Jail Bait: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~31631_slide_340x350_8012~~.jpg|link=Cracked.com|frame|[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_140_17-counterproductive-public-service-announcements 17 Counterproductive Public Service Announcements]]]

[[File:31631 slide 340x350 8012.jpg|link=Cracked.com|frame|[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_140_17-counterproductive-public-service-announcements 17 Counterproductive Public Service Announcements]]]

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Sometimes they're [[Younger Than They Look]]. It may be [[Distracted by the Sexy|difficult to realize]] this until it is too late, however. Especially if they claim to be [[Totally Eighteen]].

In [[Real Life]], it is a [[No Sex Allowed|serious crime]] for a legal adult to have sex with a minor who is below the age of consent, usually 16-19 in North America and 14-16 in Europe, but in fiction is almost always 18, since that's the legal age in the [[We All Live in America|US state]] of [[SoCalization|California]], with the notable exceptions of ''[[Law and Order]]'' making it clear the age of consent in New York is 17, and Japan where the federal age of consent is 13,<ref>although almost all localities have local laws making it 16 or 18</ref> although that one does cause some [[Values Dissonance]] when things get exported. The term for a person, or provocative pictures of them, who is under that age but looks either old enough or hot enough for onlookers to forget the difference is "Jail Bait." The "joke" about this was "15 will get you 20", only it isn't a ~~joke -- according~~ to the law, a minor can't give proper consent to sex since a naive and hormonal teenager might not make the most sound decisions and an adult could exploit that, hence the term "statutory rape".

In [[Real Life]], it is a [[No Sex Allowed|serious crime]] for a legal adult to have sex with a minor who is below the age of consent, usually 16-19 in North America and 14-16 in Europe, but in fiction is almost always 18, since that's the legal age in the [[We All Live in America|US state]] of [[SoCalization|California]], with the notable exceptions of ''[[Law and Order]]'' making it clear the age of consent in New York is 17, and Japan where the federal age of consent is 13,<ref>although almost all localities have local laws making it 16 or 18</ref> although that one does cause some [[Values Dissonance]] when things get exported. The term for a person, or provocative pictures of them, who is under that age but looks either old enough or hot enough for onlookers to forget the difference is "Jail Bait." The "joke" about this was "15 will get you 20", only it isn't a joke—according to the law, a minor can't give proper consent to sex since a naive and hormonal teenager might not make the most sound decisions and an adult could exploit that, hence the term "statutory rape".

While we are on the subject of real life....'''[[No Real Life Examples, Please]]'''

Now, there's a fine line between [[Jail Bait]] and [[Ephebophile|ephebophilia]], and [[Accidental Innuendo|it depends on where it takes place]], where the perpetrator is ''from'' (some countries have "sex tourism" laws) and how old the victim is. Generally, sexual interest in anyone under 13 is considered paedophilia.

Now, there's a fine line between '''Jail Bait''' and [[Ephebophile|ephebophilia]], and [[Accidental Innuendo|it depends on where it takes place]], where the perpetrator is ''from'' (some countries have "sex tourism" laws) and how old the victim is. Generally, sexual interest in anyone under 13 is considered paedophilia.

There's also been some recognition over the years by some state legislators that it doesn't make much sense to send someone to prison for several years because they're a few years older than their partner, just because one is of age and the other one technically isn't (or both are under age, like a 16-year-old with a 15-year-old). Most states have what are called "Romeo and Juliet" laws, where if the age difference is within three or four years, it's generally not a crime or if it's still a crime it's been reduced to a low-level misdemeanor (maximum 6 months in the county jail and possibly a fine as opposed to years in state prison and registration as a sex offender).

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== Web Original ==

* A flash game on [[Newgrounds]] deals with this trope, in which the viewer is asked to [[Schmuck Bait|identify whether the featured celebrity]] is [[Jail Bait]] or legal. [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/192840 Surprisingly safe for work], but expect to be called a [[Covert Pervert]] if you guess wrong with ''actual'' jailbait, and [[Ambiguously Gay]] if you guess wrong if they're legal.

* A flash game on [[Newgrounds]] deals with this trope, in which the viewer is asked to [[Schmuck Bait|identify whether the featured celebrity]] is Jail Bait or legal. [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/192840 Surprisingly safe for work], but expect to be called a [[Covert Pervert]] if you guess wrong with ''actual'' jailbait, and [[Ambiguously Gay]] if you guess wrong if they're legal.

* During his Let's Play of ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'', [[The Spoony Experiment|Spoony]] repeatedly comments on how creepy it is to see 15 year old Rikku sexualized as much as she is, including repeated [[Male Gaze|ass shots]].<ref>Note that the age of consent in the game's country of origin is actually ''13'' making this a case of [[Values Dissonance]] as well.</ref>

{{quote|'''Rikku:''' Well, just give me five or six more years. (Slaps her ass)