Sometimes the YA world is just… nuts.
As a reader who often heads to the Young Adult section first, I’m frequently called out by adults for my reading choices – usually by those who don’t know what the YA field is like and think I want something simplistic to read or that I never grew up or whatever “theory” is prevalent this week.
One of the latest Twitter controversies revolves around sex in YA novels, but with a new twist. These posts aren’t about demanding “clean reads” for teens or decrying sexual content in YA novels. Instead, some people (both fans and authors) are upset about adults reading YA and “hypersexualizing” the teen characters.
It has gotten so odd, some people have claimed they feel like alerting the FBI about YA authors who “hypersexualize” their teen characters.
One example:
Oh, I’m sure it was meant as a joke. Sure. Some of the other posters aren’t joking when they suggest this sort of book shouldn’t be published and that the authors should be arrested. Or that these authors need therapy because they are writing about the sex lives of teens.
So if the authors put sex of any sort in a YA novel (even at a subtle level), and the editors and publishers allow it, should they go to therapy? Or worse, be reported to the FBI? Does anyone truly believe the FBI has the time for this? Should only minors be writing (and editing and publishing) YA books with sexual content of any type? What is going on?
This discourse also makes a lot of assumptions about adults reading YA books; apparently, it means they have been unable to “grow out of them.” Do the people who say that know many actual readers? Like other AAR staff, I read a lot of different genres.
This discourse is making creepy assumptions about adults who read YA. And assumptions about the teens who read it. Just because I read a YA novel, that does not that mean I’m “hypersexualizing” the characters. And are we assuming that all teens who read these books dislike seeing sexuality on the page? Who decides what is “too much” sex in a YA novel? What if on page sex is true to the characters?
I don’t read YA hoping for lots of sex. While a romance in a YA book can be great, some are better without a romantic element. I read it because I like how these books have treated certain plots and characters – often without taking as long as many adult books take to address similar issues! Take Tracy Banghart’s Grace and Fury and Queen of Ruin duology, for example. In just two books, she sets up a misogynistic society and gives us heroines who work together to bring it down. The pacing was great, and while the story iss dark, the ending is hopeful. Yes, I know there are fast-paced, hopeful books in adult SFF, too. Guess what? I’m able to find those books as well. Without being sneered at.
The publishing industry complicates things. There are adult science fiction and fantasy books that are often miscategorized as YA even when they are shelved in the adult Science Fiction and Fantasy section. This has happened to Rebecca Roanhorse, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, R.F. Kuang, and others. (Some people think that if a woman writes a fantasy or SF novel, it must be YA. That’s an important issue.) There are also some series that should have been sold and marketed as “new adult” or even adult, such as A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. But this is a problem with publishing, not authors, and not readers.
People who want SFF with a more romance-oriented plot can’t always find that in the adult Science Fiction and Fantasy section. So they’ll turn to YA to find the stories they want. That doesn’t mean they want to “hypersexualize” the characters.
Yet I can see why some adult readers of YA get tiresome. Some will read a novel about teenagers, aimed at teenagers, and then complain when they those characters act like teenagers. Wait a minute there…
I also get annoyed at adults who read YA for the romance but sneer at the Romance section. That’s a marketing issue. For years, people who might have wanted to read a romance novel have stayed away because of clinch covers, bad cover copy, sloppy media coverage of romance novels, and their own assumptions. Let’s hope that changes.
Finally, considering the YA market, if adults were somehow no longer allowed to buy the books (that’s not going to happen), what do these critics think would happen to the sales figures? Do they really want the whole YA market to crash and burn? Do they want writers to lose their livelihoods? Or are they just writing “hot takes”?
YA isn’t perfect, but these “hot takes” will not fix it.
