{"id":3554,"date":"2020-12-01T18:36:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T18:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/sexuelle-aufklaerung-21-jahrhundert-wo-bist-du\/"},"modified":"2022-11-03T06:09:32","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T06:09:32","slug":"sex-education-in-the-21st-century-where-are-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vulvani.com\/en\/sex-education-in-the-21st-century-where-are-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Sex education in the 21st century: Where are\u00a0you?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vulva and vagina<\/a> are the same thing!.. Uhm nope. You didn\u2019t know that either? Well then welcome to the club. This realization occurred to us, Tania<\/a> & Steffi<\/a>, when we were 24 and 28 years old. Now we are already one big year older. But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that we are two \u2013 supposedly \u2013 grown up young cis women<\/a>. \u201cSupposedly\u201d because we have been in this body for 25 and 29 years, respectively, and are always marveling at new insights. But why is that so? If we start thinking about where the problem might lie, we both immediately think of sex education in school.<\/p>

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Photo Credits: Rosi Offenbach f\u00fcr OH WOMAN<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Sex education at school must be modernized<\/h3>

Right before the start of summer break, in 5th grade there are 2 school lessons for sex education. In front of us, a mixed group of students, is our biology teacher, who is heavily sweating. He explains to us how the penis needs to be inserted into the vagina in order to conceive a child. With professionally correct and super \u2018dry\u2019 (haha ;)) terms of course. As the class giggles and becomes more and more unsettled, our biology teacher is \u201cbrave\u201d enough to use the word SEX<\/a> instead of intercourse \u2013 the class laughs out loud.<\/em><\/p>

At the end of the two lessons, our biology teacher says: \u2018I\u2019m going to put some small packages here. Anyone who wants to, may take one.\u2019 What he didn\u2019t tell us is that these are packages with period products<\/a>. As a result, all the boys ran quickly to the front. They grabbed the packages and threw tampons soaked with water around the classroom. <\/em><\/p>

Shame and silence reinforce self-doubt<\/h3>

When we both recalled these memories, it was very clear to us: If this is the first experience with information about our body and especially about periods<\/a>, it is no surprise that we do not engage with it more and deeper. We remember the subject as something unpleasant. A topic that one does not talk about \u2013 because otherwise there will be laughter. Although every person has a body and half of all people worldwide menstruate, in other words it\u2019s something very natural, we only talk about it with a certain degree of shame<\/a> \u2026 or simply not at all. And this shame and silence leads to ignorance, which only increases self-doubt.<\/p>

Early sex education is key \u2013 a game the solution<\/h3>

Especially in our youth, where everything changes and we are strongly influenced by our environment and other\u2019s opinions, we, Tania & Steffi, are convinced that it is essential to teach teenagers about their bodies. The sooner they have knowledge about their own body, the more self-confident teenagers can grow up. And the more openly they will talk about it as adults \u2013 and with every generation that follows, the taboo<\/a> will gradually disappear from the scene \u2013 in the best case. That\u2019s why we created OH WOMAN\u00ae<\/a>: A game for sex education about the female body<\/a> and periods<\/a>.<\/p>

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