sex education

Since it debuted in 2011, the U by Kotex brand of pads and tampons (aimed at pre-teens) has made its mark with funny commercials and frank talk about periods. But recently, Kotex has decided to launch a part of their site that addresses period myths and the general lack of awareness many pre-teens have about their bodies. Their latest campaign, Generation Know, offers a site where girls can anonymously ask questions about periods and get answers from experts, peers, and moms. And holy cow, are these girls misguided.

I mean...there are no “wrong” questions when it comes to the complexities of the female body, and a lot of the questions are pretty basic (like “what happens during a pelvic exam?”). But some are a truly frightening demonstration of the absolute lack of information that young girls get when it comes to matters of their own health.

Here is a sampling of the more alarming questions from the site:

“Is it ok to wrap your tampon in toilet paper and then change the paper but not the tampon? Then the tampon lasts longer because it remains dry.”

“Once you are sexually active, do you need to go to the doctor so they can cut a piece of your vagina off?”

 “Do tampons cause cancer?”

Teen birth rates in the U.S. have hit an all-time low.

Much of the conversation has revolved around this: in a generation with greater freedom to break free from gender norms, "boys will be girls" and "girls will be boys."

It's no secret that 16 and Pregnant is marketed to women. Each episode is narrated by the teen mom, who also provides the testimonials and has the camera on her at all times. The commercials shown during the program are obviously geared toward teen girls, and the chat on MTV.com's 16 and Pregnant page is filled with girls, mostly teen mothers themselves. As viewers we never see teen parenthood from the father's point of view and the possible value from including their experiences is completely lost.

Sexual Inadequacy refers to the poor representation of queer sexuality in the larger culture and in the media. Sexual Inadequacy is about the story straight writers and producers tell queer people about their own lives. Sexual Inadequacy is a comment on the amount of information queer students are given about their bodies and their sexuality, especially when these students are told absolutely nothing.

Start your weekend off right: with compelling articles from around the web!

• Bitch contributor s.e. smith discusses asexuality on Tiger Beatdown.
• Katha Pollitt writes for The Nation about the DC Abortion Fund and the right's vendetta against Planned Parenthood. (via AlterNet)
• ColorLines shares three scholars' thoughts on fighting homophobia in hip-hop.
• Check out journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau's piece at The Daily Beast about reporting on sexism in Italy.
• In These Times interviews Sady Doyle, founder of Tiger Beatdown and Bitch contributor, about blogging and online activism.
• Jill at Feministe hopes everyone who celebrates had a happy feminist Passover.
• As the New York Times searches for a new columnist, Feministing has a plea: "Don't hire another white dude!"
• The Root interviews our recent Bitch High Five candidate Joycelyn Elders, who was forced to resign for saying sex ed should include information about masturbation.
• We're keeping our fingers crossed for the Uniting American Families Act, "a bill which would allow same-sex couples to sponsor their partners for legal residency in the U.S."
• 90s Woman praises Heather Corinna's book S.E.X.: The All-You-Need-To-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide to Get You Through High School and College. I'm personally a fan as well, and we have a copy in the Bitch Media Community Lending Library!
• One year after the BP oil spill, Ms. talks about the danger of the status quo as explored in Antonia Juhasz's new book about the disaster, Black Tide.
• Also at Ms., look at this profile of Bitch contributor Mandy Van Deven's, Joanne Smith's and Meghan Huppuch's group, Girls for Gender Equity, and book, Hey, Shorty! A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets.
• Shakesville shares an excellent quote by Ms. Geena Davis about the power of gendered media images.
• Nick at Original Plumbing reflects powerfully on reconnecting with family members.
• At the ACLU blog, one rockin' woman recalls confronting a street harasser.
  
• Bad news: QUILTBAG-oriented site Queerty has "come to a close."

What have you been reading? Share away!

She's last been seen giving sex tips to seniors in Massachusetts. On Wednesday, she's speaking about sex, life, and maybe a little rock 'n' roll at Westfield State University. With more than 30 books in tow, oodles of accolades, and millions of fans, Dr. Ruth is still Dr. Ruth.

"Welcome to the free birth-control support network. Find a doctor, find a method, find a happier you in bed."

So reads the tagline of Bedsider.org, a new online resource operated by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Though still in its beta version, the Bedsider site is already full of useful tools like SMS birth control reminders and video factoids that manage to inform without being patronizing or boring. Hooray!

The astronomically high pregnancy rate in majority black Shelby County, which includes Memphis, has sparked public outcry as well as an initiative called "No Baby!" run by Girls Inc. For decades, Girls Inc. has aimed to help Memphis girls improve their self-esteem. But its "No Baby!" campaign—slated to kick off Jan. 20—may do little to curb the high teen pregnancy in the Memphis area. Why? Because the campaign promotes abstinence only, according to AOL's Black Voices.

There's a lot of fun/interesting stuff happening in the blogosphere today! A sampling:

• A great interview from The Guardian with Gabby Sidibe. Be prepared to get irritated when she talks about how everyone conflates her with the character of Precious.

• Interesting piece at The New York Times on expectations of motherhood in Germany

• Latoya Peterson's insightful take on the ten most bizarre sex ed videos. Boys beware! (Women's periods and gay men in cars are dangerous!)

• Veronica Arreola on why she supports women-focused relief organizations. The first comment is someone calling her a sexist, of course.

• Jessica Valenti responds to Nina Power's claim that she is a "consumer/self help" feminist.

• Judith Warner on Elizabeth Edwards' public image in the light of Game Change

Any other links you'd like to add? Put them in the comments section!