An interesting article by ABC News that suggests it’s OK for girls to be overly expressive about their sexuality in their early teens. Some quotes that make me raise my eyebrow:

While young women may express their sexuality more overtly than they have in the past, for the most part, their behavior isn’t cause for alarm. It’s a necessary step in growing up.

“There’s a difference between posting a picture of yourself in virtual space, like Myspace or YouTube or Friendster, and posing in provocative clothing in public,” said John Broughton, Columbia University professor of psychology and education.

According to Hancock, by dressing provocatively, dancing seductively and posting salacious photos on social networking sites, young women are trying to accomplish a time-honored goal of adolescence: establishing their independence.

“Putting up pictures of yourself scantily dressed on MySpace is, in a way, kind of a good sign,” he said. “The good news is that it’s somebody who isn’t horrified by their appearance. Also if they get some positive response, that can be very supportive.”

What’s also interesting is that this article reports that teen sex has declined from 49 percent in 1995 to 46 percent in 2002.

Conversely, another article came out last week of a lady telling her story about how pre-marital sex affected her emotionally, especially as she searches for a husband.

Posted on January 21, 2007