OBSERVATION
When the lights come on
Things are hidden in the darkness of the club. Under stairs, under shirts, in pockets, behind hair, between dancing, drunken bodies. Things are different in the darkness. People are different. People can pretend. But the lights come on at 2am. No longer filtered by colors, hidden in corners, or leaning against walls. It's like flicking on the bathroom light in the middle of the night when you can't sleep and locking eyes with yourself in the mirror. You are not physically naked and afraid, but your blood runs cold as if that is the case. Everyone can see every sunken, hollow shadow of your body, every piece of frizz on your head, smeared lipstick and mascara, sweat in beards and on foreheads. There is a moment when everyone remains standing still, naked and afraid, the same way you would in the bathroom by yourself. And then everyone goes scrambling—scrambling to find someone to take home, to shadow, to get lost in. Everyone expects you to take them home and are confused when you just want to be left alone, naked and afraid, when the lights come on.
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The Culture of Hooking Up
Romance★ NOW PUBLISHED! ★ Hookup Culture Noun The idea that casual sexual encounters are the best or only way to engage sexually in college, a set of practices that facilitate casual sexual encounters, and an organizational structure that supports the...
