Reese Witherspoon Speaks Out Against Sexual Shame

Still punishing yourself for last week's one-night stand or that no-strings-attached summer fling that went nowhere? Reese Witherspoon doesn't have time for that.

In her upcoming film Wild, the Oscar winner plays a woman who embarks on a 1,000-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. In the film, her character has a lot of sex, both in the wilderness and during flashbacks to her past.

That may be bad news for Witherspoon's 15-year-old daughter, whose response to her mother's sex scenes was "Oh, no!" On the other hand, young women not related to the star will appreciate the movie's strong message of owning one's sexuality and resisting feelings of shame.

"It's such an important message about female sexuality," Witherspoon said during a conversation at the Toronto Film Festival. "We kissed that guy or we had sex with that dude in college. We're totally ashamed of so many things. I think this movie says, 'That's OK. Maybe I was meant to sleep with all those guys. Maybe I wanted to. Maybe if I could go back and do it all again, I'd do the same thing.' It's a total liberation, especially for young women."

Witherspoon also lavished praise on Lena Dunham for "changing cultural attitudes with her honesty and willingness to bare all." (Yes, it seems every article about feminism must involve a reference to Lena Dunham.)

So, there you have it, folks. It's not a walk of shame. It's the stride of pride. (Or, at the very least, nothing to beat yourself up over.) (The Hollywood Reporter)