Jessica Biel appeared at the 2018 Makers conference in LA this week, and she ended up doing a discussion (or Q&A session) about sexual education. I hadn’t seen this, but Biel did a sex-positive/vadge-positive PSA with Chelsea Handler. I mean, I guess this is NSFW because they say “vagina” like a million times, but this actually has a good PSA-type message, so I don’t know how to label it! It’s not dirty or anything. The only problematic thing here is Chelsea Handler’s Botox-face. Go ahead and watch it.
It’s not bad. This is a good message for girls and women. So how is Biel raising her toddler son Silas? At the Makers Conference, Biel talked about introducing the right terminology to Silas:
Jessica Biel is already giving her 2-year-old son some lessons on the birds and the bees. The actress spoke at the 2018 MAKERS Conference in Los Angeles Tuesday (Feb. 6) and discussed her sexual education PSA video she made with Chelsea Handler. She then talked about how the topic of sex translates in her home, and how she and husband Justin Timberlake are teaching son Silas to be comfortable and understanding with his body from a young age.
“We’re using technical terms … we shower together, and [we say], ‘This is what I’ve got. This is what you’ve got,’” she said. “We just talk about it. I know it’s really young, but I really believe that if you start this early, there’s no shame.”
“I don’t want to tell him, ‘Keep your private parts,’ and this and that,” she continued. “It’s a beautiful thing. You have it and mine is different and it’s cool, man. We have to respect ourselves and respect each other.”
I took “there’s no shame” to mean that her son won’t grow up ashamed of his body or his sexuality, as opposed to “no shame” about sex education, you know what I’m saying? I think the right technical terms are fine and I agree that age appropriate sex education and body education is a great thing, and it should be an ongoing conversation throughout childhood and beyond. Every family is different and every family makes their own choices about this sort of thing, but I prefer the Biel method of doing things as opposed to, say, the Duggar method.
Also: Jessica Biel went “blonde” and Justin Timberlake is into it. He’s not into it to the point where he would actually post a photo of his wife on his Instagram or anything, but he commented “my boo thang looks goooood!” I don’t see a huge change – yes, her hair is noticeably lighter, but she kept it in the “bronde” family.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.
I support having this conversation as early as needed. I hope parents and society stop getting awkward. If the kid is asking some questions tell them the truth. Obviously a child-sensored/g-rated version, but no need to get awkward.
Sex education early is definitely a necessity in stopping child sexual abuse. Knowledge is power, and security is knowing thyself. People have a hard time with the term ‘sex education’. They think it literally means being coached to have sex. The world is fulla dummies.
I taught my son since he was 2 that only mommy and daddy can touch his penis (when taking a bath, cleaning up) and if anyone else does he should scream as loud as he can and tell me right away
@mkyarwood That was one of the reasons my mum started explaining sex from the moment I asked her “Mummy, what’s sexy?” at two or three years old. She wanted me to know about my body and privacy and what touching is and isn’t ok, and in what contexts (Including never forcing me to hug or kiss anyone if I didn’t want to greet them that way).
Talking about sex early and consistently also helped me parse and reject negative messages about sex, gender, my body and relationships, and contrary to what many evangelicals fear, being informed and empowered gave me the confidence to say no to sexual situations as a teen when I wasn’t ready.
I thought the bronde pic was Sienna Miller
We absolutely started young too. By the time my kid hits the teenage years, I hope to have pushed through embarrassment and into acceptance. I got no education beyond “don’t do it until you’re married” and I will not have that shit in my house. Also, my husband made exactly one comment about needing a gun if we had a daughter and we quickly set it straight about ownership of any theoretical daughter we might have. (Don’t get me started on purity balls and purity rings and daddy-daughter date night. Yes, father daughter relationships are very important and can shape self esteem and image for years, but the concept of father ownership is gross.)