I’ve been enjoying the comments on this subject and agree with a lot of them. It sounds to me like yet another social media tempest in a teapot. Of all the things to criticize, teen romance in YA? Excuse the insult, but these perpetual harpies need to get a life. Are they completely unaware that literary fiction has some of the creepiest content out there including- but not limited to- rape, incest, pedophilia (looking at you Lolita), genital mutilation, and so forth- often in graphic detail? A number of such offenders, which raise nary a peep from the preemptively offended crowd, have been included on high school required reading lists (think The Kite Runner, Grendel, The Bluest Eye, The Color Purple, and so forth). Yet when parents object to their minor children being required to read this often disturbing content that may very well be beyond students’ age and maturity level, they are decried as censorious prudes who want book burnings. But apparently, it’s cutesy, awkward, and often respectful YA romances that leave some Twitter snits threatening to call the FBI.
Furthermore, are any of these people casting accusations of creepiness doing anything to help real-life victims of sexual crimes? Are they boycotting Netflix en masse because of Cuties? *shudders* Somehow, I seriously doubt it. I guess it must be a lot of fun, a lot less work, and a lot safer to put yourself on a pedestal of your own making to tear down readers than actually do anything to address real-world issues.
Anne, can you tell us who is doing the complaining? Is it parents? Teens? An interest group of some kind? The whole thing sounds really bizarre to me. Labeling a book as YA is primarily a marketing convention. I assume the label is assigned by the publisher (rather than an independent ratings board) who hopes the book will appeal to young adults, and they will then market it to young adults, school libraries, etc. If adults pick it up, then publishers are more than happy to sell to them, too. Kind of like a movie rated PG is not meant to indicate that only kids can go see it.
As far as sexuality goes, once again, these critics need to look at the market. Today’s teens know a lot about sex and are more open about it, so they expect their books to reflect their lived experience. Of course, publishers and authors will seek to meet this demand. And as YA books address more of the deeper complexities of relationships and sexuality, then these books will become more appealing to adults. Not for voyeuristic or fetishizing reasons but because everyone loves a good coming of age story with a little romance and adventure. We remember what it was like to be that age, and it’s fun to go back and enjoy it vicariously through fiction.
The post shown above was from a new YA writer. While she’s not in her teens, she is still fairly young. Some of the other tweets agreeing with her came from young fans, and at least one post was from a 16-year-old fan on Twitter. (I’m going to have to go along with the age she posted. :) ) It’s hard to tell the age of most of the posters who were upset about this. I got an “Older Member of Generation Z” vibe from some of them.
There were some weird posts. People on the anti-adults reading YA side were throwing about creepy accusations about the mental state (and sexual state) of authors. One fan screen capped a discussion from an author and said “Authors, please, go to therapy.” Others were freaking out over a short passage from a YA book about a character’s reaction to fan fic a YA book. The discussion was wild!
Many writers responded to the criticism to point out other sides of the coin. They saw these posts as “gatekeeping.” They pointed out that many books are marketed as YA because the publisher expects to get more readers that way. Also, they asked why people weren’t as upset about the fact that many heroes and heroines in YA are assassins, murderers, etc.
But some authors sided with the younger posters with arguments that implied that adults who like YA novels are “afraid” of adult books with the same themes or that they don’t know how to find those books. Or that they all refuse to read romance. As if they were all alike. Grrr. :)
Wow, thanks for the background. I had assumed it was older people doing the complaining. This sounds more like younger people and authors saying ‘get lost Boomers these books aren’t for you.”
One thing I really don’t love that has sprung up in the culture over the past several years that the Internet really seems to encourage and exacerbate is this mob mentality overreaction. It happens with trends, products and outrage. Often alongside amateur and incorrect Psychology.
I will still occasionally pull out an old “Little House” series book or one from Anne Of Green Gables or even an old Beverly Cleary book to see how they still hold up. Almost everyone my age or younger (and I’m Gen X) has read the Harry Potter series or at least a couple of the books.. The biggest Twi-hard I knew at their peak of popularity was a married woman with three kids. Believe me these younguns will still be pulling out their dog eared copies of the Hunger Games for a re-read when they hit middle age.
