Gina Rodriguez covers the August/September issue of Bust Magazine. The cover photo is bizarre in that they have her squatting down like she’s peeing on the sidewalk or is about to pick up her dog’s poo. It was smart to include her dog, but couldn’t she be holding him or something? Plus they put her in a weird checked coat over a summery floral dress. Maybe they wanted to capture the transition into fall. I can’t wait for fall.
Anyway Gina is getting the most headlines for her thoughts about masturbating and how guilty she used to feel about it as an adolescent. I just feel bad for her young self, because it’s so normal and yet so many children are made to feel like it’s dirty or wrong. She doesn’t feel that way anymore and is in a place to recognize that she needn’t have agonized over it.
On purity culture:
“I was definitely raised with that. In all honesty, I used to feel guilty for masturbating. Oh my god, this extreme guilt! And that lasted way too long. Or maybe I masturbated too much! It’s OK to look back in retrospect and be like, it wasn’t good that I felt bad about touching myself. And it isn’t bad that I want to share my love with my boyfriend. I’m 32 years old, I’m an adult, I can do that!”On feminism:
“Hell yeah [I’m a feminist]. Everybody should be a feminist. My grandmother is the biggest feminist. She is an activist, she is a voice against injustice. I grew up with that.”On meeting her boyfriend Joe LoCicero at the boxing gym, months after he acted in a Jane the Virgin episode:
“The second time I saw him, I didn’t recognize who he was. He came in through the door and I was like ‘Good God!’ and I fell into his eyeballs. On the fourth day [that we saw each other at the gym], he asked me out, and I have been dating him ever since. Now I know what it means to date your best friend.”On what you — yes, you — can do to see more diversity onscreen:
“Don’t consume the products [that don’t represent you]. Especially Latinos! Latinos make up 38 percent of the box office every weekend. That’s a lot! So if you want to see Latinos in big studio films, and they don’t exist in them, don’t see them, because in this industry, money talks more than anything. If you do not see yourself and your community in the ways that you want, don’t purchase tickets. If you don’t purchase, they’ll stop making [something exclusive]. If you don’t purchase, they’ll start to include.”
Did you guys feel guilty about this when you were at that age? I never did. I hope it wasn’t too obvious what was going on, but I also think my parents were like “whatever.” We were raised Catholic but no one took it seriously in my family and thank God (ha!) I wasn’t serious about it or I might have felt compelled to confess such a normal adolescent activity. It’s awesome and I’ve never felt guilty about it, as opposed to some of the sketchy hookups I’ve had. Also, did she just say she’s ok with masturbating in front of her boyfriend or is she saying she doesn’t feel guilty about sex in general? Because maybe I’m reading too much into it, but if she said what I think she said that’s so cool! I mean, that’s not something people usually talk about outside the bedroom and it’s hot. That’s all I’m saying about that.
Also she’s a feminist period and she will state that unequivocally. I also like what she said about not consuming products which don’t represent you. She’s always been on point about important issues and that’s why I adore her. Plus who ever talks about masturbating? We all do it, we just don’t talk about it much.
How cute are they?!
Gina is giving me life.
I think she is saying that she isnt ashamed to be having sex with her boyfriend. In conservative cultures thats a big deal too.
I grew up in a super Catholic country in a Catholic family but didn’t feel the crushing guilt some people seem to. But Catholicism was as much of a social issue as it was a religious one, even more so, so no one really took everything literally. I don’t know anyone who didnt have sex before marriage.
As much as Jane the Virgin is diverse, I wish they would portray Eastern Europeans as something other than villians and criminals and Eastern European countries as places criminals go to flee from justice.
Talking about the evils of purity culture… fair enough her experience sounds stifling. Then following that part with “Everyone should be a feminist”. Seems like she’s a fan of purity cultures as long as she agrees with them.
I don’t get it. Wheres the contradiction between hating purity cultures and being a feminist? Those two things are polar opposites you know.
She was talking about everyone having to identify as a feminist. What if you don’t want to?
