If you’re lucky, your school taught you basic sex education. The extent of which was probably, don’t get pregnant and don’t get an infection. To go with this, your anatomy class probably gave you a basic knowledge of male and female reproductive systems. There are so many things wrong with our sexual education in schools but what’s even worse is we don’t actually know what we have going on down there. When you’re taught about your body through the lense of ensuring you don’t get pregnant, you miss out on learning about what is and isn’t normal in your body.
Did you know your pelvic floor controls your pee, poop, and vagina? Did you know your pelvic floor is a muscle that you can actually control, and hurt? Did you know period cramps aren’t supposed to be excruciating? Do you know what endometriosis is? Did anyone teach you what’s actually down there and not just how to keep sperm out?
When we don’t talk about what’s happening in our bodies we create two issues. One, we could be ignoring something that is serious and needs medical attention. On the positive side, it could be something that’s easily fixed and will make your life better. Two, when we don’t speak up, other women stay silent too. Instead of seeing someone who shares your pain or concerns, we feel alone and we isolate ourselves. But when you speak up and share your story other women see that and share theirs. I guarantee someone else out there has had the same question, concern, or intrigue.
We need to step away from solely seeing what’s between a woman’s legs as having a sexual purpose. Of course it’s important for that but we live with them everyday. We should nurture and take care of them like we do any other part of our bodies. It begins with talking. Talk to your friends, your doctor, your mom. Learn about what’s actually down there, what it likes and doesn’t, and how to care for it.
Image Sources:
Giphy https://media.giphy.com/media/VGhZCtkcxQs7FYJko0/giphy.gif
Giphy https://media.giphy.com/media/HMUxQO9t25WXS/giphy.gif