When I was a kid, in 7th grade science, I overheard a boy asking a girl out. She rejected him, he wasn't her type. He asked what her type was, she mentioned a guy she was seeing, and casually mentioned he was 22. At the time, I was thinking this poor kid was woefully outmatched and would never have a chance. A few years later, it dawned on me just how fucked up that whole situation was.

I remember how creepy it was to see that once the girls in my class got boobs (around 8th grade, 13-14 yo) full on adults would start hitting on them. I recall seeing a few class mates in a local park, all 3 were 13 I think, they still looked like little girls, it's just that now they had boobs and wore bras. So I see these 3 girls, each sitting in the lap of an 18-20 yo dude, and making out...

As a kid I recall seeing it and thinking "wtf is wrong with those guys?"

My husband kicked me out once he realized flashing his money at 19 year olds worked. The teenagers didn’t ask him to stop playing FIFA and walk his dogs.

being a girl is scary cuz the moment you turn 13, creepy men are ogling at you

When I was 14 I got turned down by a friend who proceeded to date a 27 year old man.

Gross. Accurate. Took me way too long to understand why my friend’s dad was acting the way he was around 13-17. Decades later and it still sickens me.

This is actually a destabilizing piece of society. Younger men become disaffected when older men, who are better partners, pick up much younger women (I am talking only about adults.). Younger women are then competing with older women for more established men, which can destroy families.

Largely, we have fetishized youth so much that this isn't something that will correct itself. I suppose the standards of beauty can change again, as they always do, but for now we are stuck with a real problem.

competing with grown men

competing with grown conservatives. the list is almost to 1500 examples.

In school, when I was 13, one of my friends was "dating" a 19 year old. I vividly remember how cool we all thought this was. Reflecting on it makes me feel sick.

I was hanging out with this girl my age in high school a lot, we were both 17, I thought it was going well, then some full grown adult said she was pretty at Walmart and I had to move on with my life.

Yeah but they've got the market cornered on Catholic priests, that's gotta count for something.

Still remember my middle school girlfriend brag about cheating on me and fucking guys that were buying her beer. Would have been nice to get authorities involved if I had anyone to talk to and wasn't being neglected and abused at home. Kind of wild to lose hope in people at the age of 12.

Bad times.

At college, there were 16 and 17 year old girls with boyfriends in their twenties. Even at the time, I thought that was weird.

At least I never heard about anything younger than that.

One thing I HATE about military bases. All the E1 soldiers wandering the local high schools looking for girls. Was really sickening

Members of Congress, clergymen, the fucking PRESIDENT. What's a boy to do!?

Don't hang around so many republicans and the competition would thin out.

I accidentally ended up with a very young lady. I know how this will sound, and all I can do is assure everyone that, at least for my part, everything I say is the absolute truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I went to college late, I was 23 by the time I applied to college, and turned 24 shortly after starting classes. My birthday is in the first quarter, or so, of the year.

Anyways. I think I was in my second year of college when I met this girl, I don't even remember how I met her honestly; it wasn't a dating app, those things barely existed at the time and I haven't ever used one; I just haven't seen the need... Anyways, everything seems cool, she's telling me she's 17 and has a bday coming up. At this point I'm 24/25, and I'm thinking that's a bit young, but since she's basically 18 at this point, I don't really see a problem with it.... Anyways, birthday happens, Yay, and life goes on. After a few months as things get more and more complicated, as happens in most relationships, I come to find out that her birthday, was her 17th birthday, she was 16 when we met. I'm suddenly very not ok with everything.

It didn't last super long after that. She was also preggo with her exes kid and never told me. The relationship was only like 5-6 months long. She lost the kid, I believe it was a miscarriage, and I'm sad for her that happened, but too much weird bullshit and deception was happening so I called it off.

She wasn't a good person. She's on a short list of exes I don't talk to anymore. Most of my exes I still consider good friends, even if I haven't seen them in a long time. I'm in a stable, long term relationship with a more age appropriate partner, for... Gosh, it has to be 10 years now? Time flies. There's.... 6? ish years between our ages, and we met when I was 30-something.... I'm much happier now. Heh.

One of the dudes in my gay group tonight:

"My momma cleaned hunter's cabins and those hunters were real nice men if you know what I mean."

He was talking about a time when he was early teens.

So it's not just girls who get this treatment! If that makes you feel any more egalitarian.