Comment:

Sexual attractiveness, promiscuity, perception of promiscuity, and self-image are all a big ol' interconnected messy ball of psychosocial nonsense. One of the stats I heard long ago - and I believe it - was that sexual promiscuity correlates with high self esteem in men and with low self esteem in women. One wonders how that statistic changes in a world with more fluid gender roles and essentially zero risk of STI and unintended pregnancy.

Anyway, one of the utopian aspects of the world of Forward is that slut-shaming is, if not eliminated, at least greatly reduced. Lee's self-hating anxiety here is less due to a Victorian concern for their reputation and more like the embarrassment you would feel showing up in class naked.

Or... er... not exactly like that. We've been unpacking Lee's psychosis for a while now, and we're not done with them yet.