When I was 16 I saw a girl for awhile who was 21... When I was 19 I dated a girl that was 16...
All I can say is that there are HUGE differences in where people are at that time in their life and what they want in a relationship...
I can see it in retrospect from both sides.. Not to say it wasn't fun.. Because it was! And as for that statutory thing in some states the age of consent is different... Here in Oklahoma it's 16.
-- not that I would even consider dating someone that much younger than me now... Once was enough to teach me a lesson