A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that the vulva needs to be included in our discussions about body image.
Here is a young woman discussing this very thing. have a look.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Plenty of syph.com
Please have a look at this site and let me know what you think. Will it work? Would you show it to the people you work with?
Here is their blurb:
About Plenty of Syph
PlentyofSyph.com has become the fastest-growing online syphilis dating site, and best of all, it's completely FREE!
Since 2000, Alberta has been experiencing a sustained outbreak of syphilis. The number of cases has dramatically increased, and over the past few years, has spread to the general population through unsafe sexual activity. Some might see this as worrisome, but we saw this as an opportunity to tap into this growing syphilis market. And with that, PlentyofSyph.com was born.
Here is their blurb:
About Plenty of Syph
PlentyofSyph.com has become the fastest-growing online syphilis dating site, and best of all, it's completely FREE!
Since 2000, Alberta has been experiencing a sustained outbreak of syphilis. The number of cases has dramatically increased, and over the past few years, has spread to the general population through unsafe sexual activity. Some might see this as worrisome, but we saw this as an opportunity to tap into this growing syphilis market. And with that, PlentyofSyph.com was born.
Plenty of Syph - Girl from Plentyof Syph on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Operation Beautiful
Thanks to Emily Zesers, a brilliant youthworker from the Southern Fleurieu for sending this link through.
Here is a bit about operation beautiful.
The goal of the Operation Beautiful website is to end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.” If this little blog only does one productive thing, I hope it helps readers realize how truly toxic negative self-talk is — it hurts you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Through my own experiences fighting Fat Talk, I’ve realized the power behind an anonymous act such as Operation Beautiful. When I post a note, I’m saying, “I CHOOSE to be positive!”
Go HERE to see more
Here is a bit about operation beautiful.
The goal of the Operation Beautiful website is to end negative self-talk or “Fat Talk.” If this little blog only does one productive thing, I hope it helps readers realize how truly toxic negative self-talk is — it hurts you emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
Through my own experiences fighting Fat Talk, I’ve realized the power behind an anonymous act such as Operation Beautiful. When I post a note, I’m saying, “I CHOOSE to be positive!”
Go HERE to see more
Callenge our thinking
SEXAUL ACTIVITY AND SEXAUL SATISFACTION ARE NOT THE SAME THING:
Here is part of a posting from one of my favourite bloggers Cory Silverberg from about.com.
Below he gives some insight into sexual health statistics but also about our beliefs about desire and satisfaction. Have a read.
A study published this week in the American Journal of Medicine challenges some of ways we tend to think about and talk about sex and aging, and as importantly, challenges the dominant medical frame on sexuality, which focuses on dysfunction rather than satisfaction or pleasure.
The study asked just over 800 women aged 40 to 99 to respond to surveys about their recent sexual activity, overall sexual satisfaction, and sexual desire. The women were not representative of the general population, they all came from suburb of San Diego and have been involved in a longitudinal research project called the Rancho Bernardo Study which began in 1972. So the findings shouldn't be thought of as highly generalizable, but instead as an interesting snapshot of one group of women in one place at one time.
The women were asked if they had engaged in sexual activity in the past four weeks. In this study sexual activity was described as including caressing, foreplay, masturbation, and penile-vaginal intercourse. In analyzing the data the researchers divided the women into four age groups, each with about 200 women in them. Here are some of the basic findings of the study:
50% of the women reported having had sex in the previous 4 weeks and 80% of those women were living with a partner/spouse.
40% of all respondents said that they never or almost never felt sexual desire, and 30% of women who were having sex said they felt low, very low, or no sexual desire.
64% of all respondents said they were moderately or very satisfied with their sexual relationship.
64% of women who had sex in the past 4 weeks reported being aroused most times, almost always, or always.
67% said they achieved orgasm most times, almost always, or always; women in the youngest and oldest groups reported the highest orgasm satisfaction.
These findings highlight how slippery statistics are. After all, if I chose to tell you that 40% of women over forty years old said they almost never felt sexual desire you'd probably feel bad for those women, right? But of those women 67% who were actually having sex almost always had orgasms, 64% felt aroused and were satisfied with the sex they were having. So which number matters most?
This is the problem with quantitative research; it can never answer that question. But this study does give us a lot more to think about. For example: GO HERE TO READ MORE
Here is part of a posting from one of my favourite bloggers Cory Silverberg from about.com.
Below he gives some insight into sexual health statistics but also about our beliefs about desire and satisfaction. Have a read.
A study published this week in the American Journal of Medicine challenges some of ways we tend to think about and talk about sex and aging, and as importantly, challenges the dominant medical frame on sexuality, which focuses on dysfunction rather than satisfaction or pleasure.
