That’s because feminists have worked hard to reverse the traditional double standard, i.e., the one that had presumably given the man a wink-wink for “conquests,” while sending the woman to the hall of shame. Now sexual freedom — and even predation — on the part of females is seen as empowerment. My college students have had this idea drummed into their heads in women’s studies classes and insist on equality even in this arena.
Even if they don’t take a women’s studies class, female teenagers get the message from the culture around them. When even Carrie Prejean, a 22-year-old beauty pageant winner lauded for her traditional values and courage in speaking up against gay marriage, has sent sexually explicit videos to an ex-boyfriend and has subjected her young body to surgical enhancement, we know there is something wrong with the culture. The teenager sees her cohorts baring their breasts on Girls Gone Wild, watches scantily clad women begging for a man on various reality dating shows, and sees her friends “sexting” young men. In an age of sexual openness and celebrity, one of the quickest ways to jump from Facebook to cable news is to have an affair with a celebrity, politician, or sports star.
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