Opinions

Fwb?

Kinley Bokermann, sports editor| March 6, 2022

Being fwb, or friends with benefits, has become a new normal for teenagers looking for the “benefits” of a relationship without the commitment.

Ross and Rachel. Nick and Jess. Cassie and Nate.

What do all of these people have in common? Three words: friends with benefits. There’s only one thing you need to know — it rarely works out.

Being friends with benefits has grown in popularity in the 21st century, especially with teenagers. The cliché term means exactly what it implies — friends who receive all of the benefits (you know what I mean). It’s like a relationship without the title, or what you might call a casual relationship. It’s the physical without the label, and all the perks of a relationship without the commitment. Everything about it is on an emotionless friends-only basis, until one day it isn’t.

It’s casual, just how teenagers like it. Some people argue it is the perfect time to experiment with someone you are comfortable with. A quick hookup on a Friday night and that’s it — friends at school and fun on the weekends. Life is all about living while you’re young, right? You can figure it out as it goes, all gas no breaks, as long as you are ready to bear the consequences and don’t care about the Monday recap of who hooked up with who over the weekend. Just remember, your reputation is not only built on what you do, but who you do in high school.

There’s one thing about friends with benefits: it never works out.

The problem is there really is no such thing as friends with benefits. Whether it’s a longtime friendship or someone you’ve been snapchatting for a couple of hours, “no strings attached” just does not exist. Friends with benefits is like using a Bandaid to pull together the Grand Canyon. There’s two sides to every story and, inevitably, it’s either going to turn into a real relationship or someone is going to suffer. One person is going to catch feelings and the other is going to be left back in the friendzone, heartbroken. People, especially teenagers, are not emotionally mature enough to deal with the baggage that comes along with these “situationships.” So stop prolonging the commitment and either call it as it is and make it a legit relationship, or be ready for everything else that goes along with being friends with benefits.

In the end the concept just takes away from what everyone has been searching for since they were children: their fairy tale ending. Whatever happened to High School Musical and wanting to date the starting quarterback to wear his letterman jacket? Meaningless, casual sex has been normalized by T.V. celebrities on social media and the music we listen to, to the point where it has become a part of our culture. Goodbye virginity, hello friends with benefits and casual relationships.

Now, while I’m still chasing my fairytale ending, do whatever you want, but just think about if those so-called benefits will really outweigh the consequences.