On the shallow side, Jessica Biel is so so so gorgeous.
you are my inspiration! i have an infant daughter – there will be no ownership BS.
my dad is a big gruff grumpy guy and people always joke like “hahaha – i bet guys were terrified of him. he probably threatened every guy who walked through the door” and i was like – um – no he trusted me and was kind and welcoming to people i invited into our home. acting like some macho man shoot your daughter’s boyfriend type is a great way to have your daughter sneak around or be scared to talk to you if something questionable or bad does happen.
I too hate the “ownership” mentality, and considering his upbringing in a very strict fundamentalist family, I think my dad did quite well. He’s not a jovial, welcoming guy at the best of times, but he was polite to my boyfriends and generally acted like a mature adult and not a toddler watching someone else playing with their toys. That said, he was noticeably more at ease with my male friends who were not dating me. It was more amusing to me than anything else.
I love it Lizzie!
My husband and I are usually aligned politically, and I have to admit it threw me for a loop when he made that comment, but that’s the only behavior he’s ever seen modeled, and he’s never really had to think about it until I was actually in his space, pointing out the hypocrisy. We live in ATL, north of the city in a somewhat conservative area, and the traditional gender norms are rigorously applied. My friends with daughters are interesting to observe. Some are more relaxed, and some are already starting the purity indoctrination process. *barfs*
I like the color she picked. It suits her – more blonde but in a flattering, almost effortless looking way.
That being said – it’s so important to teach your kids the proper terms. Heaven forbid they ever come into a harmful situation – but if they need to report someone it’s a lot easier of a process when they’re using the correct terms for their anatomy. There’s nothing left to interpretation.
I think it’s also super important to teach body autonomy. And the younger that you introduce these ideas, the better. It’d be a lot less awkward than having to sit down with a pre-teen if you start building the concepts at a young age.
Yes, I’m trying to implement all of this with my kids. My son is almost five and my twins are two. We have always called body parts their proper names and we are also trying to listen to them more and follow their cues when they don’t want to be touched or hugged or kissed, especially with other family members like grandparents and man it’s hard! The grandparents get all offended if they don’t want to give them a hug or kiss and I don’t make them. Then they pout and try and make my kid feel bad. I have explained to them why we do this and they just roll their eyes and think we are the crazy ones and that were being rude or mean.
I was brought up like this. It was never one big talk at a certain age. I’m very sex positive and confident in my own body. I think it’s the ideal way, frankly.
I was shocked at work the other day to hear my colleagues talking about their 11 and 12 year old daughters asking about sex and how it is “too young” so they put off the conversation. Yes and they will be too young to be parents too!!!
Sex education is using real words for body parts and letting your kids at 2 see you naked? Really???
I mean, you really think will give you the privacy to change your clothes. Nudity is not always sexual.
guess what the first thing they saw was you naked & they’ll probably see your (naked) boobs for some time after!
Real words for body parts is one of the first steps in sex education, yes. Its age appropriate and logical. We teach them to call their knee by the word “knee” and their finger by the word “finger”, so why are “penis” and “vagina” any different? My daughter told me when she was 3, “mama, I told all my friends at school whether they had a PENIS or a BAGINA!” and I died laughing. We also don’t force hugs and kisses, and my kids know they can talk to me and ask me anything they want to know, and I will answer honestly.
My son (10) was scandalized when I told him that babies come from sex (in an age appropriate conversation, of course) a couple of years ago, but now it’s just another thing he knows, like who invented the lightbulb or what 9×7 is. If we keep kids in the dark about their bodies and sex, it’s harmful to their development and leaves them vulnerable to lots of poor outcomes. :::off soapbox:::
I agree with all of this. I always called all body parts by their proper names and have taught my daughter how babies are made, not the nitty gritty, but that females have eggs and if a it’s fertilized it becomes a baby. And that the baby comes out of the vagina.
Lol I didn’t correct her when she was 3 and called her areola a ravioli, though. It was just too cute and they are only young once.
