Shilpa: Hi, I'm Shilpa Beckie: Hello, I'm Rebecca
Shilpa: And today we're talking about puberty myths for girls
Shilpa: What we want to know about is what your memories are of puberty
Beckie: For me, I started growing in all departments around the age of 12. Periods and stuff like
that I started around 11/12 and spots I guess they were really bad from about 17 onwards
Shilpa: There is that expectation if everyone else is starting, or even if my family have
at a certain time that maybe then I should be too
Beckie: There was a phase between the end of primary school and the beginning of secondary
school where everyone was getting excited about getting their first bra. Ooh what size
are you? Or hey I went up a size this week. So it was, it was quite important. And then
there was this phase of everyone being embarrassed so when you're on your period it was this
really secretive thing Shilpa: We want to talk a little bit about
the myths and things that people think are true but really aren't the case. Suddenly
your boobs will just develop overnight Beckie: I know there's some people at my school,
completely flat and then all of a sudden yeah when they were like 16/17 they appeared. Some
people literally grow within like a year or so. For me, I don't really remember them growing.
For a while I thought oh gosh, is it gonna grow, isn't it gonna grow, but that's normal
Shilpa: Sort of a feeling of inadequacy if they're not a certain size or even a certain shape
Beckie: There are so many different shapes
Shilpa: There are so many different shapes Beckie: And you can have breasts that are
different sizes as well. They never stop changing. In some way I would have liked a bigger chest,
now I'm a bit more grown up I'm kind of I'm happy with what I've got
Shilpa: So there is a myth that periods come around once every 28 days and that they last
for a specific amount of time. Is that always the case?
Beckie: No. They can be extremely irregular, so some people go 4-6 weeks without a period,
and then get a period for I don't know, 4 or 5 days. The amount of blood we lose on
our time of the month can also vary as well Shilpa: It can be really concerning, can't
it, because you're being told that there's a cycle and this is how it should happen
Beckie: If you are someone that is going through extensive heavy periods, it is normal, but
if you want to go and get it checked out go for it
Shilpa: There's a myth that when you're on your period there are certain things that
you can't do. Certain exercises, going swimming Beckie: Swimming definitely. I think if you're
in a lot of physical pain, then yeah of course that'll prevent you from doing things, but
general things like swimming, yeah you can do it. I mean you can buy things like tampons
or use menstrual cups and you can still go and actually some people find doing exercise
really helps Shilpa: When you eat certain things on your
period it can sometimes make you feel better or worse. Like things like chocolate and caffeine
Beckie: Chocolate mentally makes you feel better sometimes
Shilpa: I think so Beckie: You can eat whatever you want on your
period. It doesn't matter Shilpa: So there is another myth that you
can't have sex on your period. Certainly you can, but there are some other things to consider
aren't there? Beckie: Well you can also get pregnant on
your period, loads of people don't know that. So even though you're on your period it's
still important to use protection and have safe sex
Shilpa: What about the myth that when you do start your period that's it, you're ready
to become sexually active Beckie: Because you've started your period
that's signs that you're growing and you're changing but that doesn't mean you have to
be sexually active Shilpa: Your body can feel different, you
will have a surge of hormones and you might start to have different sexual feelings
Beckie: Feelings, yeah Shilpa: But there's absolutely no -
Beckie: No pressure Shilpa: There is also a myth that girls don't
masturbate Beckie: Personally I think it's a really natural
thing to do. Especially when you're a teenager and your body's changing. It's good to learn
about your body before you start exploring it with somebody else
Shilpa: Another myth that girls don't have body hair. It can come out in all different
places. There's a real pressure on girls to have to be completely hairless
Beckie: You don't have to shave your hair - any of your hair - if you don't want to
Shilpa: And actually a lot of excessive hair removal can also be quite bad for your skin
Beckie: It does take practice to learn how to shave yourself properly, but you can also
cut yourself as well, accidentally Shilpa: There is also a big impact and change
on your emotional development as well Beckie: Not everybody, but lots of people
can feel quite sad or very very moody Shilpa: There is the stereotype as well, so
if a girl is moody, or a bit irritable or angry it must be her time of the month
Beckie: Not necessarily. But you can be. It's a stereotype not a concrete thing. One other
thing that's important is whilst you're going through puberty sometimes it can feel as though you're
losing a sense of who you are. You can change drastically throughout your teenage years,
but if you are feeling really nervous and lost I guess, during your puberty, you're
not alone Shilpa: You can always go to ChildLine, you
can talk to a ChildLine counsellor, or you can talk to other young people on the ChildLine
message boards too. And now we want to hear from you - we want to know what weird puberty
myths have you heard? Thank you so much for coming and talking about boobs and everything
Beckie: Oh yeah! Thanks for having me Shilpa: We'll see you next week. Bye!
Beckie: Bye