Why Shame Has No Place in Sex Education: Fear Isn’t the Answer

Sex is everywhere these days. It’s in our shows, music, and daily conversations—even if we don’t always realize it. Yet despite this cultural presence, many of us still wrestle with shame, confusion, and misinformation around sexuality. The truth is, most of us didn’t grow up with honest, supportive sex education. What we received was more about control than care, more about fear than trust. Sadly, many young people today are facing even fewer opportunities to learn, as schools across the country scale back or erase meaningful sex education.

It’s time we say this out loud: shame is not a good tactic in sex education. It doesn’t prevent harm. It doesn’t protect kids. It leaves scars.

How Fear and Shame Shaped Sex Education

Think back to your own sex education—if you had any at all. Chances are it was awkward, limited, and full of warnings. For some, it was framed entirely around what not to do: don’t have sex before m...

Jen Elledge here Sexual Health Expert and Founder of The Talk Institute here to share with you 5 things parent do wrong when Talking “The Talk”.

     Want to avoid making some of the most common parenting mistakes? Of course you do. Go ahead, start by taking a second to think about what you expect would be on this top 5 list! I’d like to begin with a quick story as I actually remember one of the first questions I had about sex. I didn’t ask a parent though, I asked my oldest sister...I was about 5 years old, we were in the car, and I asked the most popular sex question, “Susie, where do babies come from”? Her reply, “Honey, I think we need to talk about that when you are a little bit older.” I may have been young and I know she thought so and maybe she wasn’t comfortable or sure how to share that information me. Either way, I wasn’t happy because later that day I had a smart aleck comment for her. She asked me, “Jenny where is my hairbrush?” my response, “Maybe I’ll tell you whe...