The study asked just over 800 women aged 40 to 99 to respond to surveys about their recent sexual activity, overall sexual satisfaction, and sexual desire. The women were not representative of the general population, they all came from suburb of San Diego and have been involved in a longitudinal research project called the Rancho Bernardo Study which began in 1972. So the findings shouldn't be thought of as highly generalizable, but instead as an interesting snapshot of one group of women in one place at one time.
The women were asked if they had engaged in sexual activity in the past four weeks. In this study sexual activity was described as including caressing, foreplay, masturbation, and penile-vaginal intercourse. In analyzing the data the researchers divided the women into four age groups, each with about 200 women in them. Here are some of the basic findings of the study:
50% of the women reported having had sex in the previous 4 weeks and 80% of those women were living with a partner/spouse.
40% of all respondents said that they never or almost never felt sexual desire, and 30% of women who were having sex said they felt low, very low, or no sexual desire.
64% of all respondents said they were moderately or very satisfied with their sexual relationship.
64% of women who had sex in the past 4 weeks reported being aroused most times, almost always, or always.
67% said they achieved orgasm most times, almost always, or always; women in the youngest and oldest groups reported the highest orgasm satisfaction.
These findings highlight how slippery statistics are. After all, if I chose to tell you that 40% of women over forty years old said they almost never felt sexual desire you'd probably feel bad for those women, right? But of those women 67% who were actually having sex almost always had orgasms, 64% felt aroused and were satisfied with the sex they were having. So which number matters most?
This is the problem with quantitative research; it can never answer that question. But this study does give us a lot more to think about. For example: GO HERE TO READ MORE
Body image - also includes vulva
Don't forget body image also includes vulvas: Something we often overlook, particularly in our conversations with young women. I recently came across this from SCARLETEEN
Introduction:
Freaking out because you think something must be wrong with your labia? Think again!
Author:
Heather Corinna
If we had to make a list of the top five questions we've gotten at the site over the last few years, "What's wrong with my labia?" would come right on the heels of "Am I pregnant?" "What's sex like?" and "Is it okay for me to have sex/masturbate?" and sit just in front of "Is my penis too small?" Whether more women are just asking about it than before, or concerns are growing, we've been seeing more and more -- often unfounded -- worries about labia as the years have gone by.
Here are some recent questions and comments we've had from women concerned about their labia:
I think my vagina lips are not normal. My inner lips are way way bigger then my outer ones! It wasn't like that when I was little! It really bugs me. I won't even let my boyfriend touch me there, cause I'm afraid he will think I'm not normal or something. My boyfriend has asked me if I wanted to have sex but I turned him down because of this. Is my vagina normal?
My inner vaginal "lips" stick out, is this normal? I'm insecure about it, and embarrassed to let my boyfriend see.
I've read a lot of your articles on labia but I still can't seem to get the thought of my own out of my head. Mine are big and noticeable which I know are normal but still bother me. I think it looks gross in certain underwear and I am very insecure about it. At times I even try to tuck them in so you can see them. I am 16 and started noticing this about a year or so ago. I am not sure if I was always like this or not. I've been with this guy for about 8 months and hes been down there with his hands and what not but I am a virgin and I was very skeptical about even letting him preform oral sex on me because of the reaction that he might have thinking it's disgusting. About a week ago at his house things started to get serious but kept my hands covering my vagina because I was nervous. He was confused at why I would do that and told me he really want to give me oral sex and I really wanted to. I eventually let him and he did not say one thing bout my larger labia. I was very surprised and pleased but couldn't shake the idea of what he really thought. I still consider surgery when I turn 18 for myself. I just cannot get the thought that I look gross out of my mind. I really need help on what I should do.
GO HERE TO READ MORE
Introduction:
Freaking out because you think something must be wrong with your labia? Think again!
Author:
Heather Corinna
If we had to make a list of the top five questions we've gotten at the site over the last few years, "What's wrong with my labia?" would come right on the heels of "Am I pregnant?" "What's sex like?" and "Is it okay for me to have sex/masturbate?" and sit just in front of "Is my penis too small?" Whether more women are just asking about it than before, or concerns are growing, we've been seeing more and more -- often unfounded -- worries about labia as the years have gone by.
Here are some recent questions and comments we've had from women concerned about their labia:
I think my vagina lips are not normal. My inner lips are way way bigger then my outer ones! It wasn't like that when I was little! It really bugs me. I won't even let my boyfriend touch me there, cause I'm afraid he will think I'm not normal or something. My boyfriend has asked me if I wanted to have sex but I turned him down because of this. Is my vagina normal?
My inner vaginal "lips" stick out, is this normal? I'm insecure about it, and embarrassed to let my boyfriend see.
