It’s quite the opposite with me.

I’m a 26 year old guy who was pretty fat and ugly as a teenager. No point in sugarcoating it. I had zero confidence when I was a teenager and when I showed any interest in girls, I’d get shot down as soon as they sensed it. I rarely tried for this reason. I had friends but couldn’t land a date. I got a job when I started 9th grade and used that as an excuse as to why I didn’t have a girlfriend or why I never went to school dances.

I always enjoyed movies/shows/video games/books involving teenage romance and drama. Even to this day I love a good YA story in a high school setting, and like I said it goes beyond just books.

I’ve since improved my physical appearance and my confidence issues, and I realize I missed out on a lot as a teenager because of all that, so YA stuff makes me feels like it fills a void.