Read on Twitter
Here is a thread that debunks the claim that Betty and Jughead's relationship is incest/borderline incest:
TW// statutory crime & sexual assault
This includes my own personal experience with assault & incest, sharing this was a difficult decision. Even if you disagree, be kind
TW// statutory crime & sexual assault
This includes my own personal experience with assault & incest, sharing this was a difficult decision. Even if you disagree, be kind
First, here is a definition of incest from Merriam-Webster. According to the definition, a couple would be considered incest if “they are forbidden by law to marry.”
Betty & Jughead are not related by blood or through marriage, so this definition does not fit them. Even if they were step-siblings, according to this definition, they would still not be considered incest, as there are no state laws that prohibit marriage between stepsiblings.
Here is another definition from Cornell Law School. Again, BH is not related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Betty’s parents are Hal & Alice, Jughead’s are Gladys & FP. Neither Alice nor Hal adopted Jughead, & neither of Jughead’s parents have adopted Betty.
Betty & Jughead are not relatives in a legal, biological, or cultural sense. Neither of them were raised together, they were raised on opposite sides of the town, & they did not grow up close/or as siblings. Now, here are some less reputable sources that I have seen going around
I have seen several people claim that bughead is pseudo-incest, but the very definitions they used prove that BH is in fact, not pseudo-incest. BH is not related through marriage or adoption, they are not stepsiblings, neither of these definitions fit their situation.
You may be asking, why does this matter? You may think that it’s “just a joke,” but to people that have struggled with incest as a form of abuse, this is the furthest thing from a joke, especially if it is constantly used to invalidate a ship someone likes.
It’s okay to dislike a ship, but constantly pushing factually incorrect information at people who may have dealt with this form of abuse is insensitive & invalidating. For those that are wondering, incest is a form of abuse that is often ignored and ridiculed.
I won’t go into details, but as someone that is a personal survivor of this form of abuse (sexual abuse at the hands of a blood relative), it is disheartening & invalidating to see people constantly joke about an already stigmatized form of abuse. Many victims are afraid to talk
about their abuse because of misconceptions & incest jokes. Using a healthy couple on a TV show that is not considered incest in the slightest to joke about a sensitive topic is incredibly offensive to incest survivors. Only “30% incest cases are reported by survivors”
and a large part of that is because of the incredible amount of shame & guilt many of us hold, precisely because of how people handle this topic. The ramifications of incest are huge, it’s not just a joke, it’s most often a form of abuse & constantly throwing the word incest
around is not funny or entertaining. Also, as someone who has siblings that are not biologically related to me, calling Bughead siblings erases the connection that a true “chosen” sibling means to you, whether they were raised as your sibling or formally adopted.
If anyone needs to talk or has any more questions, feel free to DM me, I will open my messages up to the public. Here are some of the sources I used that I didn’t mention above:
https://ct.counseling.org/2018/03/understanding-treating-survivors-incest/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/somatic-psychology/201302/trauma-incest%3famp
https://ct.counseling.org/2018/03/understanding-treating-survivors-incest/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/somatic-psychology/201302/trauma-incest%3famp
If anyone is struggling with this form of abuse and is uncomfortable with talking about it, know that you are not alone 