I've read a lot of your articles on labia but I still can't seem to get the thought of my own out of my head. Mine are big and noticeable which I know are normal but still bother me. I think it looks gross in certain underwear and I am very insecure about it. At times I even try to tuck them in so you can see them. I am 16 and started noticing this about a year or so ago. I am not sure if I was always like this or not. I've been with this guy for about 8 months and hes been down there with his hands and what not but I am a virgin and I was very skeptical about even letting him preform oral sex on me because of the reaction that he might have thinking it's disgusting. About a week ago at his house things started to get serious but kept my hands covering my vagina because I was nervous. He was confused at why I would do that and told me he really want to give me oral sex and I really wanted to. I eventually let him and he did not say one thing bout my larger labia. I was very surprised and pleased but couldn't shake the idea of what he really thought. I still consider surgery when I turn 18 for myself. I just cannot get the thought that I look gross out of my mind. I really need help on what I should do.
GO HERE TO READ MORE
Girls women and body image
It seems that there is an epidemic crisis of confidence affecting girls and women, and both its causes and effects are going largely ignored and unspoken in and by the mainstream. But....what do we do about it. On my last visit to ADIOS BARBIE I found them making this a political issue. Hoping to get the Congree of the USA to pass a 'self esteem' bill. Here is what they say...
"We're asking for support to pass federal legislation requiring advertising and editorial that's meaningfully changed the human form through photoshopping or airbrushing to carry "Truth in Advertising" labels. The labels will simply state that the models shown have been altered. No judgments, no morality, just transparency and clarity.
Transparency and clarity that may help address and stem these horrifying numbers:
- 42% of girls in grades 1-3 want to be thinner
- 51% of 9-10 year old girls feel better about themselves when they're dieting
- 53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies; by the time they're 17, 78% of them will be
- By the time they're 17, these girls have seen 250,000 TV commercials telling them they should be a decorative object, sex object or a body size they can never achieve.
- 7 million girls and women under 25 suffer from eating disorders (NEDA.org)
- 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old. A rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930. Anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness. (myNEDA.org)
- 80% of women feel worse about themselves after seeing a beauty ad. $20B is spent on beauty marketing in the US annually. That's a lot of money being spent making women feel worse about themselves.
We're not passing judgement here, not making anyone right or wrong; there are no villains. What we are asking is that if changes to the human form are made digitally, that those making the change (advertisers or ediors) simply say so.
Photoshopping, airbrushing, digital manipulation aren't the issue. The issue is too many look at these images and think they should look LIKE these images. And they can't...because they're not real.
So let's call a duck a duck and modified picture a modified picture. All we're asking is that if you do it - you tell us you did.
If we save one life, if one girl or one woman feels better about herself because of truth-in-advertising labelling, how's that a bad thing?
Please help us address this epidemic crisis of self-confidence, and help support The Self-Esteem Act. Thank you.
- Off Our Chests and OffOurChests.com
- National Eating Disorders Association (MyNEDA.org)
"We're asking for support to pass federal legislation requiring advertising and editorial that's meaningfully changed the human form through photoshopping or airbrushing to carry "Truth in Advertising" labels. The labels will simply state that the models shown have been altered. No judgments, no morality, just transparency and clarity.
Transparency and clarity that may help address and stem these horrifying numbers:
- 42% of girls in grades 1-3 want to be thinner
- 51% of 9-10 year old girls feel better about themselves when they're dieting
- 53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies; by the time they're 17, 78% of them will be
- By the time they're 17, these girls have seen 250,000 TV commercials telling them they should be a decorative object, sex object or a body size they can never achieve.
- 7 million girls and women under 25 suffer from eating disorders (NEDA.org)
- 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old. A rise in incidence of anorexia in young women 15-19 in each decade since 1930. Anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness. (myNEDA.org)
- 80% of women feel worse about themselves after seeing a beauty ad. $20B is spent on beauty marketing in the US annually. That's a lot of money being spent making women feel worse about themselves.
We're not passing judgement here, not making anyone right or wrong; there are no villains. What we are asking is that if changes to the human form are made digitally, that those making the change (advertisers or ediors) simply say so.
Photoshopping, airbrushing, digital manipulation aren't the issue. The issue is too many look at these images and think they should look LIKE these images. And they can't...because they're not real.
So let's call a duck a duck and modified picture a modified picture. All we're asking is that if you do it - you tell us you did.
If we save one life, if one girl or one woman feels better about herself because of truth-in-advertising labelling, how's that a bad thing?
Please help us address this epidemic crisis of self-confidence, and help support The Self-Esteem Act. Thank you.
- Off Our Chests and OffOurChests.com
- National Eating Disorders Association (MyNEDA.org)
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
prejudice: maybe a way to work on it
Fighting prejudice through imitation: Asking white people to mirror the movements of a black person lowers their levels of implicit prejudice
ScienceDaily (2011-10-03) -- New research shows that you can reduce racial prejudice simply by having a person mimic the movements of a member of the race he or she is prejudiced against. The method may work by activating brain mechanisms that contribute to feelings of empathy. ... > read full article
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