Remember the days when a chaste woman wore a white wedding gown and saved herself for the honeymoon? Me neither. Times are changing, and so are society’s views on sex. Just look at prime-time television.

Gone are the days when the big Dawson’s Creek episode was the one that kept everyone glued to the screen trying to guess whether it was Joey and Jack, Pacey and Andy, or Dawson and Jen who finally took their relationship to the next level (remember that one?). Instead, we’ve got Blair and Chuck’s one night stand in the back of a limo (definitely remember that one!).

Outside of the small screen, relationships in the real world are dwindling. “Dating” is becoming a thing of the past, and casual sex is flourishing. The value of the once-prestigious “first time” isn’t such a big deal for many of us as it was for our mothers, aunts, or even our older sisters. Hell, my first time was not the stuff that teen romances are made of, but I walked away without any permanent emotional scars and afterwards, since it was out of the way, I was able to make better choices regarding who I chose to sleep with.

And yet, I couldn’t help but be surprised when my younger cousin proudly announced that sex was one of her favorite activities (albeit with a steady boyfriend, but still). Just a few years age difference, and there’s still a difference in our mindsets.

Sure, there are still plenty of people out there who put a lot of pride into their virginity, and hold out for a long time. There are still plenty of cherries being popped in the honeymoon suite, after all. But our society’s views on sex can send out mixed signals. People who haven’t found “the one” by a certain age begin to feel alienated by their more-promiscuous peers. Nobody wants to be likened to the Forty-Year-Old Virgin, do they?

I don’t think it’s such a big deal. In fact, I think that once you’ve lost it, you can start to enjoy sex, be adventurous, and learn about your partner’s (and your own) body. Why wait for such a wonderfully erotic experience?

That said, I’d like to know: how many CollegeCandy readers out there expected rose petals and fireworks when they finally relinquished their v-card? Furthermore, how many of you just gave it up because you were curious? Whatever the less-than-fairy-tale way we may or may not have lost it, I’m willing to bet that hardly any of us walked away tarnished with a Scarlet Letter.

Well take that, parents! Some members of our generation are doing just that!

Students at The New School in Manhattan are fed up with the inefficient leadership at the university and decided to take matters into their own hands – by barricading themselves in the school’s cafeteria. The group settled in last night at 8pm and blocked the door with recycling bins, tables and signs.

What do they want? According to the New York Times:

As word of the protest spread and the group grew larger, a list of demands was produced. Those included [Bob] Kerrey’s removal as well as the ouster of James Murtha, the university’s executive vice president, and Robert Millard, the treasurer of the school’s board of trustees. The students said they wanted more of a voice in school matters and full disclosure of the school’s investments.

The students don’t plan on leaving anytime soon, so we will see how things pan out. Especially considering Christmas break is coming and most of these people – no matter how politically motivated – will probably want to head home at some point. Until then, let’s all take notice of what they are doing and be inspired to stand up for causes we believe in.

You may love listening to your music on the way to class, during class, or in the library to drown out the sounds of those annoying kids who won’t shut up, but it looks like all that jamming is going to wreak havoc on your hearing.

It used to be a myth or a worry, but now there is actual proof that listening to your iPod or other personal music players (are there any besides the iPod?) too loud can lead to some pretty serious long-term problems. Like total hearing loss. The New York Times reports:

“Regularly listening to personal music players at high-volume settings when young,” the report said, “often has no immediate effect on hearing but is likely to result in hearing loss later in life.” The report is the latest of several to warn that the “MP3” generation of youths may be heading for hearing impairment in later life.

Um. Sh*t. Looks like our entire generation is gonna be without hearing in just a few short years. And those of us with those handy dandy inner-ear buds (like the crappy ones Apple makes that are always falling out of my ears) are even worse off, because they get even closer to our ear drums and cause more damage.

Want to be able to listen to music in your 40′s? Scientists recommend “limiting listening time to one hour per day and setting the volume to no more than 60 percent of maximum sound output when using headphones that are placed over the ears — and even less when using ear buds.”

It may be tempting to rock out to Journey on your way to a 9am class, but turn down the music. Not only does it annoy the rest of the people on the bus with you, but it just isn’t worth it when you consider the alternative: never being able to perform “Don’t Stop Believing” at Karaoke again.

Oh the horror.

As I grew older, I expanded my professional resume with retail positions, internships and jobs geared towards my career interests. I came out of college and now have a full-time job (and this super fun writing gig to keep me sane on the side) and am working towards getting the things I want for myself in life.

I consider myself – and many women just like me – to be a part of something new: the New Generation of 20-Something Women. No more relying on a man to determine financial status, stability or success; we are independent and have our own individual goals. Our own plans. Our fate in our hands.

Growing up, I learned that if you want something, you need to rely on yourself to get it and not someone else. I am taking that theory into account and notice that more females these days are too. Years ago, women were expected to find a man, get married, have children and keep the household. Rather than growing up and looking for our Mrs., 20-something women today are looking for a job, life experiences, travel and, most importantly, a life for themselves.

It’s not only the man now-a-days that needs a woman to sign a pre-nup when they get married. Meaning, more women are creating their own success as individuals, before solidifying their life with a man. These women are more realistic to the facts that 50% of marriages end in divorce and, if you want to enjoy your life, you have to rely on yourself first and foremost. Are you with me ladies?

More and more women are coming out of college and getting great jobs (albeit, men are doing the same, not trying to bash you boys, just pointing out our pattern), rather than heading straight to getting a great man. If you can have both, like my lucky self, then you’ve got two great ends of the spectrum. But my point here is that women can have both. And women are starting to realize it and put their own wants and needs first. And I quite like that.

