The rise in girl-on-girl hookups: Cosmo takes a look at why more and more young, straight women are starting to experiment with bisexuality.(WHAT YOU'RE DYING TO KNOW ABOUT)

* Girlfriends have always formed tight bonds with each other. But lately, a growing number of straight chicks are doing their bonding in bed. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 14 percent of women in their late teens and early 20s admit to having had at least one sexual encounter with another woman. Cosmo looks at the reasons behind the sudden surge in girl-on-girl seduction.

Taboos Barely Exist Anymore

When was the last time you were really shocked by someone's erotic exploits? Celebrity sex tapes? No biggie. Threesomes? Old newsy Internet sex? Whatever. "In today's youth culture, sexual boundaries have shifted," explains Elizabeth Armstrong, PhD, who studies female sexuality at Indiana University. "More specifically, there is less stigma associated with same-sex encounters. As a result, more young women who date men are having sex with their own gender to sate their curiosity and for physical satisfaction."

The hotbed for much of this bi-curiosity is college. In fact, the preponderance of collegiate girl-on-girl sex is so great, it's earned its own moniker: LUGs, which stands for Lesbians Until Graduation. "College is a time when people test their boundaries. For many, that may come to an end with graduation," says Armstrong.

Women's Sexuality Is More Fluid

It's no big surprise that this open-mindedness is gender-specific. "Straight men aren't as comfortable exploring stone-sex relations," says Lisa Diamond, PhD, who studies gender ...