Sex in YA Novels: General Thoughts

[turtleyurtle1]

So ceilidh_ann 's Sparkle Project has re-sparked my thoughts on Sex in the YA novel. Last November, I found myself participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and bringing up the question- "Why is it so hard to find healthy sex and relationships in YA Novels?"

It's a really good question- the only suggestions I got for "healthy/positive sex" was

Comments

[turtleyurtle1]

I agree. I daresay it's even more freeing to write a male character (of any sort) because of this. It's not just that it's easier to be a guy because you can't get pregnant- it's that male characters so often don't have to worry about looking "slutty".

I think just as problematic- we believe there's a virginity to lose or protect. But honestly- with the amount of books about "Virgin clubs" it's clearly not something widely known. Virginity just doesn't exist. There's no magical on or off switch, the hymen isn't a real barrier of any sort, and there's no medical definition of any such thing, simply because there's no state of "virgin" or "not a virgin".

It's all a social construct, of course.

I hate when people ask "Are you a virgin?" to anybody because the question is simply silly- I can't be or not be something that doesn't really exist to begin with. That's like asking me: "Are you a blue dinosaur?" Well, no, no I'm not a blue dinosaur as blue dinosaurs don't existBut that's sort of a side rant

trickster's queen by tamora pierce

[cxrdevil]

Aly half turned and saw the darkings. “They're darkings,” she explained. “And my friends. That one's

Re: trickster's queen by tamora pierce

[turtleyurtle1]

... xD Win example, I guess. I never read this particular series.

Re: trickster's queen by tamora pierce

[amore_di_libri]

Hiya! Got here from the fanmix community. Stuck around for the absolutely awesome Airbender FAIL! icons and rage. :D

And I'll second the Tamora Pierce rec when it comes to exploring the idea of gender (esp. femininity) as a construct, and the subsequent exploration of what that means when it comes to boundaries on issues like sex and violence and power. All very attractively packaged in adventure/action novels for girls. :)

Re: trickster's queen by tamora pierce

[turtleyurtle1]

Hi. 8D

I like new people stumblin' in sometimes. :]

I would go read Tamora Pierce, except I'm broke and has no monies. xD