Are you one of these success-driven females? What’s your driving force behind your goals?

[Photo courtesy of LogoKey]

The results surprised scientists, who had previously believed that happiness was stable when looking at societies over time. Bucking the conventional knowledge, happiness levels in forty countries “rose substantially.”

Denmark is the happiest nation, Zimbabwe the least, and the US was rated as the 16th happiest country. A similar survey released last week determined one reason America isn’t ranking higher on the list: Baby Boomers are generally miserable compared to other generations.

Is this true? Is our generation happier than our parents’ generation? Its probably true that our lives are busier as a result of being constantly connected through e-mail, blackberries, cell phones and social networks. I’ve often wondered if this adds or detracts from our general happiness — constant connectivity can be both a blessing and a curse.

As women, we certainly are afforded a collection of freedoms our mothers were denied. Our generation has seen increased educational and career opportunities, lessened social stigma of being single or a single mom and a rise in financial and social freedoms, just to name a few.

By my age, my mom was married with two babies and a mortgage. How times have changed! I’d like to think that my happiness level is higher than it would have been if I grew up in the sixties or seventies. True, I would have loved to hit up Woodstock or rocked a cute peace-sign studded shift dress, but these days I have a world of freedoms and options, unavailable to females my age just a few decades ago.

Whether its extensive travel or making our education or career the focus of our universe, we are truly able to choose our own adventure and need not be tied down to a hubby and rugrats so early in our lives. But does this make us happier? Or were women happier in simple times, when tradition and stability reigned?

I’m not quite sure where the modern, kick-ass, twenty-something female rates on the happiness scale. Some, like the author of What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us, would say our ambition and heightened goals have only lead to more unhappiness, confusion and insecurity. Others would say we are over-stressed, over-worked and overly obsessed with material things, body image and success compared to the Baby Boomer Generation. But I think us girls are doing just fine — we’re more socially conscious, more self-aware, more worldly and more open minded than our gray-haired counterparts. And so, somewhat tentatively, I do believe that we, the free and fearless females of our progressive generation, are happier than past generations.

What do you think?

Maybe it’s not the nights that will get me, but rather the entire days. This morning I read the newspaper (again), and I can’t decide if I feel 55 and retired, or 15 with a current event quiz looming.

I did get some comforting feedback from this little “project” today though, by a few friends who I met for lunch, informing me that maybe I am not the only romance addict out there — that maybe it’s an entire generation of twenty-somethings raised on Disney movies, and coming of age with hundreds of rom-coms (romantic comedies). While it is encouraging to hear I am not alone in this thought process, I would like to ask, is everyone else as hung up on this stuff as I am? (seriously, looking for feedback here…)

I have been able to hold out strong thus far, though, it was my trip to the gym where I was really shaken. I love going to the gym; since I don’t have cable I usually can catch up on a few terrible/wonderful (depending on if you are honest enough to admit you watch them) shows while working out.

Today however, welcome to Temptation Island — I don’t mean the show. I mean Law and Order SVU (yes, I am a sicko who can manage to find something sweet in that show) The King of Queens, The Bachelorette, The Girls Next Door . I would just like to PLEASE be commended on my willpower at this point, I LOVE trashy TV at the gym, but where could you find me? In front of the plasma-screens showing ESPN, watching the NBA playoffs without even so much a look at a hottie I might try to impress.

So it is again another day over, and another end of the day check in with myself; any new insight or thoughts? Maybe that this fabricated romance I have grown so fond of, is slightly less prevalent when you cut so much out of your life…

Our generation has been called a lot of things. Lazy. Fame obsessed. Narcissistic. Unmotivated. Oversexed. Why haven’t you Twenty-Something’s moved out of your parents’ house yet? The general consensus seems to be. Why are your parents still giving your money? Stop watching reality TV and and get a real job!

Instead of pushing against the unfocused, immature stereotype so much of the older generation is trying to box us into, “Quarterlife” a new MySpace web show (soon to be a real NBC show) plays right into their frustrated hands.

Produced by “the creative minds behind My So-Called Life”, “Quarterlife” follows 6 white kids in their twenties, most of whom consider themselves some type of artsy bohemian. In weekly, 10-minute installations, the characters on “Quarterlife” walk around plugged into their iPods and deal with, you know, issues. Sexual tension, boredom, sexual frustration, confusion, sexual discontent…everyone’s so like, conflicted. So like, unsure. Happiness is fleeting, and nothing makes like, any sense at all.

My So-Called Life was one of the best representations of teenage angst that’s ever been brought to the small screen, but retooling the recipe to fit the lives of Twenty-Somethings doesn’t work at all. The dialogue is pretty much drama (the good kind) free, and whenever main character Dylan video blogs (oh yes, she does), she rambles on and on with a Reality-Bites-combined-with-Kevin Smith-eque “deepness”.

“It’s just weird that you can never know what someone else is thinking. We’re all trapped in our nuero-transmitting soup, having our own indelible perceptions of a universe that for all we know is just an illusion anyway. And I supposed to laugh at that, or cry?”

Because it’s MySpace inspired, “Quarterlife” is more than just a languid drama. Billing it’s website as a place for “social networking”, it encourages its audience to upload art and thoughts, and meet other like-minded Twenty-Somethings through chatting and profiles.

Integrating fantasy and reality is an interesting idea, but if the “real” members of “Quarterlife” are anything like the fictional characters that supposedly hang out on the site all the time, I can guarantee this Twenty-Something will be staying far, far away.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to ask my dad for ten dollars and go back to sleep.