People Are Sharing Things About Their Bodies They Wished They Learned In Health Class
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We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community if their teachers skipped something way back in health class they totally wish they knew. And an array of honest answers flowed out. Here's what people shared:
1."That abstinence isn’t the only option."
"Lots of teen pregnancy around my area due to the lack of information and slut-shaming."
2."If they would actually explain what happens (or could go wrong) during/after childbirth."
"You bet your ASS I would’ve always had a condom on me if I knew then. Birthing a child scares me more than any disease."
3."That virginity isn't real."
"Some people are born without hymens, and some still have a hymen even after sex."
4."If sex hurts, something is wrong."
"I never took a health class. In my high school right when I became a senior, they took it off as a requirement to graduate. I couldn’t take it because I had to fill up my schedule with classes that would get me to graduation. I’m upset that it wasn’t a requirement because I’m not as knowledgeable about my body as I should be. However, something you should learn in health class is if sex hurts, something is wrong. It took me four years and a couple of doctors to find one that took me seriously. Now, I know my body is working differently than it should. If your body is telling you something is wrong, NEVER ignore it."
5."My high school health class taught abstinence only education."
"When we asked questions about sex, we were told it wouldn’t matter because we all took a vow to wait until marriage. I got a UTI after having sex for the first time because I didn’t know to go pee afterward. As if people who wait for marriage can’t get UTIs."
—Anonymous
6."The clitoris."
7."I found out that for a woman, the place where you pee is different from your main hole (hard to write this without being too explicit) from watching Orange Is the New Black at 27."
"I can’t believe I’d made it that long thinking it was all one hole."
—Anonymous
8."I wish I had learned about anything related to the LGBTQIA+ community."
"All throughout high school, I (28 F) tried so hard to be straight. I slept with so many guys and tried so hard to enjoy sex. I HATED it. Always felt so disgusted afterward. I wish I had learned there were other options. I didn't have internet access like most people did, so I didn't even know that bisexuality was a thing. After a night of my best friend (who was openly bi) kissing me, I finally realized I was actually lesbian!! Which I didn't even know existed until then. I think if I had learned that community existed, I could've saved myself years and years of hardcore depression."
—Anonymous
9."Catholic school health class skipped over a few things."
"Most importantly, ovulation and the fact that you won’t get pregnant every single time you have sex."
10."For women — pee after sex!"
"I had so many unnecessary (and painful) UTIs because no one ever taught me this."
—Anonymous
11."Show both boys and girls an uncircumcised penis."
"'Cause the first time I saw one in the wild, I thought he was some kind of alien."
—Anonymous
12."Proper education on my own anatomy. They really should tell kids about periods, how to handle them, what's normal and what isn't. At least here, the 'period talk' was just, 'So here's a pad. Tampons are sinful. There's gonna be blood, and you should be ashamed.'"
"And also, proper sex education. They should tell the students how to have safe sex, not just that sex is sinful — they will have it anyway. Tell students about the risks (pregnancy, STIs, etc.). So many classmates had bad experiences because our teacher was a religious prick who thought telling kids that sex is a sin will make them not have sex."
13."I wish we had been taught that fetishes are real and nothing to be ashamed of."
"EVERYONE has SOMETHING they fetishize, whether they admit it or not."
—Anonymous
14."That the hymen is a stretchy membrane that isn't 'broken' during first penetrative sex."
"It's the worst way to tell if a woman has ever done anything as it looks completely different. This type of 'virgin exam' is worthless and incredibly invasive."
—Anonymous
15."I wish I had learned anything about mental health and how to cope with difficult situations and emotions."
"Instead we talked about dieting and were made to track our intake and label which foods were healthy and which were not and how much exercise to burn off those calories. I was dealing with a severe eating disorder at the time, and not one teacher acknowledged it despite barely recording any intake and excessive exercise. I almost died because they were teaching that the ideal healthy person was slim and always working out."
—Anonymous
16.And finally, "Consent."
Is there anything else they didn't teach in health class? Share what you wish you had learned in the comments below!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
