Teen Guide

For my health assignment on a guide for surviving life as a teen I’ve chosen to cover three main topics, sexual activity, sexual assault and relationships. I feel these are most relevant to teens as it’s the adolescent years when sexual activity begins also relationships are a vital part of growing up. I also chose sexual assault as it’s a massive issue amongst youth but isn’t spoken about a lot.

Sexual Activity:

‘Almost one quarter (22.7%) of Year 10 students and half (50.4%) of Year 12 students have experienced sexual intercourse.

Over one third (39%) of the students surveyed had experienced oral sex.’  (Better Health Channel, 2014)

While the legal age for sexual activity is 17 majority of teens don’t wait that long. Due to this modern society try to give teenagers a thorough education on safe sex so that our teens can make educated decisions on sexual activities. The key topics they educate teens on are:

·         Contraception

·         STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections)

·         Teen pregnancy

·         Where to go and who to talk to

Contraception –

Contraception is the deliberate use of artificial methods to prevent pregnancy. There are many different options for contraception such as: barrier methods (the condom and the contraceptive pill), the coil and male and female sterilization. For teens sterilization isn’t a reality as this is a permanent choice and usually doctors will only do this for adults with many children or adults over a certain age. That being said there are still a multitude of options for teens that are both easy to use and get a hold of.

The most common contraceptive method amongst teens is the condom as it’s easy to get, (does not require a prescription, parent or doctor) is affordable and is easy to use. However results from a 2008 SHine survey showed that 30% of year 12 males and 46.2% of year 12 females have had sexual intercourse without using a condom.

Having sex without a condom can be a game of Russian roulette as the condom is the ONLY contraceptive method which also prevents STIs as it is a barrier between the penis and vagina. Like all contraceptive methods there is a possible failure rate for the condom the failure rate is around 18%.

Another one of the more popular contraceptive methods among teens is the contraceptive pill. The pill is a tablet taken orally at the same time each day which contains either estrogen and progesterone or just progesterone. These hormones work to prevent pregnancy by keeping the egg in the ovaries and then thickening the mucus around the cervix to stop the sperm from reaching the egg.  The pill does NOT prevent STIs! The pill needs to be prescribed by a doctor. It’s failure rate is 6% (if taken correctly).

No contraceptive method is 100% effective, if you’re looking for something completely effective the only option is abstinence.

One key message that all people no matter what age need to know and understand is that BOTH partners when partaking in sexual activities need to be consenting. If at any time your partner says no or to stop you have to stop or else it becomes molestation or rape! It doesn’t matter if they said yes earlier, the second someone says no or stop that’s the end of it.

Teen Pregnancy –

Pregnancy has become more and more of an issue among teens. Due to teens having sex younger and younger as well as teen’s not using protection this has been the result.

South Australia (and Australia) has one of the highest teenage pregnancy and abortion rates in developed countries. (SHine SA, 2014)

Luckily for our youth there are a few different options in the case of becoming pregnant. Termination of the pregnancy, Adoption, raising the baby yourself or raising the baby with your partner. Being a teen mother can be difficult, it can make education and work harder than necessary, bring stress and overall make growing up an even more frustrating task. Being pregnant as a teen can also cause health issues. It’s vital that if you’re not ready for raising a child and putting another life before your own that you use contraception and in the case that pregnancy does occur you think it through thoroughly.

Sexting –

Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit or suggestive messages and/ or photos/videos. As the age of technology has come upon us sexting has become easier to do as it’s now easier to just snap a photo/ video and send it instantly to someone, thus resulting in sexting becoming more prevalent.

It has especially become popular amongst teens, this is an issue. While a minor sending a sexually explicit or suggesting message is not illegal, the photos/videos are. Sending or possessing a nude/partially nude image or video of a minor (even if it’s yourself) is against the law, it’s considered to be child pornography.

The current consequential laws for sexting were put in place to protect youth from pedophiles, however with the current uprising of cases with youth unknowingly being guilty of this themselves authorities are looking at modifying the laws. At the moment if you were to be found guilty of child pornography you are supposed to be put on the sex offenders list, however this is harsh for minors who didn’t mean any harm. In August this year new laws were passed in Victorian Parliament to exempt minors in cases of sexting. Read more about this at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/australian-first-sexting-laws-to-be-introduced-in-victoria/5686166

Asides from the law sexting is still something best stayed away from as there are too many things that can go wrong, everything from you sending it to the wrong person to that person showing other people and the sexts going around to people you don’t want it to.

Where to Go For Help –

Parents and your doctor are great resources. However if you feel uncomfortable or too embarrassed to talk to them there are a multitude of different places to go for confidential help. Some are:

·         SHine SA –  

Tel: 1300 883 793                Web: http://www.shinesa.org.au/

·         Headspace –

Tel: 8582 4422                      Web: http://www.headspace.org.au/

·         Sexual Health Australia - 

Tel: 0404 267 559                Web: http://www.sexualhealthaustralia.com.au/

·         Sexual Health & Family Planning Australia –

Tel: 0473 396 6614             Web: http://www.shfpa.org.au/

·         Sexual Health Services –

Tel: 1800 198 205                Web: http://www.fpwa.org.au/

Sexual Assault:

Sexual assault is when a person is forced into sexual activities against their will and without their consent.  However sexual assault can also occur when someone gives consent due to threats or general intimidation also it’s considered sexual assault if the person is deemed incapable of giving consent due to youth of incapability. According to the Australian Institute of Criminology one in three girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused in some way before the age of 18.

About half of the victims of child sexual abuse never report the abuse to another person and many do not disclose until they reach adulthood. (Queensland Crime Commission & Queensland Police Service, 2000)

Majority of cases of sexual assault aren’t reported and a lot of the time the victim won’t confide in anyone about the assault, generally females are more likely to talk about it and get help than males. Sexual assault can lead to mental health problems, self harm, diminished self worth, substance abuse as well as many other future problems.

If you have been sexually assaulted it is absolutely imperative that you talk to a trusted adult about it, however in the case that you feel too uncomfortable to talk to someone you know about it you can contact Yarrow Place Rape & Sexual Assault Service.

Yarrow Place Rape & Sexual Assault Service

Freecall 1800 817 421
Ph: (08) 8226 8777
After hours and emergency: Ph: (08) 8226 8787
www.yarrowplace.sa.gov.au

Relationships:

Relationships are an important aspect when growing up. Relationships with family, friends and even romantic relationships are all important as these relationships teach you a lot about not just life but also yourself, what you will and won’t stand for. However it’s important to understand the difference between a safe and healthy relationship and an unsafe and unhealthy relationship.

Family-

There’s a common misconception that family relationships can’t be unhealthy as your family is related to you by blood, however sometimes these relationships are the worst and unhealthiest and often youth will feel like they can’t do anything about the situation.

If you are ever feeling uncomfortable about your home life it’s important to talk to a trusted adult such as a friend’s parent, teacher or counsellor. They will be able to help you figure out if this situation requires further action. You should never feel helpless in a situation you feel uncomfortable in and you should never feel ashamed of getting help.

During 2011-12, there were 252,962 notifications of suspected child abuse and neglect made to the state. (www3.aifs.gov.au, 2014)

Friends –

Friendships are different from family relationships as you choose who your friends are whereas family you’re kind of stuck with. However there are still issues that can occur in these relationships and just like anything else it’s important to seek help when they do. As friendships can cause a lot of stress and ultimately affect other aspects of your life.

Romantic Relationships –

Experiencing romantic relationships is another aspect of growing up, these relationships help you to understand what you want in a relationship and what you will and won’t put up with. However like all relationships these also come with complications that you may need to get help with. Trusted adults are always a good place to go to. Speaking to someone who is outside the situation is always good as it’s another perspective.

