Talia Lichtstein: NYC Influencer Who Prefers (Much) Older Men

On the “No More Bad Vibes” episode of the Bad Vibes podcast (Apr 29, 2022), then-23-year-old Talia Lichtstein, a NYC Influencer, shared with her co-host, Alexis Barber, that during her freshman and sophomore (i.e., teen) years at Berkeley, she had a “ridiculous amount” of age-gap sex but that the “risky - dangerous” sex was done to be validated by men and her sorority sisters.

“Girl, if I could only tell you the crazy shit that I did my freshman and sophomore year of college. I lived to do risky - dangerous […] sex. Doing crazy things. Meeting up with people [via Hinge] who were too old for me […] Having a ridiculous amount of sex.”

“I would always be the one in my sorority to always have funny [sex] stories to tell.”

Approximately five years later, Lichtstein shared that she has sex for fun, to be young, and to have a good time, like when she performed oral sex in a parking lot. But that she no longer has sex to be validated:

“Like me blowing that guy in the parking lot. That was a fun thing that I did. Not because of validation but because that guy was hot, and I was having a good time. And I was like, ‘This is funny.’ I really wanted to. Like, I was turned on and horny. Not because I wanted to impress him […]”

However, on “Vibe Check” (Feb 10, 2022), the very first episode of the podcast, Lichtstein confessed that she lives for validation.

“I love when people DM me and ask for my phone number. I love when people tell me I’m hot. I love when men slide into my DMs. They can be the ugliest people on earth. I live for this validation [….] I don’t need that kind of lack of validation […] I need that heavy in my life.”

And on “Breaking Up With Friends And Beefing With Andy Cohen” (Mar 10, 2022), Lichtstein reiterated her “unapologetic” need for validation. On the episode, Lichtstein said that she accidentally performed oral sex. “So, I tripped, and my mouth fell on my friend’s dick - basically.” That was done after Lichtstein’s friend advised her that they shouldn’t have sex, which she took as a challenge.

Lichtstein: “Of course, he’s saying we can’t sleep together; so, I’m automatically like, ‘Well, now we have to.’ Even though I don’t find him that attractive.”

Barber: “Honestly, I would do the same.”

Lichtstein: “Exactly, when a guy tells you that you’re not gonna fuck. Obviously, you’re only thinking about fucking; so, ever since, it’s been my mission to fuck this guy who I’m not even attracted to [...] It’s the validation.”

Barber: “I’m happy that you’re unapologetic about that.”

And Lichtstein elaborated on one of her freshman year age-gap affairs. She related that when she was 18, she had a “fun little adventure” with a 28-year-old that lasted for three months during which he gifted her Lyft gift cards to cover her travel expenses from campus to his place.

“I had about a three-month thing when I was a freshman in college; so, he worked at some tech company in San Francisco. He was much older than me. I was having so much fun. Oh my God. It was such, like, a fun little adventure. He, for either Valentine’s Day or my birthday, he did what I think is perfect. He got me a [Victoria’s Secret] gift card [...] In addition, to another present [Lyft gift card] that was completely not sexual; so, he really balanced it out […] I was only 18-years-old seeing a 28-year-old man.”

On “You Don’t Know Me” (Feb 24), Lichtstein shared her reasons for dating, “almost exclusively”, men whom were “a little too old”. She said that guys her age “suck”, but that age-gap affairs are beneficial, educational, and fun.

“It can be really beneficial to date an older guy […] Guys our age suck. I really get a lot from dating guys who are older than me. Like I feel like they benefit my life in so many ways. I’ve learned so much about life […] It’s just fun to hang out with them. “

“An older guy could be that perfect example of a guy who has a net positive value in your life […] These people are established. They know what they are doing.”

Lichtstein confessed that she’s never “really” been taken advantage of by an older man. “[…] I don’t think I’ve ever really been taken advantage of or hurt by these men. Like, I’ve never done anything that I really regret.” But she did say that, “It’s very easy to be taken advantage of.” Consequently, she strongly advised against age-gap sexting and/or age-gap sex tapes. (Oddly, Lichtstein stated that men are reluctant to ask (older) women for nudes, because (older) women are too smart to sext. #really)

Towards the end of the episode, Lichtstein shared that she started having age-gap affairs at an early age. For example, as a high school freshman (≈ 14-years-old), Lichtstein went to prom with an approximately 18-year-old senior.

