YOUNG ADULT STORYLINES- Teen Sex

Last week I posted my thoughts about the requisite love triangles found in many Young Adult storylines and this week I will endeavor to put words to the virtual paper, once again, to discuss teen sex–NO, not in general, but in YA storylines and novels. Although teen sex is a topic some adults would rather brush under the proverbial carpet, so to speak, it is a topic that should be addressed. In today’s society sticking one’s head in the sand with regards to teen sex ranks close to neglect but I am not going to address such issues. I would like to talk about teen sex in the YA storylines-virtual teen sex-so to speak.

I would like to start by saying emphatically…”I am not a prude. I do not preach about the morality or lack thereof of today’s society. I do not sit in judgment of anyone’s lifestyle, as long as the people involved are free from harm and everything is consensual”. But I am talking about adults-over 18 years of age. Saying that, as readers, we all know that YA storylines are no longer just for teens and young adults. Gone are the days of ‘Little Women’ and ‘The Hardy Boys’. Authors write many of their novels knowing that a large portion of their audience and readership are adults over 18 years of age. But there appears to be some unwritten guidelines as it pertains to the sexual content of young adult storylines. And keeping that in mind, I have noticed more YA storylines involving teen sex. These storylines are not sexually graphic: there is no erotica-style writing: there is rarely any description of a sexual or erotic nature: most of the sex is implied or ‘fades to black’, but there is a sexual encounter or more precisely-intercourse. The scenarios vary, the circumstances range from clumsy first times, implied intercourse to beautiful encounters but the reality of the situation is that an underage (under 18) character(s) is having sex. Most YA storylines talk around the issue of sex, the characters come close to participating or experiencing sex, but a few cross into sexual territory or engage in sexual intercourse.

Awhile back, The Reading Café had an author comment on a review regarding the graphic nature of the violence in his YA storyline. The author pointed out that, as a teen, he was reading novels that contained graphic violence and sex, but what he failed to note, was that these novels were written for adults. The novels he mentioned were not directed at the young adult market nor were they ever intended for the teen reader, but many teens do read novels from every genre and every age level, so they will be exposed to various styles of writing and content. I, myself, read only adult literature in my teens and didn’t think twice about the content and apparently neither did my parents-the maturity level of the teen was the motivating factor. Again, I will address that issue further along.

To prove a point, many readers are concerned about Karen Marie Moning’s (KMM) new release ICED. ICED is part of KMMs Fever series. The Fever series is an ADULT paranormal series, but ICED’s heroine is a young teen girl who ages from 14-17 years old over the next 3 releases. Karen has pointed out that her character of Dani O’Malley will NOT be engaging in sex but the other adults in the storyline will: KMM writes about sex and enjoys the storylines with sex. ICED is NOT a young adult storyline, but a continuation of her adult FEVER series.

October 15, 2012- Karen Marie Moning’s FACEBOOK:

Guys, ICED is NOT Young Adult. Dani ages during the next three books of the Fever Series. Yes, there’s sex. I like writing about sex. I always write about sex. No, 14-year old Dani doesn’t have sex. Other people do. Nor does 14 -year old (at the start of the trilogy) Dani make it a book by or for a 14 year old. I promise you all the magic you’ve come to expect from the Fever World. I don’t write YA. This series isn’t YA. Please spread the word so my inbox will calm down:)

This is an example how readers are concerned about potential storylines involving underage teens and sex. And yet, all this uproar, involved an adult storyline not intended for young adult reading.

But, I am not talking about adult storylines. I would like to address the storylines that are written specifically for teens, where the lead characters are under 18 years of age. In a society where many teens ‘learn’ about sex from books, magazines and friends on the street, should the storyline heroine lose her virginity to the hero or anti-hero? A series I read recently, had an adult male, in a position of authority, engaging in sex with female students at the local high school. And to complicate matters, most of the leading characters in the storyline were very much aware of the situation, yet not one adult made any attempt to stop the male teacher in question. And the girls, with whom he had sex, were jealous of his many conquests. This, to me, lacks moral responsibility. It almost screams, that it is okay for a male teacher to have sex with female students. But, I will digress and add, the YA storyline in question is written in the paranormal genre, and the adult male is technically several centuries old (rolling eyes) and looking for his mate (again rolling eyes) which is not an excuse, only an explanation of this particular premise.