Abuse in Relationships –

Abuse: treat (a person or an animal) with cruelty or violence, especially regularly or repeatedly. (google definitions)

Abuse can occur in any relationship, this is one of the things you should seek help for. Being abused is not something to stand for it doesn’t matter is it’s mental abuse, physical abuse, threats, or any other form of abuse it’s not okay and you need to seek help.

33.3% of women had experienced physical violence since the age of 15. (Domesticviolence.com.au, 2014)

There is no step by step guide for how to get your adolescent years perfect or how to get them right; most of it is about learning who you are and about life itself.

Bibliography:

Better Health Channel, (2014). Sex - are you ready - Better Health Channel. [online] Available at:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Sex_are_you_ready?open [Accessed 12 Sep. 2014].

SHine, (2014). Sexual Health Statistics. [online] Available at:

http://file:///C:/Users/Amber%20Wurst/Downloads/Sexual%20health%20statistics%202014.pdf [Accessed 12 Sep. 2014].

RACGP, (2014). Contraception. [online] Available at:

http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2012/october/contraception/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2014].

ABC News, (2014). New sexting laws introduced in Victoria. [online] Available at:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-21/australian-first-sexting-laws-to-be-introduced-in-victoria/5686166 [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Creative, B. (2014). Home - FPWA Sexual Health Services - Providing leadership in sexual and

reproductive health throughout WA. [online] Fpwa.org.au. Available at: http://www.fpwa.org.au/ [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Cybersmart.gov.au, (2014). Sexting: Cybersmart. [online] Available at:

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Parents/Cyber%20issues/Sexting.aspx [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Cybersmart.gov.au, (2014). Sexting: Cybersmart. [online] Available at:

http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/Parents/Resources/Educate%20yourself/Sexting%20English.aspx [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Findlaw.com.au, (2014). 'Sexting' and the Law in Australia. [online] Available at:

http://www.findlaw.com.au/articles/4240/sexting-and-the-law-in-australia.aspx [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Pregnancybirthbaby.org.au, (2014). Pregnancy Birth and Baby. [online] Available at:

http://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/teenage-pregnancy [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Sexualhealthaustralia.com.au, (2014). Female Sexual Health | Sexual Health Australia.      online]

Available at: http://www.sexualhealthaustralia.com.au/page/female_sexual_health.html [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Shfpa.org.au, (2014). Sexual Health and Family Planning Australia. [online] Available at:

http://www.shfpa.org.au/ [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Thinkuknow.org.au, (2014). Sexting - ThinkUKnow. [online] Available at:

http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/site/sexting.asp [Accessed 16 Sep. 2014].

Www3.aifs.gov.au, (2014). Child abuse and neglect statistics. [online] Available at:

https://www3.aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/child-abuse-and-neglect-statistics [Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

 Domesticviolence.com.au, (2014). DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STATISTICS. [online] Available at:

http://www.domesticviolence.com.au/pages/domestic-violence-statistics.php [Accessed 19 Sep. 2014].

Aic.gov.au, (2014). Australian Institute of Criminology - Trend in sexual assault. [online] Available at:

http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/violent%20crime/sexual%20assault.html [Accessed 21 Sep. 2014].

Anon, (2014). [online] Available at:

http://www.bravehearts.org.au/files/Facts%20and%20Stats_updated141212.pdf [Accessed 21 Sep. 2014].

ReachOut.com, (2014). What is sexual assault?. [online] Available at: http://au.reachout.com/what-is

sexual-assault [Accessed 21 Sep. 2014].

Teen Years Series: TV Shows!

These are some MUST WATCH TV series for your teen years. (Mostly for females- but hey, guys might like these shows too.)

1.     Dawson’s Creek

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you’re thinking it’s an older series, but so worth watching! Yes it has the inevitable love triangle and a whole lot of messy strings and relationship problems. However it is all about the experiences of growing up everything from first love, one so pure and magical it can’t be forgotten to a messy love triangle to finding ‘the one’ to losing friends and grieving. It deals with being different, first sexual encounters, moral decisions, homosexuality and diversity. This is honestly one of my all time favourite series! I must warn you though if you watch this be prepared to laugh, to cry and to get super frustrated at certain points.

