Netflix is a beautiful thing. There’s nothing quite like watching your favorite shows and movies on your own time. Whether you watch it alone or with your friends, it always adds to the recipe for perfect “chill” time. As Netflix has become more popular, especially among millennials, “Netflix and chill” has gone from being an innocent act of relaxation after a work week to a gateway for sexual activity.
You see it all the time in movies ― a young couple goes on a date to a local movie theatre, and slowly but surely one of the lovers puts his or her arm around the other or decides to hold their significant other’s hand. For many blossoming teenagers, this seems like the ideal place for a date to get some “chill time,” but this is 2015 ― who wants to go to the local theatre when you can watch your favorite movies at home?
There used to be a time when inviting someone over to watch Netflix was innocent and, in fact, was to actually watch Netflix and chill after a long week, but, now, it is so much more than that. If someone asks you to “Netflix and chill,” it is no longer safe to assume that you can wear your ugliest pajamas and bunny slippers so that you’re comfy when you stuff your face with pizza and feast your eyes on a movie. These days, agreeing to Netflix and chill is agreeing to come prepared for quite the night.
According to Urban Dictionary, Netflix and chill is “a subtle way to lure a girl to come over to your place, initially as just a ‘friend,’ so that it can lead to an opportunity of getting intimate with her while something is playing on Netflix.”
For many people, especially young adults, Netflix has become an evergreen excuse to advance a sexual attraction. Many millennials, including Jeffrey Paszternak, junior business administration and sports recreation and management major, say that the a major factor into the term’s popularity is because of the convenience associated with it.
“Instead of someone having to save up for one big movie date, a couple can watch multiple movies for a convenient price,” he said. “Everyone loves Netflix—it’s the new way to watch movies. The best part about Netflix is that you usually watch movies at someone’s house.”
Some people, on the other hand, don’t find the term quite as endearing. Even though Netflix and chill has become a popular term, not everyone is familiar with the connotation associated with it. Taylor Bertollini, freshman environmental science major, said that she only learned the meaning of the term this semester and that she hates the meaning that comes along with it.
“I feel like it ruins the idea of hanging out and watching TV with your friends because now it means that you’re going to have to fool around,” she said.
Bertollini said that before coming to college, she would see tweets and messages from people asking a friend to Netflix and chill in an innocent context, but that once it became a common hookup tool, a sexual connotation was developed with the term.
The hook up term has even gone above just being a common phrase amongst millennials; it has transcended into a marketed product and the source of numerous jokes on social media. It is a trending hashtag, the joke of memes, the basis for online quizzes and even a condom marketing tool.
“It just kind of snowballed,” Bertollini said. “I had no idea what it meant prior to college. I hope it dies down. I just want to watch a movie with my friends without it having other connotations.”
Whether you use Netflix as a way to hang out with friends or as an excuse for a late night booty call, there is no denying that Netflix has become a cost-effective staple of the millennial generation. The $8.99 a month streaming service is the ultimate tool for those who are trying to embrace the hookup culture, and the ultimate tool for those who are just trying to catch up on their favorite shows with their friends.
No matter what you use this tool for, just remember to have fun and practice safe chill.
