Jane Fonda - Being a Teen: Everything Teen Girls & Boys Should Know About Relationships, Sex, Love, Health, Identity & More

As you read through (or dip into) the pages that follow, please remember that no book can replace the diagnostic expertise and medical advice of a trusted physician. It is extremely important to consult with your doctor before making medical decisions, particularly if you are or think you may be pregnant, if you are experiencing pain or other symptoms of illness, or if you have ever been diagnosed with a medical condition that requires ongoing care.

In putting this book together, I have included some references to resources (including online resources) that I hope may be of help to teenage readers and their families. As of press time, the URLs displayed in this book link or refer to existing websites on the Internet, but of course Web addresses do change over time. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that any given resource will be useful or appropriate to you, and neither I nor my publisher should be understood to endorse the content of any third-party website or recommend the services of any particular provider. These references are intended for your information and to encourage you to begin your own search for resources that work for you.

A Random House Trade Paperback Original

Copyright 2014 by Jane Fonda

Illustrations copyright 2014 by Julia Rothman

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Random House Trade Paperbacks, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.

R ANDOM H OUSE and the H OUSE colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Fonda, Jane
Being a teen : everything teen girls & boys should know about relationships, sex, love, health, identity & more / by Jane Fonda.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8129-7861-2
eBook ISBN 978-0-8129-9604-3
1. Teenage pregnancy. 2. TeenagersSexual behavior. 3. Sex instruction for teenagers. 4. TeenagersHealth and hygiene. I. Title.
RG556.5.F66 2014 618.200835dc23 2013016042

Book design by Diane Hobbing

v3.1

For about seventeen years Ive been working with teens around issues of sexuality, self-esteem, and relationships. I have a passion for this work, partly because when I was a teen I was very confused about all of this and didnt know where to go for answers. I also know it can be hard for adults and teens to talk about some of these important subjects. Ive seen the bad things that can happen to a personphysically and emotionallywhen he or she is not properly informed.

In the 1990s, I founded the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (now called the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential) and the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory University School of Medicine. This book grows out of that work, and all my net proceeds from this book will go to these organizations.

I kept meeting teens across a wide economic and social spectrum who didnt understand enough about how their bodies worked, or didnt know who to ask, or how they could prevent getting pregnant or getting someone else pregnant, or didnt know how to avoid getting HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We were asked, over and over again in the program, questions like How do I know if Im in a real relationship? and How can I say no and still be popular? and When is it okay to have sex? There is so much misinformation about these things floating around that I felt that the health of many teens I mettheir future happiness, evenwas on the line. I wanted to write an honest book for teens that would be a frank and straightforward resource for them, for both boys and girls, and an aid for parents, teens, teachers, librarians, and others, in talking about sex, health, identity, and relationships. This book, written for teens, provides access to information that we found in the Georgia programs that many teens need today.

In the Georgia project, we found that one big reason many teenagers dont know all that they need to know about sex, relationships, and bodies is that people tend to worry about the things that can go wrong when it comes to sexuality, especially when a person is young. This can make the focus seem to be on the negativesthe dangers of sex, and how to avoid them.

However, most experts on sexuality and adolescencethe teenage yearsthink it is a mistake to focus just on the negatives and not talk about communication, relationships, and how beautiful and exciting sexuality can be. There is no evidence that talking about the realities of sex encourages a person to have sexual intercourse. In fact, when you understand how precious and beautiful sexuality can be, you are less likely to engage in sexual acts youre not ready for or that make you uncomfortable. You are also more likely to make healthy decisions and use protection when you do choose to have sexual intercourse. The pleasurable aspect of sex is also discussed here, as a key to making healthy decisions about whether or when to have sex, and to knowing whether the people in ones life are respecting you, your wishes, and your needs.

Many schools offer classes about sexuality and the changing teen body. Some provide information about the body, birth control, and STIs. This book is about those things, and moreabout feelings and fears, about the culture in which we live, and about what a real, loving relationship is.

Jane Fonda
September 2013

Every person has a unique path to understanding his or her body, sexuality, health, and relationships. Jane Fonda has been linking young people to essential information about these topics for decades. She has spent more than twenty years educating herself on health, sexuality, and relationships, and has worked with doctors, health professionals, educators, program directors, policymakers, religious and spiritual leaders, other advocates, and teens themselves on these important issues. Most people know of Jane Fonda as an Academy Awardwinning actress, fitness guru, and advocate, but this book gives readers the opportunity to know her as a guide and teacher. In Being a Teen, Jane takes on one of her most important roles, and one that means a great deal to her: that of giving facts to young people to help them succeed.

Already a longtime advocate for young peoples health, Jane Fonda founded the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (GCAPP) in 1995. GCAPP has been the central organization championing teen pregnancy prevention in the state of Georgia, working through education, training, and special programming. A few years later, Jane started the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory University, to join academic partners in research to advance the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health. In 2001, she dedicated a special teen-clinic space at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where best practices in clinical care and education are delivered to teens in need. Jane fosters the work of these organizations and institutions through direct involvement and cultivation. Through these three organizations, tens of thousands of teens have directly received clinical care and programming and at least a dozen curricula and educational tools have been developed. Hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from the education and training delivered by these organizations. Thanks to the work that Jane has spearheaded regarding teen pregnancy in Georgia, our state has witnessed declines in teen birth at a rate that is among the highest in the country!