Sex scenes? Yes or No?







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This is the kind of question that could divide the masses. Sex scenes in young adult fiction. To romp, or not to romp. To get down and dirty, or keep it clean?

 

On one hand, you have the practical argument that everyone has sex. On the other hand, you have the moral argument, that its influencing young adults... teenagers, to engage in sexual activity... hmm...

 

Then you have me.

 

Surprisingly, I'm not a fan, and it has nothing to do with some higher sense of morality. It has nothing to do with under aged characters. I mean, come on, you'd have to be seriously deluded to believe teenagers aren't having sex! My issue simply comes down to the fact that it makes me uncomfortable.

 

I'm one of those people who can't hide what I'm feeling, and don't particularly try to either.

Those cooking shows for example. I like the cooking, I hate, hate, hate! watching people eat, so you can image what my reaction is to those man vs food shows where the host tries to shove a dinosaur sized meal down their throat. I dry heave. My mouth even fills with saliva and sometimes my eyes water. My partner thinks it's hilarious. I just can't watch! It's gross!

 

Blood is another thing that turns my stomach. I'm not talking about a cut, or a vampire bite, I'm talking about movies or shows that emphasize the blood. Blood squirting in your face, in your mouth... wherever... bodily fluids splashing on any part of another person... Gross!!! I'm gonna heave and there's nothing I can do about it. I think it was Blade II that nearly made me throw up in the middle of the movie theatre because of the blood flooded room in the beginning scenes. 

 
 

You get my point. Anyway, back to sex scenes. You can probably imagine what I'm going to say. When sex scenes come on the TV, a movie or I read them in a book, I blush, I squirm, I screw up my face, and do you know how I found that out?

I was reading the Sookie Stackhouse series on the bus, better known as Trueblood. You've probably seen the series, know what I'm talking about. The OMG sex scenes!! My face was the color of a beetroot, contorted in horror, intrigue, disgust and oh yes... embarrassment!!!

 

People noticed and stared at the crazy red faced lady, and the more they stared, the more I started to freak out. Have they read the book? Seen the movie? Do they know which chapter I just read? Do they think I like that kind of stuff? OMG!! OMG!!

Which of course made me blush even more. Good thing I've never read Fifty Shades of Gray! I'd probably faint.

 

I want to be an author, more than anything in the world, but I don't think there's going to be a lot of sex scenes in my series. I'd be horrified if someone read it and thought it was based on my experience, pictured me doing... you know!! OMG!

 

Anyway, this brings me back to my question; Sex scenes in young adult fiction. Yes or No?

As uncomfortable as it makes me, I have to say Yes to sex scenes. It's unrealistic to believe that teenagers don't have sex, even your sweet innocent teenager.

 

The river denial is deep and you've gotta learn to swim sometime parents... and yes I'm fully aware of the fact I have used OMG in this little rant 4 times, but it is sex we're talking about here.