Does the video above remind you of the sex-ed scene in Mean Girls? (Or worse, the sex-ed class you took.) You're not alone. As eye-roll worthy as that scene is, it more than likely rings a bell for people who have taken a traditional (read: heteronormative, sex-negative) class in sexual education. But unlike Mean Girls, this video features a class of woke high schoolers ready to poke holes in mainstream sex ed.
These hip teens raise several valid questions about how we're taught about sex in America (ones that we've asked, too). Where's the discussion on consent? Why do most sex-ed courses focus only on penis-in-vagina, penetrative sex? Why is no one talking about the clitoris or gender identity? Luckily, the women of Refinery29's Soapboxing step in to explain why sex-ed classes lack so much info on actual sex.
The good news is, we've already started this conversation on R29 with the launch of Sex School, our initiative to fill in the gaps that sex ed left behind. So far, we've discussed how men learn about consent, how we'll give our kids the sex talk, the truth about Kama Sutra sex positions, and so much more — and there's still more to come.
Check out the full video to get a brief history of sexual education and hear what we think needs to change.
The gap between what we learned in sex ed and what we're learning through sexual experience is big — way too big. So we're helping to connect those dots by talking about the realities of sex, from how it's done to how to make sure it's consensual, safe, healthy, and pleasurable all at once. Check out more, here.