In this week’s column, I had the distinct delight if interviewing Nikol Hasler (above, photo from last night, and she’s even gorgeouser in person) and the brainy-sexy Guy Clark about their controversial vlog, The Midwest Teen Sex Show. In my column, I’m unapologetic about two things. One: how much I love the show and we really need them to make more. Two: I face off on why it makes sex educators like myself squirm and worry — but they answer my questions with no hesitation, and I hope you’ll think it’s a way deeper interview and piece on the show and what it means to all of us than what you’ll find in all the other mainstream media currently picking up the MWTSS meme. Of course, the rest of MSM is just pissing its panties that there’s sex ed in cyberspace (who the fuck told Katie Couric about us!?), but I’ve been telling you that story for close to a decade now… Here’s a snip from my SF Chronicle piece, That Midwest Teen Sex Show:
I love porn as much as the next girl, but when I see the words “teen” and “sex show” in the same line, I quickly click away from anything that might creep me out. Luckily, popular video blog “The Midwest Teen Sex Show”‘s name is actually straightforward and not suggestive: It’s a video podcast that jokingly informs under-18s (and their parents) about sex. No nudity, but the situations and topics are certainly “full frontal.”
Lately they’ve been getting a lot of mainstream press, and for good reasons: Who else besides sites like Scarleteen is giving kids answers they need — answers, of course, other than “Just say no.” As if to ironically highlight the ignorance of our country’s abstinence-only sex agenda forced on kids in public schools, last week I got a nasty e-mail regarding my reference to Britney Spears’ underage pregnant little sister from the head of Washington, D.C.’s main abstinence program, ULTRA Teen Choice, saying, “Ms. Blue seems to miss the fact that perhaps Jamie Lynn Spears needed encouragement and peer support, not a condom.”
Riiight. That really helps kids with the raging hormones, media messages about sexiness and desirability, the embarrassment they face asking questions, and the need for accurate sex information when they need answers. Well, “The Midwest Teen Sex Show”‘s main talking head, Nikol Hasler, has mentioned in interviews that two of her three children resulted from the “pull (out) and pray” method — which may be a large part of the impetus behind the show. In their short, well-produced segments (backed by a writing, acting and production team, albeit on a budget), they jokingly explore topics that no ULTRA-douche would dare acknowledge, such as “The Older Boyfriend,” “Birth Control” and “Backdoor Business,” to name a few.
Fresh-faced, humorous and boasting a self-identified Midwest perspective, the show seems to be just the ticket to getting the topic of sex education to the sex-phobic mainstream media — or at least to get the conversation started. But the show doesn’t come without its caveats. (…)
Link.
Update: best comment:
xoconostle wrote:
Hey at least the topic has conservatives, moderates, and liberals finding sensible common ground. Who woulda thunk it would go that way in response to a Violet Blue article? :-)
