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I don't think Jennifer Lawrence is a misogynist (although plenty of women have internalized misogyny, and perpetuate sexism without realizing). In fact, she may see this project as "feminist" because the woman is the one pursuing sex, and it flips the traditional narrative in this genre to give a woman agency.

However, I do think gender is important to this conversation, because were the roles reversed (as I do in the first paragraph), far more people would take issue and recognize how disgusting the premise is. Because the teenager is a boy, however, viewers are more likely to excuse predatory sexual behaviour toward him, just like they do in real life when boys and young men are abused. That's a sad facet of patriarchy: because the patriarchy demands that all men "want sex" or "need sex," boys aren't be seen as victims for being pressured into sex (with women).

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Dr. Casey Lawrence
Dr. Casey Lawrence

Written by Dr. Casey Lawrence

Canadian author of three LGBT YA novels. PhD from Trinity College Dublin. Check out my lists for stories by genre/type.

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