Becky's Blog

Your Trees are Just Fine

5.29.2009 | Blog, Sex in the Media, Talking to Kids About Sex

As if young men didn’t already have enough anxiety over the size of their “equipment,” this Gillette clip begins and ends with the promise that if they shave their “underbrush” their “tree” will look taller.

Consider this another reminder that you owe it to your children (of any age) to talk to them about healthy sexual attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. When parents are silent, this kind of misguided “education” wins.

And remember, the discussion really shouldn’t be about shaving. The discussion is about how to make wise and responsible decisions about sexual health in a world that is often only trying to sell you something. You see, if Gillette can convince a generation of young men that shaving will make their genitals appear larger, and that that is a worthwhile aspiration to have, then they will sell a lot more razors. Their job is to sell razors; your job is to talk to your kids about sex.

So talk with your kids about the messages they receive about sex. Believe it or not, they are looking to you to help them sort it all out.


Responses

maymay
5.30.2009

Well put, Becky. I think young people are facing intense discrimination by the hands of adults who refuse to be honest and respectful with them about sexual matters.

On that note, I would be extremely interested to hear what you have to say in response to my further thoughts about adultism that I posted about on yesterday’s MaleSubmissiinArt.com post.

maymay
5.30.2009

Oops, that URI is of course MaleSubmissionArt.com. :)

Cynthia
5.30.2009

ARGH! stupid marketing schemes. You know, the whole reason that women shave is because of marketing of a marketing initiative by remington. We have been convinced that women hairless legs and underarms … and down there … is what is beautiful. I have super, super, SUPER sensitive skin and shaving was always torture. Last year, I finally gave it up and at least my skin is healthy. But, I still struggle with how it looks. All because of marketing.

Becky Knight
6.01.2009

I agree with you on this:

Adults must bear in mind that youth are a crucial group of people for whom education and access to quality, reliable information is perhaps more paramount for the future than anything else. Believing young people are less capable than they are is not only a skewed perception of reality, but a disrespectful and fundamentally harmful thing to do.

It’s kind of amazing to me that so many people wish they had better information and guidance when they were young, but then they fail to provide it for the next generation. Information about sex and relationships is critical for young people if they are going to grow into sexually healthy and happy adults. Some people can find it on their own, but many people suffer from misinformation and misunderstandings that could have been helped by simply getting accurate information earlier on.

[...] since information and knowledge is power, censorship can be a weapon. Becky Knight summed up the importance of making sexuality information accessible to youth better than anyone: It’s kind of amazing to me that so many people wish they had better [...]

[...] clinical sexologist Becky Knight said, It’s kind of amazing to me that so many people wish they had better information and guidance [...]

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