“Speaking of age gaps, I was a freshman [when] I went to prom with some senior. Oh my God, it was the coolest thing of my life.”

She elaborated on “Dating: The Good, The Bad, & the F*cking Annoying” (April 7, 2022) that the reason seniors asked her, a mere freshman, to prom was due to her large fountains. Lichtstein bragged, “I had big titties from a young age.” Consequently, she asked rhetorically, “I wonder where - how long I’ve had this thing for older guys?”

And on “WTF Does LYLAS Mean?” (Mar 3, 2022), after being verified on Instagram, Lichtstein exclaimed:

“Congratulations to every [older] man I’ve fucked! […] Sorry your boyfriend fucked a verified girl. All the ladies out there. ‘Sorry.” It’s so cool! It makes my boobs ten times bigger. All my thirst traps are ten times hotter.” #validated

In addition, on the “WTF Does LYLAS Mean?” episode, Lichtstein shared that she had an upcoming date with a mere 30-year-old whom she met at Fiddlesticks Pub in the West Village. Both Barber and Lichtstein were surprised that the James Morrison look alike wasn’t even older.

Barber: “You and another person over 30.” [#smh]

Lichtstein: “Yeah.” [Laughs] “Here we go.” “Me and my 30-year-old. God. This is pretty young for me - honestly.”

Barber: “I agree. It is. It really is. It really is.”

On “The Slap Heard ‘Round The World” (Mar 31, 2022), Lichtstein (over) shared that she had the “most sexual” Bat Mitzvah, “[...] where everybody, like, made out and grinned on each other.” Then she complained, “I think it’s a crime that I didn’t get fucked silly in it.” 

It reference to a revealing dress that she wore to an event in Manhattan, wore in a TikTok, and posted on Instagram (i.e., “jerk off material”), she advised, “If you want to see my titties, they’re out on Insta.” Subsequently, Barber asked, “Old dude is visiting?” To which Lichtstein replied in the affirmative and shared that she spent a couple of nights with him at his “nice hotel”.

It turns out that Lichtstein’s attraction to older men began even before high school.  Per a tweet that she spoke about on “It’s Complicated: Family Holidays Edition” (Apr 14, 2022), a “younger” Lichtstein masturbated to Dr. Egon Spengler of Ghostbusters (1984).

“It’s so cute and trendy now to be into Jewish guys. Back in my day, I was a freak for masturbating to [Dr. Egon] Spengler from Ghostbusters […] I was obsessed with this guy when I was younger.”

Since Ghostbusters premiered in 1984, 23-year-old Lichtstein wasn’t born; thus, it wasn’t clear how much “younger” she was when she masturbated to images of Dr. Spengler. However, on “Over Coachella, Revolve’s Sh*tshow Festival, & Leave Rihanna Alone” (April 21, 2022), Lichtstein elaborated a bit. “I have always liked that man [i.e., Dr. Egon Spengler] since I was a child.”

In the end, Lichtstein is pro age-gap relationships, but with no sexting and/or sex tapes.

Note: Bad Vibes is no longer vibing. Barber said that she was “very busy”, but Lichtstein spilled that Barber was “faced with the options” from her prestigious and well-paying day job. Otherwise, Barber would be, ironically, Googling for a new position. 

Lichtstein: “If I were making the money that you were making […] I don’t think that I would risk it for this podcast either - this once weekly podcast […] Your decision is the one anybody would have made faced with the options that you were faced with - absolutely.”

Sabrina Carpenter: Lolita Core for the Male Gaze?

 

The post “Who’s Afraid of Sabrina Carpenter?: The Alleged Pedophilic Fantasy & the Complexities of Feminine Performance” was posted on the Final Girl Digital Substack (Feb 04, 2025). In the post, the author wrote that after Sabrina released “Espresso”: “[...] the whole world was listening to Espresso, and all eyes were on Sabrina.

The author noted that while those eyes were on Sabrina, Sabrina typically performed in: “[...] a pastel pink mini skirt and corset featuring a heart shaped cut out at the chest, complete with her signature platform boots by Naked Wolfe.” However, the author was surprised by the number of comments posted on Sabrina’s photographs and videos that suggested that Sabrina: “[...] dressed like a little girl.”

