This is dealing with Disney movies, mostly, but also includes other movies as well as music (mainly pop music) where young girls are often shown being "in love" or obsessed with older men. These men range from 18 to up to 30. In a lot of movies, you will see 11 to 15-year-olds becoming infatuated with older guys and it only just now dawned on me that this could be why there is such a huge issue with younger girls seeking out older guys today. You hear about it with YouTubers every year now. A fan gets obsessed and they become sexual either through messaging, pictures or sometimes in person. These fans are often 16 or younger as well.
Has programming for tweens and teens always focused on pushing young girls into the arms of older men? Thinking back to a lot of "Disney originals" this seems to be the case. They have unknowingly (or maybe even knowingly) planted this notion that it was okay for younger girls to pressure and pursue much older men. We see men taking to the majority of the blame for this but planting this idea in a young girl's mind, especially while she is entering into puberty should not be thought of as cute or even normalized. I remember growing up and not liking anyone older. I wasn't obsessed with the guys from boy bands like Backstreet Boys like my friends were. I actually thought something was wrong with me because they all talked about marrying them, dating them, having their kids... All at the age of 11 to 14... Like WTF. These guys were 23+ in age at the time.
Maybe I am overthinking things but it just doesn't seem like a good idea to promote something like this as being normal or encouraging it.
Has programming for tweens and teens always focused on pushing young girls into the arms of older men? Thinking back to a lot of "Disney originals" this seems to be the case. They have unknowingly (or maybe even knowingly) planted this notion that it was okay for younger girls to pressure and pursue much older men. We see men taking to the majority of the blame for this but planting this idea in a young girl's mind, especially while she is entering into puberty should not be thought of as cute or even normalized. I remember growing up and not liking anyone older. I wasn't obsessed with the guys from boy bands like Backstreet Boys like my friends were. I actually thought something was wrong with me because they all talked about marrying them, dating them, having their kids... All at the age of 11 to 14... Like WTF. These guys were 23+ in age at the time.
Maybe I am overthinking things but it just doesn't seem like a good idea to promote something like this as being normal or encouraging it.