Yet another instance of how some people don’t get upset about blood, gore and killing, but lose their shit at the slightest sign of people participating in a loving and fulfilling relationship. I honestly don’t know if it’s an especially American phemomenon – but as American TV and movies dominate the world over, it certainly seems that way.
Did anyone point out how many beloved YA books would disappear if all those written by adults disappeared? Or how YA book sales would plummet if YA books were no longer read by adults? Perhaps that young author should have her book blurbs read “Not for anyone over 18” to discourage us old folks from creeping on her characters. And maybe if adult authors want to write about teens who engage in sexual behavior, then publishers will have to stop labeling it as YA to avoid these types of ridiculous complaints.
Sigh. It’s sad that anyone agreed with this foolishness. I hope it dies a quick death.
I just want to run around and yell: “Judy Blume suffered for your sins!!”
I will join you!
I don’t read enough YA to really know what books the person who originally tweeted was talking about but based off TV I have seen I do think that girls in particular are often hyper-sexualized.
Gossip Girl is one show that sprang to mind as it had “teens” dressing, acting, living and spending like characters used to on old time night time soap operas like Dallas and Dynasty used to. They made their reputation by being shocking and “every parent’s worst nightmare”. I really do think a huge part of it was geared to the “older” people watching it who were the age of the creators, not the stars and certainly not the age of the “teens” in the show. There is currently a reboot now but I haven’t watched it so I can’t comment on that one.
Glee is another show that I thought of. When it started, the supposed “16 year olds” were all pretty much 22-28 years old with the people playing two of their main teachers 29 and 30 years old.
Almost immediately the cheerleader skirts after the first episode were remade to an original design where the “pleats” were really strips of fabric that were more like fringe that opened up when the girls spun around so it basically left them in bathing suit bottoms with peek a boo pleats. One of the cheerleaders remarks early on during one episode “God Bless the perv who designed these skirts”.
The characters of Santana and Brittney were both, IMHO “hyper-sexualized”. They were twenty something women playing 16 year olds who had sex with people just to check off boxes. Brittany wants to have sex with (gay) Kurt because she has had sex with every other male in the school including the janitor. Santana has joyless sex with (virgin) Finn because her Cheerleading coach told them to find younger men. Santana and Brittany are hooking up as well but don’t think it “counts” as sex. Santana brushes it off saying “I’m like a lizard. I need something warm beneath me or else I can’t digest my food.”
Its all meant to be funny and tongue in cheek in the first season and the writers later revised the characters and their motivations making Santana gay and eventually turning her and Brittany into one of the main couples.
Later in the seasons a forty something year old female music teacher has sex with a male student and one of the other students is convinced not to “tell” on her because it will get her fired and the boy was 18 anyway so it “wasn’t illegal”.
Riverdale is another show I can think of where the “teen” stars do and like things that seem more in line with the creators tastes than 16 year olds. Again there is a lot of sexualization of the teens, particularly the girls.
A lot of the complaints I saw seem to be addressed toward YA fantasy (such as the Sarah J. Maas books), maybe because those books often generate sexy fan art and even crafts for sale in stores like Etsy. However, these accusations have included other authors. In some posts I saw, women authors who wrote books about gay boys have been attacked for “fetishizing” gay boys. This aspect isn’t recent. One author was forced to admit she was bisexual because people were angry that a straight woman was writing about gay and lesbian teens.
I had to look up “hypersexualize”, and when I did I found two very different meanings: to attribute sexuality where it doesn’t exist or to exaggerate sexuality.
If the complaints meant the first, then they definitely don’t understand human growth, and even the second meaning is probably wrong when talking about teens.
Some comments on another recent blog here pointed out that a lot of people in America are more comfortable with violence than with sex, and those comments look like more of the same.
In terms of reading, I don’t care what the purported target reader age is—there are many, many books that can be appreciated by readers of any age. Like a lot of other people, I read the Harry Potter series (mostly just before each movie, giving the timing of paperback releases). Just a couple weeks ago, I read and enjoyed the first Tiffany Aching book by Terry Pratchett for the first time, and that had been on my shelves for about 18 years. I liked it enough that I have now read the second & third.