2.     Beverly Hills 90210

Okay, another older series, however I love my ‘retro’ as some people would call it series.  Again this series is about growing up. High school, college and I think the series even continues after that. Puberty, relationships, losing friends, learning, making mistakes and everything else that is part of being a teen. I haven’t watched the entire series however I do still love it.

3.     90210 (the newer version)

I thought I’d chuck this one in here too as it follows the same things but in a more modern situation. I actually never got into this series or at least this version of it, however I thought it deserved a mention.

4.     Gossip Girl

Yes another one following teens through high school and college. However this time it’s a slightly different situation as they are ‘rich’ and have other influences and issues in their day to day lives. Also because they have the antagonist of ‘gossip girl’ in their day to day lives so no secret is safe. I love gossip girl however I haven’t yet actually finished it as I have the last season to catch up on.

5.     Sex and the City

Okay, so aimed at a slightly older audience, however it is one of those shows that’s great for when you just need to stay in bed with ice cream and have a girlie day. Plus it’s just too amazing to leave out of this list.

6.     Girls

Probably one of the best shows for girls! Funny and sad and all emotions in between! This quirky show takes a different approach with girls who are still in-between children and adults and the things they face each day. Honestly this series was nothing like what I expected I guess I expected something more like Dawson’s or Gossip Girl but this took it to a whole other level!

7.     Seventh Heaven

Amazing! Pure and light-hearted show. Follows a family growing up and changing and the events that occur in their lives. Really easy to watch.

Honourable Mentions: (series my friends rave about but I haven’t got to watch yet.)

·       The OC

·       One Tree Hill

·       Gilmore Girls

·       Melrose Place

·       Party of Five

·       Felicity

·       The Carrie Diaries

New Series! Introduction to Puberty / Teen Years Series.

When I was younger and even now my mum never actually had ‘the talk’ with me or sat me down to talk about puberty and the changes I was about to adapt to. However in saying that I was always able to go to her and ask her things and talk when I needed to and on my terms, so it’s not like she left me to work through it on my own, I think she was just trying to make it so I was comfortable. Anyway so, a lot of my learning about puberty and changes that occur during it happened by reading magazines, watching TV and movies,  sex ed classes at school and the internet (reading articles, watching youtubers talking about experiences and certain topics, etc). Even now as I am still working through that confusing time I still read up on this stuff and watch youtubers talking about certain topics and etc. I like to be well educated on things I’m unsure about and going through or thinking about, it makes me less nervous and able to relax more. Due to most of my lessons on all things teen years related came from external sources I figured why stop the teaching cycle, so this is my guide to the exciting and nerve racking teenage years. (This will probably be mainly aimed at girls because it is a female point of view.)

You Smell..... DELICIOUS!

Okay, so I'm really big on smelling good, if I don't smell good my insecurity level rises sky high. However that being said I'm not much for florally scents. I live for the foodie fragrances!! Caramel and coffee and toffee apples and bubblegum and ice cream... YUM! Sometimes finding foodie fragrances can be a real pain, so I wanted to share the place I get my "perfumes"

from as well as a few products I've been loving, two of the products I've been loving for a while and the other is relatively new.

 

Body Wash:

The foundation to smelling great is an epic body wash, I've been in love with my Exfoliating Shea Butter and Caramel body wash as of late. It’s relatively new to me, but the second I started using it I was caught!

This AMAZING body wash gently exfoliates and moisturises the skin. It lathers up really well and has a delicious aroma of caramel with hints of vanilla.

 Body Butter:

Every girl needs a good body butter and I am in a passionate relationship with my Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula. This is the holy grail of body butters! It is rich in vitamin E, which is great for your immunity system and healthy skin. The Palmer’s Cocoa Butter softens, tones, smoothes and relieves dry skin. This will smooth and blend scars, is great for after tanning butter, is widely recommended for stretch marks and smells of rick chocolate! There is also a version you can get that has SPF in it.

