What does the data tell us?

Adolescence follows the onset of puberty, and it is a time when self-understanding and awareness is more important than ever.

BUT… the more we learn about how and why our bodies are changing, the more we grow to appreciate how normal and wonderful these changes are right??

Typically, during sex education, students will now learn how to navigate the process of becoming sexually active adults, and hopefully they will learn how to engage in consensual and safe sex (hands up who else remembers having to put a condom on a banana in high school?!). All of this is, of course, incredibly important.

We have to bear in mind however that teaching teenagers about their adult body is not the same as teaching them about safe sex, and to really grasp sex education, it helps to have a solid foundation of body awareness.

As well as these issues, a lack of body literacy can put teenagers at risk of not being able to make fully informed decisions relating to birth control, and they may not be aware if things start to go awry with their cycle.

Body awareness and education can be passed on by anyone who is informed themselves and is a trusted individual; such as parents, communities, teachers, other family members, schools and/or health professionals.

It’s also important to remove any stigma and shame associated with menstruation. Menstruating is as natural as sweating. It’s the most basic, earthy cycle we have, and it’s one of many cycles both we and the environment experience (such as sleep/wake cycles, sun/moon cycles, tides and seasons).

In my view, a deepening of body knowledge makes the ‘adolescent road’ a little less bumpy because there is a greater sense of empowerment, understanding and acceptance.

Seeing as I don’t have a time machine to go back 20 years and boost my OWN body literacy (which needed some serious boosting!), all I can do now is help other’s boost theirs, which gives me so much satisfaction! 😊

Until next time,

Stacey.

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