Women's History Month has passed, but I'd still like to spend a moment longer celebrating women's strengths, wisdom and beauty, as well as honoring and respecting their bodies and sexuality.
As teens become more aware of their bodies, and begin to explore their sexuality, it's important for them to have positive feelings about themselves and, when the time is right, to be in healthy sexual relationships. Being A Teen offers some great advice on how to do just this!
I made a Good vs. Bad Girls booklist for teens to help illustrate the importance of young men respecting women and empowering young women to not be ashamed of their changing bodies. It also addresses the cultural importance of young men learning not to define young women by their body parts or sexuality.
Too often boys and men label girls and women as "easy," "slutty," "wanting it" or "a tease," leading to terrible acts and unhealthy stereotypes. Sophomore Switch, has a college sophomore in it who feels so trapped by labels that she wants to move to another country to escape her spoiled reputation.
In Thirteen Reasons Why, Hannah Baker tells thirteen people who betrayed her trust and privacy how they ultimately influenced her decision to end her life after a first kiss and the rumors that followed it leave her feeling entirely mortified.
In honor of celebrating women and taking a stand for feminism for longer than just one month a year, take some time to stand up for women being labeled by their sexuality. Last, but not least, check out Feminism, a great primer for learning about the three waves of feminism, and some of the feminist fiction and non-fiction recommendations for teens. Add your favorite titles in the comments too!
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