Another paranormal YA series had the female lead, a young teen of 15, trying to seduce many of the male characters including teens and adults, all in the name of over-active supernatural hormones. She was eventually successful in her attempts and lost her virginity to another supernatural being (just after her 16th birthday). The scenario did not contain any graphic sexual content, but the scene was written from the heroine’s point of view (as well as the entire series) throughout the encounter. And in the end, her over-eager need to copulate was written-off as over-active shapeshifter hormones.

In both of these circumstances, each sexual encounter was written as part of the storyline premise trying hard not to appear as gratuitous or unnecessary and in my humble opinion not adequately addressed.

And yet another YA series, the young couple in question are both teen vampyres. Their relationship is basically monogamous, although the female in question has not always been faithful to her beaus.  She lost her virginity at 16 to a 23 year old professor and in her present coupling, the sexual intercourse is implied using euphemisms such as “he loved me all night long” and “our loving was hot and heavy”.

Addressing the age of consent.  In Canada and the USA, the age of consent (age of protection) is 16 and perhaps that is also an issue with the YA storylines as it involves teens under the age of 18.  Sexual intercourse with a minor under 16  is illegal in North America and punishable by law.  There are many different circumstances as it pertains to age of consent for teens between 16 and 18 years of age but I will not address the criminal justice system at this time.

Here is where the reader’s maturity level will come into play. Like the requisite love triangle in many YA storylines, the readers must make the decision and understand the exact nature of the sexual premise. Some 14 year old readers are more mature intellectually than some 18year olds (and vice versa) but that doesn’t negate the fact that an under age character is engaging in intercourse. As a teen, I was reading my mother’s Harlequin romance novels where most of the sex was implied or glossed over with euphemisms, and there were a few novels that were questionable due to their sexual or violent content (The Happy Hooker by Xaviera Hollander and The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty). My attempts at Ayn Rand’s ‘Atlas Shrugged’ garnered me a few raised eyebrows from my friends, but it took me several reads to understand fully the nature of the ‘beast’ that was Rand. But I digress. These novels were written specifically for adults, with adult content and never with the intention of having a 15 year old girl from a small Canadian city holding court over the storyline content. But I was well ahead of my peers in the maturity level and my parents, especially my father, was always open to conversation and question if ever I was willing to talk or ask.

I guess we can look at this two-fold.

1. Should the young adult storylines include sexual intercourse between under-age (under 18) teens (or between teens and adults) in their YA novels and series? And if so, should there be a disclaimer as to the sexual content of the novel? Should the publishers have a rating system in place that warns of the sexual content in young adult storylines?

Please note: many writers are following the dictates of the publisher as it pertains to content of their novels. Whatever is ‘hot’ at the moment, the publisher may ask the author to ‘pursue’ that avenue as it pertains to the storyline content and premise.

We are all well aware that many teens are sexually active. Do we want to perpetuate the scenario in the young adult storylines-making teen sex  acceptable, inevitable and in some cases, necessary? No matter how much we preach, teach, educate and advise, there are still teenage pregnancies, teenagers contracting STDs and having unprotected sex. And on that note-many of these YA storylines involving sex do NOT talk about protection:  the characters are NOT practising safe sex.  


2. Adult storylines and teens. What is your opinion, feeling or thoughts about teens reading adult storylines with sexually graphic scenes and premises? Would you want your 15 year old child reading many of today’s more popular storylines that contain BDSM and sexually explicit content? You might say that the parent must be ever vigilant when it comes to their children’s reading habits etc, but with the advent of the e-reader and e-books, the availability of every genre and storyline is beyond our imaginations.

Let me know how you feel. Oh, and let us know how old you were when you read your first sexually explicit storyline. Do you remember the name of the book?

Just my thoughts-Sandy