Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

#inspirationalmovies

OK, this is cult. This is scandalous. This is classic. If you haven't seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman), drop everything and get a copy!

If you thought that Shortbus (antother must movie for people in SRHR, mind you) was outrageous, this is even better. No graphic sex but an even more whimsical take on sex and sexuality. Gender fluidity, happily (pleasurably!) lost virginities, ditching the monogamy... all that in 1975 and in drag!

In case you saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower and didn't really get the performance part, this movie is what they were mimicking. Being part of the fandom, obviously.

+ The soundtrack is the best. Here, have a taste!

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: Kids (1995)

#inspirationalmovies

Kids (1995, Larry Clark) is not an easy to watch movie. Due to director's documentary-like style it feels true. And the reality it depicts is the one that parents are scared of. How lots of free time and wish to have fun can turn into a mix of parties, fights, drugs, casual sexual encounters with STI risk, etc. And how toxic ideas about sexuality and gender may make it all even worse...

Obviously, this by no means is intended to demonize the teenagers even further or to be a call for more parental control (no, thanks, we ourselves were adolescents few days ago). But Kids shines the light on how we fail the young and very young adults when it comes to learning trust and exercise of autonomy. And how they try to settle their problems on their own.

An additional read to maybe somehow console you afterwards: Laurie Penny on how "today’s teenagers are smarter, tougher and braver than my generation – and yours, too". 

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: Easy A (2010)

#InspirationalMovies #Virginities

Well, this is tricky. A US-made fake-virginities and slut-shaming movie with actors much older than they should have been... Nevertheless, we still recommend you watch Easy A (2010, Will Gluck).

It won't give you any answers but might serve to start to talk about the meaning of virginities and the I'm-not-a-prude-but-not-a-slut-either paradox, about rumors and LGBTQI bullying, about the roles that parents and friends should have in our lives, about sex work, about the counseling services available, the hard-core morality (anti-choice, broadly seen) groups... almost all of the (youth) sex-related issues present in our daily life and discussions.

Use this a conversation starter with yourself or your youth group. Easily digestible and mainstream while packed with ideas for discussion.

A big + for the movie - although slightly out of the believable age group - is the amazing Emma Stone.

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

#InspirationalMovies

Let's forget the princesses for a while and move back to the real world. Well, as real as a Hollywod-made story about US high schools can get.

We suggest you watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012, Stephen Chboski). Not only to be treated compassionately and seriously while being a young person (this is not that often, eh)... and entertain yourself with a very nice coming of age story.

Also to remind ourselves that the link macro (policies, law, culture, etc.) and micro (what people go through because of who they are and because of how other are) are very intimately linked. And over all of it, how we need to be with our people who support us in order to grow.

Sunday is the day when #GirlsDecide: Nomvelo

#girlsdecide

We continue our around the world journey to listen to girls from #GirlsDecide initiative from IPPF. Today it's Nomvelo* in Swaziland, telling us about her future dreams, love, doubts about sex and the worries that her HIV status could be a problem in relationship...

Sunday is the day when #GirlsDecide: Hosna

This time we travel to Bangladesh to meet Hosna* and hear about her decision making journey. She tells us about her fears regarding an early marriage and looks for a way to make an autonomous decision about her future, while involving her community and changing some of the customs.

Sunday is the day when #GirlsDecide: Halimah

Halimah's* journey takes us to Indonesia and through the difficulties of taking an informed decision about a pregnancy when your culture and your family might not be entirely with you.

And how comprehensive sexuality education could change the entire picture...

Sunday is the day when #GirlsDecide: Valeria

Seems incredible but we still haven't shared here the official #GirlsDecide videos. This is one of six shot movies on girls, sexuality, bodily autonomy and youth friendly services across all IPPF regions.

It's a dramatization of a real story of Valeria* looking for support and a youth friendly specialist.

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: Stealing Beauty (1996)

#inspirationalmovies

There are lot of bad news going on lately... Go, Google Savita Halappanavar, Tonio Borg, Malala Yousufzai... Google Operation Pillar of Defense... sometimes it hurts so much to read the news.

So, although there is quite a lot of socially critical and tough movies we have prepared in our "feministing / SRHR" filmlist, this week our offer is that you go soft and kind on yourself. Some self-care, you know.

Stealing Beauty (1996) is a poorly recognized feature Bernardo Bertolucci. A sweet, sensual coming-of-age story set in an eccentric social circle/family and filmed in Tuscany (go, now Google "Tuscany" for a change). Featuring a very young Liv Tyler discovering smaller and bigger pleasures, autonomy and authenticity.

A very nice way to say goodbye to this November-November...

    

Friday is the (Inspirational) Movie Night: Dirty Dancing (1987)

Yes, you are allowed to be surprised. Dirty Dancing (1987, Emile Ardolino) might seem to be the close-to-last movie when it comes to empowerment if you haven't really stopped to think about it. Yes, it is about the very sexist dancing industry that teaches you how to bend your wrists in a feminine way. And, yes, it is the all over good-girl-falling-for-the-bad-guy story. Sort of.

But then again, it is a story of a young woman breaking away from the taught perfection of being the ideal daughter and decides to grow up. By doing things. By daring. By challenging her parents and other authority figures. By dancing. By learning to live with her body. By having sex with a man she wants to and doing it on her own terms. That is a whole lot of things.

Also, there are subplots of class conflicts, on the importance of intergenerational communication, on the importance of the access to safe and legal abortion, on how complex (and counterproductive) is to - contrary to what Baby does - to try to use sex and virginities as means to maintain somebody's attention/affection...

+ The soundtrack is really cute. Go, download it from the internets!

And if it's not enough for you, read a whole essay on the topic by Melissa McEwan in the Guardian: Dirty Dancing, Feminist Masterpiece.

Now, think again while we dance away.

 

Starting later thanks to books and your Mom,

Books do good things to everybody!

Although early (go, define!) sex is nothing bad, in case you think it has to be avoided, here are your answers. And, no, it is not socio-economic class of the family or race/ethnic origin (we are talking US data here, keep in mind).

Two factors play critical roles in protecting girls-regardless of their socioeconomic status and household structure-against early sexual activity: (1) the quality of their relationship with their mothers and (2) achievement in school, specifically their reading proficiency.

(The research from Girls.inc + the commentary from Feministing.org)

So, education and social networks are the key! We can still look more into some more particular variables and such, but you get the general image.
And knowing that the academic success is also very much household attitudes-bound, more support for education (oh, books! oh, good public education!) and quality family time (oh, parental leaves! oh, work that's compatible with private life!) should be the key for anybody that actually feels like supporting family values (!) and postponing sexual activities.

If that's not your cup of tea, this might be,