You know it’s going to be a good episode when we start with a conversation about the American Girl Doll sex ed book. Peer Ed-alum Gwyn hops on to discuss her undergraduate research on the way social sexualization in media affects the development of young people and interacts with their sex education experiences. We also chat about her identity on the aro/ace spectrum and the ways comprehensive sex education set her up for success in college and beyond. You can read her published research by clicking the link in the episode description!
Below you can find a glossary of jargon-y terms we might’ve said on the show.
- Aromantic: An individual who experiences little or no romantic attraction.
- Aro/ace Spectrum: Describes the spectrum of romantic and sexual attraction that asexual and/or aromantic people experience, as neither identity is inherently restrictive in referring to the amount of attraction someone experiences. Certain labels might include grayromantic or graysexual, describing someone who has infrequent or weak romantic or sexual desire, or demisexual, which describes someone who only feels sexual attraction toward someone when they share an emotional bond.
- Asexual: A person who experiences little or no sexual attraction to others. Asexuality is not the same as celibacy and exists on a spectrum with varying relationships and feelings towards sex.
- Media literacy: The ability to consume a piece of media and dissect the conscious and subconscious messaging of its component parts.
- Queer: An umbrella term that is used to describe identities that don't fall under straight and/or cisgender.
- Sexual attraction: The type of attraction that someone could experience that causes them to desire sexual interaction, intercourse, activity, and/or relationships with a person(s).
- Smut: Describes a writing style that is sexually explicit, and is very common in fanfiction or romantic novels and stories.
For more information and resources about the things we talked about in this episode, check out the links below.
Disclaimer:
The experiences and opinions expressed in this podcast reflect the views of the individual speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida does not guarantee the completeness, nor the accuracy of the content of this podcast and accepts no liability for any direct or indirect damage of any kind arising from, or in any way related to, the podcast’s content. The information provided in this podcast does not constitute medical, mental health, legal, or other professional advice or services.
Thank you’s and credits to the following amazing people:
- Hosts: Brianna Nelson and Kenna Bartlett
- Planned Parenthood Staff: Kathy Dobson, Kelsey Hunt-Dolan, and Nan Morgan
- Audio Editor: Brianna Nelson
- Intro and Outro Music: “Mellow” by Ethan Korvne (Check out his LP “Something Else to Do” on Spotify and Apple Music!)
- Cover Art: Brianna Nelson