If I don't respect myself how can anyone else?
Disgraceful phrases are written on this stomach. LOSER, DIRTY, WHORE, BABY MOMMA, NO AMBITION. These words describe how Jane and Finch girls are portrayed. This relates to our lives because everywhere you go ignorant people who lack knowledge will judge you because you are from Jane-Finch. Sometimes when I say I am from Jane and Finch, people jump to conclusions that I am a liar, I am sexually active, I am a loser who doesn’t care about life and I am not going to finish high school. This makes it hard cuz boys won’t date or have sex with a girl if she’s from Jane and Finch cuz of the things he hears about girls in the area. They think their brainers and hoes. Some girls live up to the stereotypes, but not all girls fit the stereotypes of the whore who is not going to graduate high school. Not every girl here is the same and you can’t judge everyone based on what a couple of girls do.
I don’t want to fit into a box, so these stereotypes affect what I do sexually. I won’t be sexually active. Other girls may believe that the stereotypes are true and feel it’s their faults, that they should have been taught better, then they start living up to the stereotypes other people have and they start doing things. Girls need supports
from their parents and mentors, it’s not the girls fault that people lack knowledge.
I don’t want to fit into a box, so these stereotypes affect what I do sexually. I won’t be sexually active. Other girls may believe that the stereotypes are true and feel it’s their faults, that they should have been taught better, then they start living up to the stereotypes other people have and they start doing things. Girls need supports
from their parents and mentors, it’s not the girls fault that people lack knowledge.
What should we talk about?
This picture is of a keyboard and it’s meant to show how easy it is to talk and learn about sex. Everyone talks about sex but they don’t want to learn about it. They think they know about it. Youth
don’t pay attention to what the teacher says or look around; they don’t care enough to learn. Its soo easy to get caught up in the sexting...the pic of the week. And now with the internet and all the
social networking sites it’s easy for younger people to get caught up in it too. Once you put it online, you will never get it back because it spreads soo fast. Everyone has access to the internet; someone is going to talk about it. Girls get caught up into who is doing what with who or if they hear one thing about a guy from their friends like “he’s good in bed,” they want to be with him. It’s like a gossip magazine for your school. The easiest way for young girls to talk to people is if they put something about themselves up on facebook and then add people. It makes it easier to chill, when it should be harder. With all the access to sex young people get exposed to, there’s no way to prevent it. A parent can’t be around their child 24/7, they can’t control what the kid hears
don’t pay attention to what the teacher says or look around; they don’t care enough to learn. Its soo easy to get caught up in the sexting...the pic of the week. And now with the internet and all the
social networking sites it’s easy for younger people to get caught up in it too. Once you put it online, you will never get it back because it spreads soo fast. Everyone has access to the internet; someone is going to talk about it. Girls get caught up into who is doing what with who or if they hear one thing about a guy from their friends like “he’s good in bed,” they want to be with him. It’s like a gossip magazine for your school. The easiest way for young girls to talk to people is if they put something about themselves up on facebook and then add people. It makes it easier to chill, when it should be harder. With all the access to sex young people get exposed to, there’s no way to prevent it. A parent can’t be around their child 24/7, they can’t control what the kid hears
My name is...
A lot of guys say what they want so they can get what they want. Emotions get
played with. Guys are always talking to girls just to get in their pants they
act like they like a girl, tell her that she’s pretty but few actually wanna get
to know girls or get to actually like them and not just hit it and quit it!
Girls think, if he’s happy then we’re happy. They have low self esteem. There’s
so little we can do but know if it doesn’t feel right it’s definitely not the
right time. And remember it’s your body, no guy can take control of you. I put
the label on the crotch to say “yah, it’s mine, me, I’m the one who owns it not
a guy.” Girls need to remember it’s their body and not to give your-self up to
him based on what he says
Safety First
Sex,
Life
What can you lose
Do it right
And you’ll get to
choose
The safer you are
Means less risk
Come on guys
You don’t
wanna get sick.
This is a picture of a condom that is soo easy to access,
they are FREE. A lot of schools give em out in
gym or health class. A lot
other places hand them out for free like Black Creek community Health Centre, Dr’s offices, clinics. Men, women everyone lies just protect yourself but a lot of teenagers don’t use them or don’t have access to them. Youth don’t want to have to go to the teacher and ask for them because then that would mean they are having sex and they don’t want the teacher to see them
that way. The teacher will now know a little about what they’re doing. They don’t want their friends to
spread rumours to everyone that they are doing this and that. They don’t go to the store cuz they don’t
want the cashier to judge them. No one wants people to know their business. It would have to take
them having a pregnancy scare or getting something for girls to understand.
