or Friends with Benefits, with TV shows, like Scandal (even though I love that show) and with magazines and other printed materials, like Cosmopolitan, which blasts sex everywhere on its cover. Another reason that perpetuates the popularity of this culture is loneliness because many are searching for something to fill a void looking for love or just instant gratification.
This topic is so relevant I just told one of my friends that I wanted the next person that I have sex with to be the person that I will marry. I have shared this with many people and I have gotten many responses, including "That is a bold statement to make", "That's unrealistic", "You're in your 20s, so just have fun", and many more. I just don't understand how is it unrealistic for me to value my body or how fun has equated to sex. What ever happened to fun being going to a theme park riding on a roller-coaster or going swimming or traveling or hitting up the movies? Maybe, I'm out of touch, but I'm confused as to when the value of sex has become nothing more than an act that can be void of any emotion or connection.
Rather than allowing my body to be treated like a meaningless sample on a toothpick, I will patiently wait for someone to stand in line (show an interest in me), place an order (take me on a date), wait for the food to be ready (courting), and then pay for the meal (marriage). I was always taught that my body is a temple and my price is far above rubies, so I will continue to meditate on Proverbs 31:10 and wait for the right guy to make a conscious decision to pass by the free samples and actually approach the counter to place his order.
