In my last post, I argued that we have little knowledge about the early romantic and sexual memories of young straight men, yet such memories certainly exist and are remembered with fondness, humor, and (sometimes) significance. Because romantic memories are usually recalled earlier than sexual memories, in this post, I explore early romantic encounters or feelings.

Young men’s first romantic/sexual memory was more likely to be an emotional, romantic feeling they had toward a girl rather than one emanating from erotic stimuli inspired by penile stimulation or genital contact with a girl (see next post). Over half of the young men I interviewed recalled exciting memories about the innocence of the first crush, usually at an early age, similar to girls. When asked who the girl was to them, nearly all young men identified the girl as being of the same age, but unfortunately for them, the girl was likely to be “the hottest chick,” which decreased their chances of being her boyfriend.

Some boys confessed to the girl their abiding love, but the feelings were seldom reciprocated. Maybe she had her eye on someone else or did not appreciate the attractions to her because they were........

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