Motherhood is inspiring Jessica Biel.
The actress, mom to 5-month-old son Silas with husband Justin Timberlake, has launched a series of educational videos to help girls and young women understand their bodies.
Jessica discussed the project for Glamour's October issue, saying it all started when she and Justin began planning their family two years ago. When she decided to go off birth control, the 33-year-old explained, she wasn't sure what to expect or how to proceed.
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"Now what happens?" she wondered. "I've been on the Pill for so long, how hard will it be to get pregnant?"
Her questions alarmed her, as she began to recognize just how little she knew about her own reproductive system.
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"Suddenly I realized I really didn't know what's going on inside my own body," she continued. "It was shocking."
Jessica partnered with WomanCare Global founder and Evofem CEO Saundra Pelletier for the initiative, after the two bonded over their mutual concerns.
Saundra told the mag that her experience growing up in a small town, where, "for girls, life was all about who they married and how many kids they were going to have," was the jolt she needed to help promote awareness of women's health and hygiene.
"Understanding how [a woman's] body worked to make those choices wasn't talked about," Saundra said of her hometown community's attitude toward sex ed.
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Her devotion to the cause has ignited multiple platforms, including Project Dignity, a charitable foundation that donates menstrual cups to girls in Ethiopia and Cambodia. Saundra said she was motivated after learning that 10 percent of African girls drop out of school due to a lack of access to feminine products.
There are plenty of problems stateside as well, she added.
"More than half of our nation's pregnancies are unplanned, and just 22 states require public schools to teach sex education," Saundra said. "Jessica and I realized we can help change this."
Jessica agreed, recalling her own embarrassing memories from puberty that she doesn't want other girls to have to experience.
"I was in a school play, wearing a gray beard and this pad the size of a skateboard and thinking, 'What is happening to me?'" she said of getting her period in fifth grade. "We want girls to know what their [bodies are going through] so they don't feel scared or ashamed or gross."
Jessica said her and Saundra's goal is to approach the potentially uncomfortable or sensitive subject matter in a relatable way.
"We share girl stories, fears and insecurities," she said. "The tone is informative but also goofy, smart, witty."
Jessica and Saundra's videos can be viewed at www.womancareglobal.com.
-- Erin Biglow
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