Because of the fact that I have fallen in love with written these gif posts, here is yet another. This one is when you have the (generally) female main character, and she is as LOOSE as they come. I've only read a few books where it's been this way, but they irritated me to no end. I have no problem with sex in stories, in fact I'd love to read some bolder YA that includes it in a well-written way. But there are just some stories that take it WAY too far, and the main character becomes, well.... slutty.
You know, she's all like this:
And when shit gets really crazy she's all like:
I just want to jump into the story and be like STOP it, you're only making yourself look like a desperate idiot! Then I want to slap some sense into this chick.
But she just keeps right on going. That can really ruin a book, or, as it is, an entire series for me. Honestly, I don't like those kinds of people in real life, and I like them even less in books. It's like, "Do you really need FOUR boyfriends.... at the same time?!?!"
I feel like, as a teenage girl myself, the way some of these characters act is WAY out of line. I'm extremely open when it comes to YA--I think it should handle mature themes like sex and shouldn't brush them under the rug--but once it gets to drinking and doing drugs and having casual sex with several different people all wrapped up in one book, and it's all shed in a positive light, that's when I put the brakes on. Because, yeah, all of that is happening in real life with real teens, trust me. But that doesn't mean it's right at all. When I read a book that treats these things so nonchalantly, as if it's totally normal for 16 year olds to hang out and get high, it just sets me on edge.
What do you guys think about this? I know this is a big topic, and I welcome all opinions! :)
I agree with you! (DUH!) Those girls must have *some* boundaries, right?!
ReplyDeleteThe whole multiple boyfriends thing is what made me stop reading the House of Night series. I got to book three, and the main character had, *surprise!* three boyfriends. THREE. And it was presented like she couldn't help it? WTF. I mean, seriously. You have clueless and downright stupid. Ahem.
I'd like to see some more books tackle the subject of teenage sex without it appearing as casual ("yeah we did it in the back seat of his car last week") or meaningless. I haven't read a lot of books about that. Come to think of it, I don't think I've read *any* that go more in depth on the subject.
And as always, your gif post is hilarious!
PS: Which series is it that you're talking about? :)
I agree all the way! I know people like that in real life and to have it in "my escape" is ridiculous! And yeah Daph! Zoey is too "loose". I'm waiting for that book that handles it well! Wonderful post. Made me laugh. <3
ReplyDeleteI agree!!
ReplyDeleteIf the character starts out slutty (like Hayden), the reader can't be given the impression that everything is all okay with that. By the end of the book, there has to be emotional growth and the hero or heroine can't be doing that crap anymore.
Drugs... I dunno. Kids do it in real life so it's not like you can just sweep that under the rug. But MY characters don't do that. Not the characters we like anyway. :-)
@Veronica Blade bravo ,bravo, dislike such characters, only if they improve
ReplyDeleteYou're right! I just read FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma, and it blew my mind away. It was... about incest. But! Consensual incest! I wrote a post on it herebut basically the thing that sold this book to me is that, while the topic it tackles sends some people flying to Antarctica, it was told in such an honest and real way that it completely changed the way I look at incest.
ReplyDeleteYeah. So. I'm not sure how exactly that relates to your post, but, okay! :)