Yes, I think the use of “hypersexualizing” is odd here. I’ve mainly seen it used in situations where a clothing company is making sexualized clothing for six-year-old girls. Eww. That is creepy — but it doesn’t fit what is meant here. I’ve also seen it used when referring to media that “exoticize” the sexuality of women, particularly women of color. But that doesn’t fit, either. I don’t think it’s “hyper” to write a teen-aged character who is described as being really attractive. It probably helps sell books. (An author who writes about bleh or plain-looking characters probably won’t sell as many copies.)
I grew up in an era where the term “young adult” wasn’t known by the average reader. Our library had a section of “teen” books (Paula Danziger, Robert Cormier, William Sleator, etc.) But most teens I knew who were readers started going to the adult section pretty quickly. (And some of the things I ended up reading… eek!) I came back to YA later.
I think I can see both sides of this issue. I think we all know a fair amount of teens are sexually active and there has always been controversy about what is “appropriate” for teens or as they are called now YA books. When I was young, even Judy Blume was considered controversial by some people and “Forever” was passed around on the sly.
I do think there are authors who write “teens” or protagonists much younger than themselves but give them the mentality of a much older person, both in tastes and habits. Some other authors are great at understanding a more contemporary mindset.
I know a lot has changed and in many ways childhood is much shorter than it used to be. The number of years girls play with dolls has been dramatically shortened and it seems like every 10 year old is talking about “boyfriends” now. There is almost no distinction between children’s and adults clothing in many ways and I do worry there is an emphasis on over sexualization of kids and that there are creepy people out there.
Personally what I was interested in as a teen is wildly different than what I read now or even 10 or 20 years ago. As a teen I would have been way more interested in something like Twilight rather than the very explicit romance novels I read now. I agree with Lilly that there are different levels of books and ages. I can’t imagine going from Babysitter’s Club to very graphic stuff. Back in the olden days we had books like “Starfire” teen romances to bridge the gap.
I personally don’t care for really young heroines in the romances I read. One of the few criticisms I have of Joanna Bourne’s books is the teen heroines (who often have the life experience and maturity of a 30 year old). I wish they were all in their 20’s.
I remember “Forever”! It’s been a while, but at the time, I think I believed that the description of sex didn’t make it seem all that enticing. But maybe that made it more believable. Parents worried about “Forever” and didn’t notice we were all reading “Flowers in the Attic.” :)
Because YA books cover the “official” range of 12 through 18, I wish there was a way publishers could make it more clear to teens (especially to the youngest teen-aged readers) which ones they might prefer if they don’t want something more graphic. There are some indie presses specializing in “clean reads” for teens, but some teens will not want a “clean read” but might prefer something subtle.
I never got around to reading Forever until recently and I think much of the furor was probably about how straightforward and matter of fact the sex is. It’s definitely not titillating in anyway or written like a romance novel but the parents are definitely more modern and permissive/understanding than the average parent in the 70’s was for sure.
The most “controversial” thing about the book I think was it was not a big tragedy. The main characters had sex, which they enjoyed, (even though it wasn’t perfect for the girl right off the bat) but she didn’t get pregnant, no one had an abortion or died. Usually I think books where the characters had sex previously were scary stories meant to kids on the “straight and narrow path”. Like horror movies at the time, sex=death or at least ruining your life.
I was impressed that in typical, thorough Judy Blume fashion, the female protagonist goes to get birth control for herself and the couple never has sex without some type of contraceptive. There is a supporting character who has a lot of unprotected sex who shows the repercussions of being reckless and does get pregnant- but happily does not die, go crazy etc.
I think for a long, long time teens were not allowed to be shown happily having sex. I remember in the early 90’s when Brenda and Dylan on 90210 had sex for the first time I was stunned when the episode ended with them both happy and suffering no ill effects. I read after that the powers that be declared they could not just be shown happy and swell after having teen sex and so they had to write Brenda’s pregnancy scare and their breakup.
