Heterosexuality as the Norm in Teen Media

[Dr. Jennifer Stevens Aubrey] Heterosexuality is still assumed and naturalized in youth media, and this is evidenced by the portrayal of LGBTQ+ sexual relationships as being still quite rare, and LGBTQ+ characters acting as sources of humor and derision in sexual contexts. The third conclusion I can make kind of furthers that idea, and that the pervasive theme about sexuality conforms to a heterosexual script, and this largely overlaps with the sexual double standard. And so, according to this script, sex is portrayed as risky for girls, both emotionally and physically, and as such, they are more likely to receive negative consequences or punishments for sex than boy or male characters. In addition, boys are portrayed as being obsessed with sex, driven by sex, and this is mostly portrayed as a way for boys and men to demonstrate their masculinity to others.