Things parents forget to tell their children about their bodies

Don’t forget to check out our Body Acceptance Mini-magazine! I found this list on Tumblr (unfortunately couldn’t find a working link back to the original source) but I thought it was great and wanted to post it. There is a lot of misinformation as well as a lack of information about bodily functions, sexual functions and general body awareness given to young kids. I find it unfortunate because if children and teens were more educated about their changing bodies and the large spectrum of what is normal instead of the narrow ideas they are exposed to, they would probably feel more at ease and confident with their bodies. So – here is the list of what parents should be teaching their kids about their bodies! • Bodies are hairy. No matter the gender, your face will have hair and that is more than okay. • Your butthole is going to have some hair too. And maybe your nipples. And your tummy. And where ever else. • Stretch marks. Those are a thing. Everyone gets ‘em. If you don’t, you probably don’t have skin. • Vaginas smell. Every vagina has a scent. Don’t worry about it! (Unless something seems wrong, then go get it checked out! No need to feel embarrassed or ashamed.) • Vaginas come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful. • Penises come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, flavors. All are beautiful. • You don’t need to shave anything if you don’t want to. It’s tooootally not mandatory. • Sometimes people get butt acne. • You can have a vagina and want short hair and think dresses are just the worst. • You can have a penis and want long hair and think dresses are just the best. • You can wear whatever you want and style your hair however you want. • You can even think whatever the hell you want. • People might tell you that you are a girl because you have a vagina. People might tell you that you are a boy because you have a penis. People will tell you what your gender is. But in reality, you don’t have to be that gender. You don’t have to be either of those genders. • You are what you are and it’s just the worst thing if you try and hide that.

About The Author

Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.