Man, I’ve gotta say that part of the problem with soap opera fandom is the slight conservatism that crops up when you least expect. I feel like everybody’s either leaning right or are over a certain age and thus just don’t get certain aspects of modern youth. It’s frustrating because there’ll be this lock-step of opinion I find so uncomfortable, especially with regard to rape culture and sexual freedom for women.
Look, y’all, teenagers have sex. It’s been a thing for as long as there have been teenagers. A teenager does not have to lack self-respect to decide to have sex and to keep having sex. They do not have to be abused or emotionally damaged to become interested in being sexually active. Is that possible? Yes. Is it a mortal lock? Absolutely not! So please stop the insinuations that a teenage girl that pursues a boy on prom night with the intent of having sex is “messed up” or “abused” or “damaged” in some way. She wants sex and this person has consented to have it with her. Q.E.D. Welcome to prom night of the last fifty years!
Also, I don’t know if you got the memo, but girls are allowed to enjoy sex now. It doesn’t matter if they’re 16, so long as everyone is of an appropriate age and consenting. She even brought condoms! I don’t…So it’s okay for a boy to want sex, yet not for a girl of the same exact age? Ugh, can we just encourage her to make good, safe(r) choices and not police her sexuality? Stop treating her like she’s leading this boy down the primrose path when it takes two to backseat mambo. I’m fine with people being anti-underage sex, I get it, I don’t think it’s at all realistic but I get it, I just have a real problem with the double standard of it being fine for teenage boys and ruinous for teen girls. Girls aren’t only allowed to have sexual attention foisted upon them, they’re allowed to seek it, too.