Subsequently, the author: “[...] stumbled across a twitter thread of people discussing how Sabrina shouldn’t perform [dressed like a little girl] in such a sexual way when her audience contains children.”

The author related that the pedophilic fantasy referenced in the subtitle of the Substack “references aspects of the male gaze”, which is in reference to the lens created by men in art and media, which “[...] has inherently pedophilic qualities in nature.” And the author wrote that women have “come to internalize this representation of the female experience” and that women have been “[...] trained women on how to best present themselves within the context of being consumed.”

In addition, the author implied that Sabrina’s performances are “shaped by dominant Western colonial culture”. Consequently, Sabrina’s performances are “[...] deeply intertwined with infantilization, and the standard of the girl as the ultimate feminine representation rather than the woman.” And the author implied that Sabrina is pressured into appearing “youthful, hairless, submissive, docile, etc”

In a bit of hyperbole, the author opined that women are “trained since birth” [Emphasis added] “to perform in a way to be consumed” and that “all women” [Emphasis added] are “growing up in the context of consuming this media [and] have inevitably been influenced by this gaze.” Consequently, “by default this idea of the ‘pedophilic fantasy’” seeps into the subconscious of all women with “pedophilic fantasy” being defined as: “a fantasy that places juvenile feminine beauty on a pedestal.”

The author related that women are haunted by the “obsession with youth” and that women are conditioned to believe that their “value is intrinsically tied to youth”. Relatedly, the author referenced Susan Sontag’s The Double Standard of Ageing where Sontag wrote that the standard of beauty is “the girl”.

Sabrina Carpenter as Lolita? (Source: Jade Hurley [Substack])

In terms of Sabrina Carpenter, the author reiterated that Sabrina’s performances, in “glittery pastels, and heart motifs”, which are associated with “juvenile girlhood”, are panderings to the “pedophilic male gaze”. The author wrote that, consequently: “[...] connections [were] made between the aesthetic of Sabrina Carpenter to the aesthetic of Lolita, [and] Priscilla Presley [...]”, which proves that Sabrina has combined “the aesthetic of childishness and sexuality.”

Additionally, the author argued that the “true common denominator” is Sabrina’s reference to the vintage aesthetics of the 50’s and 60s.

Jane Birkin and Sabrina Carpenter (Source: Cricket Guest [Substack])

Subsequently, the author referenced Jane Birkin’s song “Lolita Go Home” and Marilyn Monroe’s performance in Let’s Make Love (1960) where Marilyn performed “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and introduced “[...] herself in a hushed, girlish whisper: “My name is Lolita. And I’m not supposed to… play… with boys!”

BABYDOLL (1956)

In addition, the author related that, due to the name, the babydoll dresses worn by Jane Birkin, Sabrina Carpenter, and “countless” others represent the “complex intersection of infantilization and sexualization”. Connectedly, the author referenced Babydoll (1956) where Archie Lee Meighan, a middle-aged man, married ≈17-year-old Baby Doll. In the film, the age-gap couple agreed, at Babydoll’s father’s insistence, to not consummate their marriage until Babydoll’s 20th birthday. In the meantime, Babydoll slept in a crib and seductively sucked her thumb.

However, in a seeming contradiction to her premise, the author asked and answered the (rhetorical) question: “by wearing a babydoll dress are you catering to a “pedophilic fantasy” within the zeitgeist of feminine performance? Maybe.” And the author related that women reported that by wearing baby pink babydoll dresses, ribbons, pleated mini-skirts, and Mary Janes that they were not “pandering to an alleged pedophilic gaze” but that they were “[...] merely making nostalgic nods to their girlhood—an act of reclaiming it through a more girlish, frivolous way of dressing.” In other words, women argued that they have not “come to internalize this representation of the female experience” and that they have not been trained: “[...] on how to best present themselves within the context of being consumed.”

The author noted that: “[...] when we look at children’s clothing despite the lack of sexual dimorphism in pre-pubescent children, the clothing for girls is significantly smaller, tighter, and shorter than the clothing for boys.” But this is incorrect, because clothing for women, of almost every age, is often: “[...] smaller, tighter, and shorter than the clothing for boys [and men].”

