Teen Vogue Has Hit A New Low

With insufferable writers like Lauren Duca and published guides on what gifts to buy your BFF after she has an abortion, I didn’t think it was possible. Alas, it has happened. Teen Vogue has successfully reached an all time new low. The teen– I repeat– teen magazine published an extensive guide on anal sex. It’s titled, “Anal Sex: What You Need to Know.”

Yeah, your teenagers NEED to know about this. It’s very important. Gigi Engle, the woman behind the post, writes about all kinds of super important sex stuff, because she’s a “sex educator.” Here’s a sampling.

But back to the article in question. Basically, it has anal sex infographics and a bunch of other stuff you’d probably be horrified to find on your 14-year-old daughter’s computer screen.

Peter Sprigg, who’s a senior fellow at Family Research Council, is disgusted by the teen article and called it “shockingly irresponsible,” as it doesn’t emphasis the importance of protection or the health risks associated with anal sex.

Sprigg said although he prefers the magazine would not have discussed the issue of anal sex at all, he finds it “shockingly irresponsible” the article did not apparently initially include information about “the importance of using protection during anal sex.”

 

Still, Teen Vogue—with a reported print circulation of one million and 27-million monthly impressions—has failed to “adequately warn” readers of the serious health hazards associated with anal sex, according to Spragg, who said anal sex is far more effective at transmitting HIV than vaginal or oral sex.

 

Although the article does mention STIs (sexually transmitted infections), nowhere does it mention one of those is human papilloma virus (HPV), which in this case could cause anal cancer, he said.

 

Though the guide calls the use of condoms “non-negotiable” and urges teens to “practice safe sex every single time,” it does not explain condom manufacturers indicate condoms are for vaginal intercourse only, or they are more likely to fail if used for anal sex.

Basically, Teen Vogue is being ridiculously irresponsible. But what else is new?

Like in the UK, Sprigg believes the fascination with this topic in America may also reflect the wider exposure of young people to internet pornography, which moves toward depicting more and more extreme forms of sexual activity in order to maintain its audience.

 

“In some ways this article may reflect our fast-moving culture, but yet I also think that Teen Vogue cannot avoid responsibility for driving change in the culture with articles like this, not just responding to it,” he said.

 

“In saying things like, ‘There is no wrong way to experience sexuality’ and calling anal sex ‘perfectly natural’ while reassuring that ‘it isn’t weird or gross,’ Sprigg continued, “the magazine has gone well beyond a merely educational function to the point of actually promoting this dangerous conduct.”

Teen Vogue sucks, and it breaks my heart that young girls actually read that crap.

Update: Teen Vogue got the memo and added this editor’s note the bottom of the article:

“This article has been updated to include the importance of using protection during anal sex.”

h/t Todd Starnes