Why does someone suddenly become sweet when they reach 16?

[SaffySaffron]

I never understood what's sweet about being 16. I know all about the American party thing, but why is it sweet? I'd have hated to be seen as sweet!

Old fashioned age to start courting?

Yes, that’s how I’ve read it. More euphemistic than ‘Suddenly legal but young enough to have had very limited sexual experience Sixteen’?

I assumed it was just alliteration?

It’s about the supposed transition to adulthood, coming of age, now eligible for marriage etc. In this day and age, applying that to a sixteen year old girl is pretty vile imo but it has persisted as a tradition.

I heard the saying "sweet 16 and never been kissed" growing up.

I’ve always heard it in reference to girls. Like we have to remain “untouched “ until then while boys will be boys and all. It’s definitely a bit yuck

I've always heard it as being something sleazy, a man saying something like: A sexily virginal little child but officially old enough now for me to salivate over and harass without being arrested or ostracised.

When I had a paper round in the 70s I used to peep at 'The Sun'. One of their page three features would be to photograph a girl aged fifteen in a bra, along with a countdown to the day she would turn sixteen. On that day they would print a photograph of her topless.

@BrickBiscuit Wow, that is utterly grim!

An outdated and misogynistic term now (thankfully).
I always shudder a bit when I hear lyrics from songs in the past (and there are loads of them) referring to girls turning 16/17. Ewwwww.
The one "Happy Birthday, Sweet 16" is just one example. Gross.
Here we go: Tonight's the night I've waited for
Because you're not a baby anymore
You've turned into the prettiest girl I've ever seen
Happy birthday, sweet sixteen

Yes, it's a way of saying innocent but sexually available, which is apparently a very good thing and somehow acceptable to say.

Yes, always girls.

🤮

I seem to recall one model in school uniform of sorts and it came off bit by bit end of the week topless at 16..the Sun early 80s.

Charlotte Church talked about something similar in the Leveson enquiry iirc. A countdown clock in the Sun leading up to her 16th birthday, with Chris Moyles offering to take her virginity 🤮

I remember that somehow I don't think fatty moyles would've appealed to Charlotte.
🤮

I think people write it without any thought. There was a thread about the supposed red hot summer of 1976 and a woman said she remembers it and she was sweet 16. It feels an odd thing to say.

I wouldn't call it red hot but it most certainly was a long, hot summer. There's no supposed about it. Long, hot and dry.