I Kissed A Girl...

The hook-up culture in America is not a new phenomenon, but it is growing in popularity. Predominate especially on college campuses, the no-commitment sexual and semi-sexual encounter is increasingly the norm rather than the exception to the rule. Of course, just because it is becoming normalized does not make it right or even totally acceptable. On college campuses, the walk from a boy's dorm is still referred to as "the walk of shame," even though many can be found doing it on any given weekend.

The popularization of this culture is beginning to blur the lines even between homosexuality and heterosexuality. Because these hook-ups (loosely defined, a hook-up can be anything from making out to full out sex) are perceived to carry no baggage and there is no preconception of commitment, even girl-on-girl experimentation (and percievably guy-on-guy) is being seen as soemthing much less than lesbianism. This is shown explicitly in the raving popularity of Katy Perry's I Kissed a Girl. The video is wrought with sexually provocative images and young women dancing in lingerie, but without the video, the song is explicit of the culture it promotes.

See for yourself. The song is written as a narrative walking through the process of the encounter. The chorus says,

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrongIt felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it I liked it

As disturbing as that may be, possibly the most disturbing part of the song is the following verse,

No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter,
You're my experimental game
Just human nature,
It's not what, Good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

Though we can all agree that it is human nature to sin, we should all be appalled that experiementation is being condoned and encouraged. As one young girl told her mom related to this song, "it's ok mom, she's not really gay because she has a boyfriend." Experimentation is being seen increasingly as a good thing for teenagers and young adults to engage in. Further, the exploitation of women in our culture is increased through the hook-up fad. Women are sex-objects, and as we see in this song, even other women are objectifying members of their own sex.

Perry sings that this Ain't no big deal, it's innocent, but as Christians we must stand firm that this is a big deal and it is not innocent. It is sin, according to Paul, of the most grevious kind (Romans 1). Parents, talk with your teenagers about what they listen to and about the hook-up culture. Sexual relationships without commitments lead to unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and damaged self-esteem. Even more imporantly, these "hook-ups" do not glorify God in any way.