Sarah Hyland — ABC(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE NATURE, CONTENT) With schools debating how and when to introduce children to sex education, actresses Hilary Duff, Ashley Benson and Sarah Hyland made the case that the entire curriculum needs to be updated.
For the most recent episode of Lady Parts, the three women chatted with OB/GYN Dr. Sherry Ross about the misconceptions they had about sex and puberty — as well as how they could of benefitted from a more open and honest lesson plan in their youth.
“I don’t feel like I had the proper sex education at all,” Benson lamented, adding she “went to a Christian school growing up and so it wasn’t really explained in the right way, in my opinion.”
Duff, who is expecting her third child, agreed that she was missing important pieces of information when she learned about it in school, revealing the major misconceptions she had about sex when she was younger.
“Well, I thought the first time you have sex you’re going to get pregnant,” the Disney Channel star admitted.
The three also discussed the misconceptions of consent, female pleasure and safe sex. The actresses agreed that schools should openly discuss all those matters because it will help young girls make more informed decisions and learn that their desires and feelings about the topic are normal.
The three also stressed that young girls should know that going through puberty doesn’t mean they’re automatically expected to want to have sex and that it’s okay to not be ready.
Hyland, Benson and Duff also focused on puberty and how little they felt they knew about their own bodies growing up, from having their first period to learning when to schedule their first appointment at the gynecologist.
By Megan Stone
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