Next, the author related that Sabrina’s “glittery pink corset” brought to mind Toddlers and Tiaras where toddlers in tiaras wore “makeup, heels, and corsets” and where the lines between “girl” and “woman” were blurred, which, the author opined isn’t surprising since we live in a culture where girls and women are taught to be: “[...] virginal teenage seductress[es]. Ambiguously youthful and sexually viable.”

Via Jade Hurley’s Substack post "Your Fave Is Selling a Pedophilic Fantasy." (Sep. 13, 2024), the author noted a purported connection between Sabrina and Nabokov’s Lolita. In the aptly named W Magazine piece “Sabrina Carpenter Knows She Has You Hooked” (Sep. 5, 2024), there’s a photo of Sabrina who: “[...] is laying on her stomach in a picturesque suburban backyard. The sun shines into frame, Sabrina is wearing a lacey white mini dress, as a backyard sprinkler doses water onto her already dampened body. This photo is undeniably a reference to the 1997 film adaptation of Nabokov’s Lolita.”

And a connection was made between Sabrina’s advertisement for Kim Kardashian’s Skims (2024) and the Rolling Stone piece “Britney Spears: Inside the Heart, Mind and Bedroom of a Teen Dream” (1999) where, then-16-years-old, Britney Spears was photographed standing in her childhood bedroom, surrounded by her stuffed animals and dolls, donning a pair of white short-shorts and a cardigan that barely covered her white bra. In Sabrina’s Skims campaign, she donned Skims lingerie along with lace, pink hair ribbons and white bobby socks in what appears to be a teen girl’s bedroom, which the author wrote is: “[...] subliminal[ly] signalling “teen girl” in order to sell lingerie”

16-Year-Old Britney Spears (ROLLING STONE)

I’m confused, because the target audience for Skims or Sabrina’s music is not middle-aged men, which the author confirmed by writing: “In the case of Skims, the primary demographic is women, with Kim Kardashian herself mentioning that the campaign was specifically aimed at Gen Z women and girls.” Yet, the author insisted, almost conspiratorially, that females cannot escape the influence of the male gaze, because females are “subliminally influenced” to perform for the desires of men.

Very interestingly, the author opined that Sabrina’s Short N’ Sweet tour was curated to evoke a “sleepover” energy; however, in a bit of a contradiction, the author wrote that Sabrina’s tour was “[...] deliberately built for her female audience [...] rather than being curated for the male gaze [...]” But then the author wrote that Sabrina’s tour was inevitably subconsciously influenced by men.

In the end, the author appears to have made a complete 180 from her premise and opined, possibly naively, that she doesn’t “think” Sabrina used the allure of nymphets to sell music, concert tickets, advertising for (online) “magazines”, and lingerie.

I don’t think Sabrina is trying to position herself as the “sexy baby” people are making her out to be. I don’t think she is pandering to a pedophilic fantasy. I think the examples such as the Skims Campaign and the W Magazine photo are symptoms of subconscious problems with the expression of femininity [...] I don't think Sabrina is actively or intentionally infantilizing herself nor do I think Sabrina is attempting to shield herself under the guise of girlhood [...]

On the contrary, I would opine that Sabrina has (repeatedly) used the allure of nymphets to sell music, concert tickets, advertising for (online) “magazines”, and lingerie. However, it appears that Sabrina has recently taken a bit of a break from using the allure of teen sex to sell. Currently, Sabrina is simply using sex to sell, which is exemplified by the content related to her newest release.

Poppie Platt posted on The Telegraph “Sabrina Carpenter’s over-sexed, degrading new album cover has gone too far: From Lolita marketing to on-stage sex acts and now a controversial cover for new album Man’s Best Friend, is Carpenter regressive for women? (12 June 2025) Of the album cover, Platt wrote:

Carpenter is pictured kneeling on the ground with her flowing blonde curls in the tight grip of a man’s fist, her hand teasingly placed on his upper thigh, eyes wide and mouth agape [...]

Sabrina in Daisy Dukes for "Manchild" Video

And Kristin Myers posted on Yahoo “Sabrina Carpenter Sizzles In Daisy Dukes For 'Manchild' Music Video” (June 7, 2025) Myers wrote:

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is turning up the heat in her "Manchild" music video. The "Espresso" singer was oozing sex appeal as she showed off her lean legs in daisy dukes [...]