concerning media

TW // mentions of grooming , CSA , CSA PTSD , shota/lolicon

so this isn't the first time I've been concerned about this or expressed an opinion on it (though usually on twitter) but I'm sure a lot of you will agree that there is an overwhelming (in the sense that there is more then i expected, not that it's taking over genres) amount of child/teen character sexualisation. most commonly seen (by me, it may be different for you) in doujinshi, but also often in major works.

I've seen repeatedly characters from anime and manga who are in senior high school (16-18) get sexualised and depicted doing lewd acts with each other and sometimes with those older. most recently, I've seen this with haikyuu and in the past with free!. those characters are minors, therefore depicting those acts is essentially spreading child pornography because the authors are choosing to keep them in the high school environment instead of doing something very simple and aging them up. im aware the age of consent in japan is 13, however the Child Welfare Act (1947) forbids any act of "harlotry" or "obscenity" with children (defined as anyone under 18 years of age).

now lets talk about shota/lolicon. im willing to go on a limb here and say most people have seen something from this 'genre', willingly or not. not only is this sexualisation/romantisation of minor characters, it is also active perversion of actual child characters and child-like features. its basically providing paedophiles with jerkoff material and normalising their mental illness instead of forcing them to acknowledge and get help. not only that, it actively sexualises those same things in people who aren't typically attracted to that sort of media and changes their subconscious, especially in younger and more vulnerable people.

theres a very similar issue in western media. women are constantly told that they have to be small and petite, soft and rounded in the face with no signs of aging, submissive and reliant on their male partner to be attractive and desired. all of those features are also associated with children. there is also a large issue with western media constantly sexualising teenagers in high school, often seen in shows like riverdale and euphoria.

if anyone tells me this isnt an issue and that im blowing it out of proportion, im willing to bet they have some unresolved issues to deal with on this matter. seeing these things as someone whos been repeatedly groomed throughout my childhood and early teenage years and forced into some not to nice situations to put it lightly, im concerned for how children and teenagers are being viewed and what theyre being subconsciously influenced to do. media that we consume is constantly shaping us and our views, this should not be one of the things influencing us.