Jessica Biel would like to talk to you about vaginas. Oh, and sex too. This isn't just the stuff of teenage fantasies; Biel is quite serious about this crusade. She's teamed up with Saundra Pelletier of WomanCare Global for the "Then Who Will" Campaign. It's an initiative meant to shed light on women's health issues and remove the taboo of talking about them. To help launch the campaign, Biel and Pelletier participated in a Reddit AMA — during which they got really candid about female bodies.
First off, someone asked what Biel and Pelletier want people to take away from their AMA. "[V]aginas are magical things. I like that," Biel says, before continuing. "Or, go with the line that vaginas are weird and scary, and like bleed for seven days, so they shouldn't be trusted."
"THAT IS AN IMPORTANT TAKE AWAY," Pelletier concludes (quite emphatically). "I think everybody should know more about vaginas — they benefit everyone!" Very true. Biel is quick on the draw when a Redditor asks her to name something about women's health and sexuality that has dramatically improved over the years. "Vibrators," she immediately responds. (Also quite true.)
The two also venture into more serious territory: They want girls and boys to feel comfortable approaching both their same- and opposite-sex parents with body-related questions (like a girl going to Dad if she gets her first period and Mom isn't home). They know that it's hard to get these conversations started, but ending the arbitrary separation of sex education will open up channels of communication across gender lines.
Biel also shares the one important piece of advice a mother should provide her child (which she's probably giving to her son, Silas). "All we have left — really, truly — in this world that we can control is our own integrity. I don't mean that like, sexual integrity; I mean that as a human being...you choose how you live your life, what you deserve. Be good to yourself. Don't worry about all that other shit."
Please take these words with you as you continue your Friday and head into the weekend. Namaste.
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