When it comes to teaching sex to teen girls, E.L. James' "Fifty Shades" trilogy might not be the go-to material for parents. The books and the movies, however, are popular picks in pop culture that using these to educate daughters about idealizing certain sexual preferences and relationships could come handy.
Dr. Meg Meeker wrote on her blog Meg Meeker MD that young girls are already exposed to materials like "Fifty Shades," which promote unhealthy attitude towards sex. Since these things are out there and its distribution is outside of the parents' control, the best course would be to use the material to properly guide teen girls about sex and sexual abuse.
Kids are bound to learn a few things from "Fifty Shades" from their friends or from the internet. So, parents might as well set the record straight before they form wrong opinions about sex from other sources.
Parents can talk to their teen girls that the relationship between the leads in the "Fifty Shades" franchise is not what real relationships should be based on. "A psychologically healthy woman avoids pain," Meeker wrote in relation to the stories' affinity for bondage sex and other erotic sexual deviances.
Parents should also tell their teen girls that men who manipulate or take advantage of vulnerable girls are doing something wrong. It's also wrong for girls to believe that they can change a guy's attitude with true love. This can only happen in a fantasy movie.
Mom Michelle S. Lazurek wrote a piece addressed to her daughter via Movie Guide when the first "Fifty Shades" movie was released. Like Meeger, Lazurek emphasized that on the unhealthy relationship perpetuated by the story and this shouldn't be confused with the type of submission expected from women described in the Bible.
"If he does something against your will, it is not your fault: it's his," Lazurek reminded her daughter. "This movie blurs the lines between what is healthy for women, and what is not." Watch some parents watch and discuss "Fifty Shades" with their teen girls in the video below:
