How can courtney stodden be 16

Hutchison claimed Stodden made the first move toward romance. Hutchison said he initially thought the very mature-looking woman he'd seen on her website was well into her twenties. When he was told she was 16, Hutchison said his "world turned upside down…. It didn't make me want to walk away, but it definitely was a struggle inside my heart … because I had already started falling for her.

They had begun a four-month courtship by email and phone, bonding, they said, on a deep and spiritual level. We could only get to know each other through our words and our sentiments," Hutchison said. Courtney's mother, Krista Stodden, monitored their exchanges, aware that Hutchison was decades older than her daughter. If you and [Courtney's father, Alex Stodden] have any misgivings whatsoever about this … I will respect you, and Courtney will respect you.

And we will step back. Courtney was Krista and Alex's little girl. But they could see her mature looks, which by age 12 had earned her a modeling contract and, at 15, a crown in a local Donald Trump Miss Universe pageant. By the age of 16, Courtney said, she was so bullied by other girls because of her looks that her mother had to pull her out of school and start home schooling.

Beneath the beauty, her parents said, is a deeply Christian girl. So they put their faith in her choice to be with a man more than twice her age. I can feel it inside of my heart,'" Hutchison said. Hutchison continued, quoting Krista: "'And I can feel your love for her. So rest assured: Me and Alex, we have absolutely no problem with you two falling in love. With parental consent, no sexual emails and no physical contact, Hutchison wasn't breaking any statutory-rape laws.

But he didn't think marriage was an option, he said. There are ways to do that. It was finalized two years later. God only knows how he's feeling, but I can tell you that it's for the better.

These things I shall overcome. I wish you well. But please don't ever do this to another minor again. It's not right Wait a respectable amount of time before marrying. Children aren't on your level. I'll always love you regardless. Be better. As shall I. Skip to content. Courtney Stodden. Download our local news and weather app for Apple or Android — and sign up for alerts.

View this post on Instagram. Local The latest news from around North Texas. This article tagged under: Courtney Stodden Chris Sheng. Back to Article. Close Menu. I still don't have a license. Stodden recalls severe verbal abuse and gaslighting at the hands of Hutchison , realizing years later just how much of a "master groomer" he was.

And he knew he had me right where he wanted me," they said. And while being groomed, the media treated Stodden as the punchline — at best. And as I'm forming, I am being mocked, overtly sexualized, abused — not only in my home, but internationally — and it really did a number on my self-confidence and my sense of worthiness, which I struggle with today.

Stodden's story recalls the experiences of many other teen stars. Recently, the media has been forced to reckon with its treatment of young celebs in the earlys, including Britney Spears , Paris Hilton , and Lindsay Lohan.

While still underage, they were put in positions where they were pressured to be both hypersexual and role models for young girls; to be worldly, yet naive; to embody conflicting ends of a patriarchal spectrum that forgets that they're children, but is simultaneously dismissive if they stand up for themselves. Only now is this culture of manipulation being thoroughly reexamined and seen for what it truly is. And while Stodden may have come forward, they still don't feel like they're out of the woods.

Even though I'm out of that relationship, I still feel heavy," they explained. I don't feel like things are so much better.