The same thing occurs at the college level; freshman girls pine for the attentions of the sophisticated upperclassmen. The senior man strides across the campus apparently self-assured; he belongs to the charmed inner circle of those whorate. Pity the pool self-conscious freshman lad who has to compete with this older man-about-campus in getting dates! Sometimes, though rarely, a much younger girl does get that coveted date with an older boy. When it does happen, there are hazards. The older boy who “robs’ the cradle” may not be as popular among his own age group as he appears to be. He may really feel so insecure that he has to date a considerably younger girl to cover his uneasiness. Sometimes he asks a younger girl out because she appears to be more easily exploited.

Hook, Line, and Sinker

There is some evidence to support the fear that when an older male seeks the company of a young girl, it’s just because she’s innocent and easily exploited. Girls of his own age and social experience have, by this time, learned to protect themselves from unwelcome advances. They have become skillful in avoiding potentially hazardous situations and in warding off invitations that they don’t wish to accept.

The young, unaware girl lacks these techniques which come with social experience, and so appears to be “easy” to the older, exploitive male. She has not been around enough yet to know what is and what is not expected of her. She fears that she will get a reputation as a “prude” or “chicken” if she refuses to go along with her date’s suggestions. She doesn’t want to offend this superior male—so much older, smoother, and supposedly wiser. She can’t differentiate sincerity from “a line,” and fails to perceive or stop the sequence of events that leads into situations she can’t handle.