In the wake of the “Fantasy Slut League”, students have been accused of, among other things, participating in hooking up with others because of “pressure/manipulation by older students that included alcohol to impair judgment/control and social demands to be popular, feel included and attractive to upper classmen”. Does this pressure really exist at our school? And if so, is it forced on students openly, or does it exist as an unspoken pressure?

Junior Lucy Skugstad said she thinks there is an unspoken pressure to hook up with others and that it exists “because it’s the norm and people maybe believe it makes them cooler.”

After hearing news stations report, many times negatively, on our school and our culture, many students reacted with disbelief and agreed that the reports were twisting the truth, especially over statements saying that our students forcibly pressured others to engage in acts against their will and that those being pressured couldn’t say no, junior Ellie Forrester said.

The meta issue at PHS is the pressure to be popular, said health educator Karen Blanpied. Hooking up says that you’re desirable to yourself and others. People take the path of least resistance because it’s easier to go along with peers’ opinions.

“Hormones, curiosity, alcohol, and sex in the media, as well as the culture and status around hook-ups affect teens’ behavior,” Blanpied said. “People also want to be sexual. This is a normal thing.”

When faced with peer pressure, students should be assertive, especially if they don’t want to do something, Blanpied said.

When asked how hard he thinks it is to resist peer pressure, senior Milo Davis said, “It definitely depends on how strong the pressure is and what it is about. I’ve found if I truly feel strongly about doing one thing no amount of pressure can make me do it.”

While social expectations or pressure to do something may never be openly said, students might feel pressured to do something because they think everyone else is doing it and may want to be included, or think it will make them well-liked by their peers, Blanpied said.

“The strongest source of pressure comes from the insecurity of adolescence,” senior Will Corvin said. “Most people are struggling to find a place at school while also trying to find out who they are, which makes it difficult for people to stand up to peer pressure because what they are most worried about is fitting in.”

Some students think that it is harder to resist unspoken pressure rather than someone verbally pressuring you to do something you would rather not do.

“I think it is harder to resist unspoken peer pressure because the situation always gets blown up bigger in your mind than it actually is,” Corvin said.

When asked what the biggest source of pressure is at PHS, students answered mostly either to get good grades and to party; or “work hard, play hard”. Students also mostly agreed that pressure was caused by peers and the response they expected they would elicit from their peers if they did one thing versus another.

“There’s an unspoken pressure to party and drink,” Skugstad said.

Alcohol has always been part of teenage culture, but hooking up has changed because the culture has changed. It is vital to teens to be accepted by their peers, Blanpied said. But binge drinking is a part of the PHS social scene and it affects how teens act.

Pressure on teens to hook up comes from a variety of sources, internal or external, and in some situations casual hook-ups can be considered normal, which makes it more acceptable. However, there are many factors involved, such as friend groups and social surroundings.

“Pressure to hook up is probably seen most at parties where there is a large amount of people hooking up for everyone to see,” Corvin said.

Skugstad said teens may engage in hook ups they are pressured into because they might “feel like they will be different or looked down upon if they don’t because it is thought of as the norm. People don’t think about it a lot of the time since the high school environment sees hooking up as a very casual thing, so many people take on that attitude.”

For some, more than others, it is difficult to say no to pressure from their peers. No one wants to disappoint their friends, and it may be easier to do what others expect of you rather than stray from the norm, Corvin said.

However, as students get older, it gets easier to stand up to peer pressure because they learn more about themselves and have experienced more, Skugstad said.

“I think as people mature and get a better grasp of who they are and what they are comfortable with, peer pressure gets easier to stand upy to,” Corvin said. “However, many times people only learn their limits by making a few mistakes along the way.”

Skugstad added, “people need to try their best to establish their own attitudes and never do anything they don’t want to.”