I never read Flowers In The Attic but from what I know about it, yes parents should have been far more concerned about that one! I remember it being passed around far more than Forever was at my school.
I loved the Sunfire romances! It was always a romance triangle and never more than kisses. But the romance somehow always conveyed a depth of emotion between the leads. This hit me at the right age (10-12). I didn’t need more sexual novels. These books emphasized relationships – not hormones.
I think it is hard to identify the best novels for each age. YA has a wide variety of sexuality. What is NA? I had this discussion with a friend of mine. She wants her daughter to learn and read about healthy relationships. But she wants responsibility and an emphasis on monogamy.
“NA” is “New Adult.” This refers to books about characters who are 18 and older (The characters are often in their 20s, but they can be up to 30 according to Wikipedia). In theory, this should cover a wide range of genres (SF, fantasy, literary, etc.), but it was often used to refer just to NA romance novels.
It does well as a category with indie publishing and self-published authors. There was a period (several years ago) when bigger publishers were trying to put out more New Adult books, but the category didn’t take off as well as it should have. A lot of publishers didn’t believe the books would do well. Also, some readers complained that NA was just “sexed-up YA.”
They often tended to be romance novels with characters beset by terrible childhoods or with stories about underground fight clubs on the college campus. On the other hand, Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue is considered NA — but it’s not marketed that way.
This might not be the accurate definition of NA, but I think a good example is the trend towards College/University-set stories. Sarina Bowen”s The Ivy Years series, for example. For that matter, the popular Him by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy is a NA. I think of them as having protagonists between 18 and 25.
In my head, not all stories with young protagonists fit the NA label for me. NA seems to include a different kind of drama and angst. I don’t necessarily dislike it, and Him and Understatement of the Year are favorites of mine, but for some things, a little goes a long way. :-)
Yes those teen romances were wonderful and often had great messages worked in like: appreciate who you are, don’t do just anything to be popular, be a good person etc. I also agree about the emotional connection, the girls often ended up with the guy who was also their good friend and whom they could rely on.
I know one complaint people have about the over sexualization of teen girls in TV and books is that they can emphasize the physical acts before emotional bonds are established and it can keep them from learning how to build healthy relationships. The other problem is in a lot of TV and books the girls are taught that their value lies in their looks and pleasing boys.
Blume is still a routinely banned author.
This has to go back to people who just don’t want any kind of sexuality discussed in books for anyone under 18.
It’s a true shame because I can’t think of another author who handles the subjects more thoughtfully and responsibly than she does.
She neither overly glamorizes or demonizes anything and shows young people acting responsibly and carefully. It’s a testament to her writing how her books hold up over decades and decades.
As a mother of children who are now, thankfully, out of their teens (not to mention someone who was once a teenager herself—although my kids have trouble believing that), I can assure the YA critics that teenagers have sex lives of one variety or another whether they read YA or not! Speaking as an old lady, I rarely read YA, but I do read lots of very dark romance—and the irony is that in many books of that sub-genre the heroines (and occasionally even the heroes) are underaged (at least at the start of the story or in the de rigueur prologue) and that doesn’t generate a chirp of protest. For example, I don’t recall anyone threatening to contact the FBI because the 17-year-old violin prodigy heroine of Skye Warren’s OVERTURE has rather transgressive sexual encounters with her much older guardian before her 18th birthday (when, of course, all bets are off). I don’t intend to minimize or make fun of concerns that as a culture we sexualize underaged girls (which is true and disheartening), but to get in a moral panic about it happening in a FICTIONAL world when there’s plenty about it to address in the REAL world comes across as virtue signaling of the worst kind.
Good point — dark romances can have some young heroines. The only time I remember that being a huge issue on a social media was a romance series about a heroine having an affair with her gymnastics coach. She was underage in the first book. I think they did not have intercourse until book 2, but they still managed to break the Amazon Terms of Service, so Amazon ended up removing it after complaints. Of course, fans and the author defended the book. (He really loved her, and it didn’t count because they didn’t have sex until she was 18. Etc. Right.) It was in other ebook stores as well, and some were slower to pull it. (I wanted to know if the critics were right, so I had to buy it from one of those other stores.)
