I Do Not Hook Up: Confessions of A Hopeless Romantic

Maybe it was all the Jane Austen books I had read.  Maybe it was watching Sleepless in Seattle and The Princess Bride too many times.  Maybe it was all the stories I heard about people falling in love and living happily ever after.

I’m not sure where it began (Disney’s Cinderella, perhaps?), but for as long as I can remember I’ve been a hopeless romantic.  I love the idea of two people who like each other first and then form a relationship.  You develop an emotional connection based on more than just a physical attraction.  A person’s looks change constantly, so a relationship founded only on physical attraction is less consistent than one based on emotional connection.
 
Let’s take the case of Pride and Prejudice.  Did Lydia and Wickham or Elizabeth and Darcy have the better relationship?  While Lydia and Wickham had a physical connection, they didn’t share the same emotional bond as Elizabeth and Darcy.  When girls read the book they envy Elizabeth and Darcy’s relationship, in which the physical connection is only secondary to the emotional one.  I mean, seriously, how many girls would turn down Darcy in favor of Wickham?

But I’m getting off-topic…
 
As a hopeless romantic, I’m different than a lot of the Boston College female population.  I don’t choose to hook up, unlike many of the girls at BC.  I have zero interest in this type of behavior.  While I respect the decisions of the girls who do pursue this lifestyle, I never have nor will I ever have any interest in hooking up.
 
I like the idea of a more emotional connection to a member of the opposite sex.  It may sound sappy, but I honestly mean it.  I want a true relationship.  One that lasts longer than a few day and that includes meaningful conversations – two things that you can’t get out of a hook-up. 
 
So, you can call me old-fashioned, out-of-touch, naïve, or even stupid.  I don’t care.  I’ve learned to accept myself for who I am, even if it means I lead a totally different lifestyle than the majority of BC students.  So what if I stand out like a sore thumb?  So what if I don’t experience the “hook-up culture”?  Not me.  I’m proud to be a hopeless romantic. 

As Kelly Clarkson says in her song “I Do Not Hook Up”:
 
“Oh, no, I do not hook up, up I go slow,
If you want me, I don’t come cheap,
Keep your hand in my hand, And your heart on your sleeve.
 
Oh, no, I do not hook up, up, I fall deep,
‘Cause the more that you try,
The harder I’ll fight,
To say goodnight.”

Photo Sources:
http://s1123.photobucket.com/albums/l543/hercampusphoto/?action=view&cur…
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1516222976/tt0112130