Are you saying that you haven’t seen feminists being denounced for not being the right kind of feminist? Not being intersectional enough? Etc… Those are all tests of purity.
Maybe you can explain how feminism is a polar opposite to a purity culture.
I grew up with southern Baptist/Apostolic parents. They made sure to reinforce that any form of premarital sex (including masturbation) or even thinking about it too much was a sin. So needless to say, I get where she’s coming from.
I’m sorry for your experience. It’s really unfortunate when parents assign a stigma to their children’s completely natural urges. It creates this ugly feedback loop of shame and guilt that is so hard to get out of.
Thanks Vaultdweller101. Ultimately, I turned out ok. It’s just another thing I have on my list to never do to my future children.
I can relate to this so much. I remember being in the bath tub in early elementary school (1st/2nd grade) and my mom telling me that no one was ever allowed to touch my private places, especially me! She said it was a sin and I would go to hell for it. That messed me up for a really long time. It was weird because I was so young that I had no concept of what she even meant by touching myself and she wouldn’t answer me when I asked her why I couldn’t touch my body b/c it was *my* body after all! Like, she brought it up and then wouldn’t elaborate.
Confusion is an understatement.
At least she warned you. In my culture its was a very very very bad thing anything sexual and I mean everything, even smiling to boys, and religion had nothing to do with that. It was the general culture and very few people talked about those things, and when they talked better not listen to the stupid stuff they said. I can’t quite remember the first time I touched myself but I can tell you that nobody could stop me from doing it. It was magical and funny enough it helped me release the tension and not looking to much for sex. (I know it’s weird but it was easier doing myself than going out with boys at that point).
And yet, funny enough, once married-with a half stranger usually- you had to become the perfect wife: chef in he kitchen and I mean it, a perfect housewife PERFECT to the point of passing a mother in law and inspection, a whore in bed but still virginal and on top of all fertile to the point of becoming pregnant the very first night of marriage or else….
Wow. Sounds awful.
Growing up Latina, I felt this too. I mean it took years to get over the guilt that came with sex and I still went through paranoia about being pregnant even though I knew I wasn’t. Fear is a big factor with Catholic conservative culture ingrained in you.
My Irish Catholic mother was very shameful and controlling. I was to only do what she said and nothing else. She lied to me about how birth control works and didn’t work to manipulate my behavior. Discouraged me from going to the OBGYN at 20! Who discourages that? Women are recommended to go annually yet she told me not to. At 20! It’s like she hoped if I pretend my vagina wasn’t there maybe it would just go away.
But I doubt that was solely because she was Catholic. I don’t know any Catholics that act like that.
Just wondering do boys in strict Catholic households get told the same thing? Or are they free to do as they choose and just the women are controlled? That’s how my culture is. Women are told they can’t do sh*t but men are free to do as they please.
my mom was mad the doctor told me the pills for my acne were birth control. as if i couldn’t figure out what progesterone in 21 day pills was…. anyhow, i feel you.
I grew up in a Catholic household and I’ve never admitted this but I’ve never masturbated before,
I’m about to be twenty-six years old. I think it’s icky
nothing wrong with that.
if you do want to try but can’t get over the ‘icky’ factor, you can try in the shower or with a toy instead of fingers. little vibrating nuggets or those fancy shower heads work best for most ladies i know. i would gently suggest it isn’t gross, but a lot of women feel that way, and there’s no shame in that.
i will say, it does make it easier to explain what you like to a partner if you have some idea yourself, but don’t force yourself to do anything you aren’t into!
I’m turning 30 on Saturday and I haven’t either. I did go to religious private schools, but my parents didn’t raise me that way. Just never had the desire or the interest.
nothing wrong with that either. you do you =)
I’m pleasantly surprised by how cool she is. She’s incredibly likeable on screen, but I didn’t really know anything else about her until now.
Honk for Gina!
Love what she has to say here.
Though honestly the pictorial is sub-par. Who dressed her?