What I do worry about is the constant sexualization of women, even young girls. I teach her how great she is, how funny, smart, just, and what a natural leader she is. But I feel like everything else on tv, magazines she sees at the grocery store, music videos, commercials, ads on the internet, even kids tv bashes it into her head that her body is the only commodity she has that really matters.
Good for her (ok them). This is important. It is amazing how much adults themselves don’t know about their bodies. And she said it right “no shame”. because I do think so many Women and Men are ashamed to admit that they don’t know things. We all should be talking more to our children and to each other.
“Burt Reynolds”. No i cant think of anything else everytime i see Burt Reynolds. 😀
We always talked frankly. My older child was on the bed with me when my younger was born. I answered every question they had truthfully. My daughter cried on and off for a day when she was six and I truthfully answered her question about how babies get into the mama. She got over it. I have a very open relationship with both my kids and it is a blessing as my 19 yo ftm trans son is going through transition. He talks to me about what’s happening to his body and I’m so glad I built that bridge when they were young.
the top pic makes her look like her d-bag husband is draining the last drop of positive energy out of her soul and is now she is powerless to stop him. he reminds me of a KARMIC LEECH!
I am hear for “sometimes I look at it and I see a young smug Burt Reynolds”. I died. Biel may have won me over. Her husband is still a douche though. Also, I am sure I butchered that quote. lol I am only 1/4 of the way through a coffee the size of my head. I have a big head too y’all.
I spelled here wrong. Whyyyyyyyyyyy….. oh yeah. Lack of caffeine.
We’ve always been very open here and can discuss anything at a moment’s notice. But we’re also silly, goofy, dorky and enjoy making fun of life. So my boys have heard their weenuses called by no less than 1,000 names. They never saw me walk around naked, but boy oh boy did they sure enjoy naked time before and after bath time (or any time clothes were taken off). Sex talk naturally evolved as they evolved. I’m not a schedule person, I don’t follow any plans as my inner voice always exclaims, “Don’t tell me what to do!” Boys play with themselves as soon as their little hands find it so ya kinda have to start something lol.
When my teenage neighbors swore in front of me, I went home to my Mormon parents and said “what does fu** mean?” and they sat me down and explained it all to me (using the term ‘making love’)…I was 7. It was always healthy, informative and open discussion.
I still chuckle 18 years later at my 2 year old telling the waitress at Denny’s that he had a penis and his mommy had a begina (vagina). LOL
Good for Biel if she can stand up to Timberlake’s arrogance and soul-sucking. She looks like she’s had a lot of good un-identifiable work done. Enjoy your son, your lifestyle, and tolerate the douche that made it all possible.
Early sex education is fundamental. When I was very young I used to shower with my parents and they sort of had the same approach of “This is what I’ve got. This is what you’ve got”. It was also my dad who gave me the best talk ever about consent when I first started dating
I look back at my own early years (I’m 65) and my parents were incredibly prudish and did not talk to me ONCE about sex or body parts or anything. All I got from my mother was “men are bad and they only want one thing and don’t do anything until you’re married and then it’s wonderful”. Well let me tell you I was badly f*cked up by that. I was terrified of men, terrified of sex, hated it once I lost my virginity at 22 and didn’t have my first org*sm until I was in my thirties. So IMHO being open with your kids is wonderful, the more they know the more prepared they are when adolescence hits.
Good for them.
Speaking of two-year-olds, any “Catastrophe” fans here? I adore that show. Rob Delaney’s two-year-old son Henry has passed away from a brain tumor. His post has literally broken my heart. I started crying reading his touching tribute. RIP little fella.
This makes me think of my son who was just turning 3 when his little sister was born. He was very curious when he watched while her diaper was changed. It dawned on him that she had different parts. He asked us “what’s she got in there?” 😂❤️ That started the conversation at the appropriate time for him. I too had aquaintences who were adamant about not telling their kids about sex or sexual abuse because they were too young. SMH.
“my boo thang looks goooood!”, he makes me cringe so, so much!