Based on that anecdote, I’m amazed that more dark romances don’t receive terms of service complaints. The only thing I can figure is the readers who would complain about underaged sexual activity in YA are not reading dark romance.
I agree! Adult-directed romances with legal adults and an age gap have MUCH more of a creepy vibe than YA romances.
YA may feature two teens who are attracted to teens, but it’s not because the other person is a teen, but because that makes them equals. (I’m writing about cis/het because it’s where I have breadth to have an opinion). The hero (and author) don’t go on about how the heroine is attractive because of her innocence, “unspoiledness,” “freshness,” or whatever the current hot code word is. Her body isn’t described in a way that makes it plain that its physical appeal has a shelf life (when, say, she isn’t “perky” or “taut” or “smooth” anymore). Instead, the hero likes the heroine for her skill with a sword, her understanding and empathy, her artistic ability, her sense of humor, etc. And I have NEVER seen a YA where somebody called the hero “Daddy” (insert every barfy face here).
Personally, I feel more of a party to something inappropriate reading this about a 19 year old:
“Her body was smooth, taut, and golden, with round, firm, high breasts. He couldn’t believe that untouched treasure belonged to him.”
than this about 17 year olds:
“He touched her, nervously, and couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he confessed. “You’re so amazing, I don’t want to mess it up.”
(both of which I just made up but the point is there)
In a lot of dark romance, the heroines are living in worlds (mafia/crime, ward/guardian, isolated upbringings) where “normal” interactions (sexual or otherwise) do not take place. Transgressive sexual activity (including non-con, dub-con, forced/arranged marriage, auction, underaged) is common. This is not presented as a positive thing, but as part of the heroine’s background and the “dark” world in which she lives.
I also like the YA genre, it has something that makes you remember the inexperience and sometimes innocence of youth and I LOVE the fantasy that you can be lucky that your first love is your last. But definitely when I read I’m not fantasizing or anything like that with the 16-year-old boy.
The subject of sex … frankly I think that if you let the teenagers decide the answer will be “the more the better” at eleven or twelve years old my classmates would have been ENCHANTED to read a book full of strong sexual content, something for “adults”. does this mean they have the maturity to read about it? I think not: at that age they surely understood that it was sex but they did not even understand that part of a sexual relationship was respect, that you cannot decide for yourself when to have sex or when not because … the other does not want?
Aren’t you the only thing that matters? And it doesn’t seem healthy to me to jump straight from childhood, to play jogging and the “I think that boy is cute” to know a list of sexual poses, the mechanics of sex, and to think “that boy is cute … I want to have sex with him “which is what I see is happening with some early teens these days. I only see the stage of awkward kissing and going for ice cream in Kasie West’s books now.
The problem of proper classification … is huge! I saw a mother in the library getting a youth book for her 10 year old daughter and I just randomly select one from the fantasy children / youth section … which I think I remember was classified as “Subtle” or “warm” here maybe be old-fashioned but if the girl wants to read romance isn’t it better to start with a classification of “kisses”?
I wish I had more choices in young adult books when I was growing up. Instead, I remember gleaning things about sex from random adult books, everything from William Goldman’s “Magic” to adventure novels. Eww. Luckily, I was soon able to read much better examples from romance novels. And bad examples, too. (I’m talking to you, Steve Morgan!)
One of the Twitter posters who was involved in the whole kerfuffle explained that she was a teen when “Twilight” was big. And when she was a teen, she preferred less sex in her YA books — and said she was put off by things like adult women buying the Twilight books for themselves. (But that’s a strange choice to mention because those characters waited until they were married, in the last book, and there was not much detail.) The issue I had with the posts was that while she had a right to her opinions, she seemed to think all teens were a monolith. And we know that’s not true.