Rep. Lauren Boebert's lewd behavior in a Colorado theater is a direct consequence of the conservative insistence on marrying young, according a new column.
The Colorado Republican was caught on security footage engaged in what traditionalists might euphemistically call "heavy petting" with her male companion before they were expelled from a family-friendly production of "Beetlejuice: The Musical."
An embarrassed Boebert later walked back her denials after crystal-clear video emerged. She said she "simply fell short of my values."
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But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argued she was actually an exemplar of those exact values.
"Boebert's 'values,' which she enjoys talking about at length, reflect the anti-feminist line for decades: That women should put marriage and childbirth over their own ambitions and desires," Marcotte wrote.
"Boebert met her husband, Jayson Boebert, when she was 16 and he was 22. He soon impregnated her, and, living her values, Boebert dropped out of high school to get married and have her first son at age 18."
"A bit young by even Republican standards, of course," she added. "But Boebert is a perfect example of someone who didn't wait around to get married."
Marcotte noted the loudening drumbeat of books, columns and other content reacting to women gaining more independence by arguing they should lower their standards and partner up with a man, preferably while they're young, but Marcotte countered with Boebert's example.
"Boebert, of course, did everything recommended by the concern trolls," she wrote. "She not only put marriage and babies ahead of career but ahead of a high school diploma. She ignored all those red flags, such as 'you're only 16 and he's 22' and 'he got arrested for exposing himself to teenagers at a bowling alley.' Women are told to lower their standards and treat potential husbands like fixer-uppers who will be made into great, worthy partners if women put in the work. Boebert did what she was told and, of course, is now divorced."
"It's gross watching a 36-year-old member of Congress act like a horny teenager, of course," Marcotte added. "But also, it's not the biggest surprise. That's another downside the 'just get married' crowd doesn't want to acknowledge: Robbing people of their youth tends to breed a desire to make up for lost time.
"There's a sexist myth that only men want to sow wild oats, but of course, women also have sexual fantasies. One of the best parts about putting off marriage for a time is that you get to make mistakes and have your adventures in your youth, when the stakes are low. Otherwise, as we see, there's a risk that a 36-year-old grandmother publicly acts out that drunken prom date she didn't get in high school.