Life
What can you lose
Do it right
And you’ll get to
choose
The safer you are
Means less risk
Come on guys
You don’t
wanna get sick.
This is a picture of a condom that is soo easy to access,
they are FREE. A lot of schools give em out in
gym or health class. A lot
other places hand them out for free like Black Creek community Health Centre, Dr’s offices, clinics. Men, women everyone lies just protect yourself but a lot of teenagers don’t use them or don’t have access to them. Youth don’t want to have to go to the teacher and ask for them because then that would mean they are having sex and they don’t want the teacher to see them
that way. The teacher will now know a little about what they’re doing. They don’t want their friends to
spread rumours to everyone that they are doing this and that. They don’t go to the store cuz they don’t
want the cashier to judge them. No one wants people to know their business. It would have to take
them having a pregnancy scare or getting something for girls to understand.
The perfect couple
This picture is of a girl and a guy who are in a relationship. They seem like a perfect couple. A lot of people wish they were in a perfect couple. In the picture you can see their feet, which symbolizes the wish of walking in someone else’s shoes, which are Jordans cuz guys like girls who have gear, who have on Jordans, they think their more attractive cuz the shoes are in style. Girls also look for guys with Jordans, it symbolizes money. But people cheat when they get bored of their partner and their old sex life and guys and girls fight cuz they judged each other on the how they dressed and this leads to bad relationships. I think youth need to not sleep around so much because it puts them at risk.
All Access
This is a picture of a used condom on a toilet seat in the restroom of my
school. I took this picture to symbolize something I’ve seen one too many
times...the aftermath of a sexual act done in a public place or a shared
space. The condom is left for others to see. I see used condoms everywhere, and unfortunately, in my own home where a relative engages in casual sex. She
lacks confidence, self respect and trust and love for oneself. Promiscuous
girls are lonely, they are not very social and they don’t have a lot of
friends. She wants to feel like she has a purpose for something but she’s being
used because after the act is done the other person leaves and she feels
used, unhappy, empty and depressed. She is not strong enough to say no. She
allows herself to be used for a few minutes of pleasure, lust. No love, just
sex.
Food for thought: Don’t allow people to use you and toss you
away afterwards as though you don’t exist. Love yourself
first and then you can try loving someone else. You gotta make internal changes about who you wanna be. You need to make yourself happy. Otherwise you will feel used, lonely and dirty after, as though something you once considered sacred is now ALL ACCESS like a public facility.
school. I took this picture to symbolize something I’ve seen one too many
times...the aftermath of a sexual act done in a public place or a shared
space. The condom is left for others to see. I see used condoms everywhere, and unfortunately, in my own home where a relative engages in casual sex. She
lacks confidence, self respect and trust and love for oneself. Promiscuous
girls are lonely, they are not very social and they don’t have a lot of
friends. She wants to feel like she has a purpose for something but she’s being
used because after the act is done the other person leaves and she feels
used, unhappy, empty and depressed. She is not strong enough to say no. She
allows herself to be used for a few minutes of pleasure, lust. No love, just
sex.
Food for thought: Don’t allow people to use you and toss you
away afterwards as though you don’t exist. Love yourself
first and then you can try loving someone else. You gotta make internal changes about who you wanna be. You need to make yourself happy. Otherwise you will feel used, lonely and dirty after, as though something you once considered sacred is now ALL ACCESS like a public facility.
Money is having power
Money is having opportunities
Money is making choices
Money is protection,
so it’s your choice to use it.
Money can do a lot of things. It can buy protection, birth control and condoms. You can use it to pay for a good counsellor or medicine. It’s really powerful. If you don’t have money, you are not able to
buy the things or get the help or counselling you need. This can lead to HIV/AIDS and emotional pain.
For young girls in this community, they can’t find a job. If you have Jane and Finch on your resume
people think you act a certain way in this community. They think we’re loud, have no control over
ourselves so we are not going to get that job. The money parents give a girl is for books and for school
so they have to choose between buying books or buying protection.
Money is having opportunities
Money is making choices
Money is protection,
so it’s your choice to use it.
Money can do a lot of things. It can buy protection, birth control and condoms. You can use it to pay for a good counsellor or medicine. It’s really powerful. If you don’t have money, you are not able to
buy the things or get the help or counselling you need. This can lead to HIV/AIDS and emotional pain.
For young girls in this community, they can’t find a job. If you have Jane and Finch on your resume
people think you act a certain way in this community. They think we’re loud, have no control over
ourselves so we are not going to get that job. The money parents give a girl is for books and for school
so they have to choose between buying books or buying protection.
Condoms are like textbooks
Books are used as a tool to educate and inform us through knowledge, which protects us. Condoms are a tool we can use for making good sexually conscious decisions for protection. They are both important tools that we need to use in life. Youth don’t seem to understand the importance of education or condoms. But they go hand in hand. As a result of peer pressure, sex is something that is done casually anywhere and anytime at school. Girls allow their bodies to be used and disposed of without a care, like one should use a condom, not a person. I have heard of people having sex and oral sex in my school. When I was trying to take this picture I heard a grade 11 girl talking to and joking with some guys about giving them oral sex so I handed them some condoms and they were like “thank you” and they asked the girl what flavour she wanted. Sex is done and talked about openly and casually in schools. Other students kept taking condoms from the pile I had in the locker, there were a lot more condoms than in the photo. Gym teachers should have them, but I don’t know, maybe they don’t have any access to condoms, which is a problem.
Caged up
This picture represents a barrier to determining sexual health. Some girls are afraid to think about making decisions about their sexuality because they fear disappointing their parents. There are two types of parents, the ones that are really oppressive, the detectives. The other type trusts their kids but who give their kids ground rules to protect them in the world. The first kind of parent tries to force their culture from back home and the things they learned from their sexual experiences onto their children. The parents may have made similar decisions and have been through it before. As a result, young girls feel trapped by their parents and escape their troubles by giving their bodies to different men. They may engage in sexual relations, which is what they see their friends doing. Instead of seeking an escape, young girls should talk to their moms and dads and try to understand and respect their parents’ point of view because they are trying to guide them to choose the best path. However, girls should also realize that their decisions about their sexual health are ultimately up to them.
Purity
The cross is a symbol of religion, which is a barrier to people who want to explore their sexual health. Christianity is a big part of my life so for every decision I make about my sexual health, religion is a part of it. There are issues with following the rules of religion, which says you should not have sex
before marriage. But people sometimes beak the rules of religion, in which you have to be pure. They sin. I have been taught that a girl should keep her virginity for her husband. It is a precious gift to her husband. People who have sex before marriage are treating their husband like any other male partner.
Your virginity is for that special someone. It will make a man respect you more. It’s like saying to your husband, you are special and I want you to respect me. You are not respecting your body if you do it before marriage. For males, there is not the same pressure to remain a virgin, they have a choice. If they wanna loose it before marriage, it’s ok. I don’t think girls today are following religion they think their friends are doing it so it’s the norm. They want to be included. They think “I have to lose my virginity to be a part of society.” There is this
baby momma uprising and religion does not play a part in their lives at all. They just want to live their life and not think of the religious side of it. Even if you lost your virginity it’s not too late to respect yourself. Your body is the Lord’s temple
Religion should play a part in sexual health decisions, people should think before making these decisions because to lose it before marriage is a sin and it may make them wanna give up on religion.
before marriage. But people sometimes beak the rules of religion, in which you have to be pure. They sin. I have been taught that a girl should keep her virginity for her husband. It is a precious gift to her husband. People who have sex before marriage are treating their husband like any other male partner.
Your virginity is for that special someone. It will make a man respect you more. It’s like saying to your husband, you are special and I want you to respect me. You are not respecting your body if you do it before marriage. For males, there is not the same pressure to remain a virgin, they have a choice. If they wanna loose it before marriage, it’s ok. I don’t think girls today are following religion they think their friends are doing it so it’s the norm. They want to be included. They think “I have to lose my virginity to be a part of society.” There is this
baby momma uprising and religion does not play a part in their lives at all. They just want to live their life and not think of the religious side of it. Even if you lost your virginity it’s not too late to respect yourself. Your body is the Lord’s temple
Religion should play a part in sexual health decisions, people should think before making these decisions because to lose it before marriage is a sin and it may make them wanna give up on religion.