As I said, I am in a passionate relationship with this product I also love many of the others in the brand. I carry the cocoa butter lip gloss and a small bottle of the body butter with me everywhere. I also love their facial range; however this is without a doubt my all time favourite.

Butter Dream:

Not too long ago Sports Girl brought out their Toffee Apple Butter Dream body butter. After the first smell I was hooked and ended up having to go back to the shop the next day to purchase it! It’s a thicker consistency from the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter but is just as good as it. This has a very caramel scent and is super nourishing for the skin. It’s made of shea butter, apricot and coconut oils.

It smells amazing and I absolutely love it. One night I couldn’t choose between this and my Palmer’s body butter so I had to mix them.... it was HEAVENLY!!!

 “Perfume”:

As I mentioned earlier perfume can be a bit tricky when looking for foodie fragrances. However my step mum is an absolute genius and she found this site.... Big Tree Supplies. They have supplies for candle making, which means they have fragrance oils! This is what I use as “perfume”. Now these fragrance oils are what is used to make perfumes, they get watered down and such so it’s not as big an issue for the skin as so the scent isn’t so strong. Technically they aren’t actually meant to be used on the skin on its own, or without being diluted, however my step mum and I use them this way. All it takes is the smallest amount on the pressure points and it lasts all day.

The bottles I have been getting are the 20ml bottles and generally the price is around $5. The amount of different fragrances they have is awesome to, they have foodie scents, beverage scents, designer perfume knock offs, lush knock offs, fruity scents, floral scents, masculine scents and even Christmas scents! My two favourites from Big Tree Supplies are their Sugar Fairy from their ‘Lushies’ collection and their Coffee Caramel Cream from their ‘beverages’ collection.

These I swear by as they keep their aroma all day and the 20ml bottles will last ages!

MUTANT AND PROUD!

Photo from before my friend's Formal, but photo works great for this because my eyes stand out.

Late at night and can't sleep so I do what any normal person does and surf the net. and WOW did I find out some awesome stuff!! I AM A MUTANT! Actually I should probably phrase that more as, I have two mutations, which strangely enough BOTH consist in my eyes.... Yeah like I wasn't already weird enough.

Okay, so yes, I have brown in my right eye and it was only tonight that I actually found out what the name for that is. Yes, there IS a name for it. Heterochromia. Before the age of one most babies with European ancestry have light coloured eyes. As the child develops melanocytes, cells found within the iris, begin to produce melanin. Heterochromia is a mutation that refers to when there is multiple coloured eyes. (e.g. two completely different coloured eyes or a portion of an iris differently coloured to the rest.) This is caused by uneven melanin content, this can be caused by genetics or injury. There are three different kinds of heterochrmia, complete (Like David Bowie) or partial (like Angelia Jolie). And I just happen to have 'Sectoral Heterochromia", while the name for it can sound somewhat serious it's really not.

Also I found out that blue eyes are a mutation. I know it sounds crazy given the fact that these days blue eyes are exceedingly common, but mutations don't have to be rare. Alright, so first thing you’re going to have to understand is that blue eyes aren’t technically a colour, they’re the opposite, they’re lack of colour. Your eye colour is determined by pigment in the part of the iris called the stroma. If there is tiny amount of pigment (or none at all) result is blue eyes, mid amount of pigment results in green eyes and heaps of pigment makes brown eyes.

The OCA2 gene controls melanin. Centuries ago it’s thought that all humans had brown eyes, however one day a nearby gene mutated and began to limit OCA2’s ability to produce melanin in the iris, thus stopping melanin from colouring the eyes. This left the stroma blue and ta-da we now have blue eyes. Very common, but still a mutation. 

MUTANT AND PROUD!

Book Addiction!!

Hey there all you gorgeous people!!!

I've just got home from shopping at Savers and I ended up buying a mass load of books, so I thought I would to a book haul post!

Here are two photos of all the books I got, one you can see all the covers and the other you can see the spines. 

The list of titles and authors in order from top to bottom in the second photo:

• Rubbish Boyfriends by Jessie Jones
• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Ten Things I Hate About Me by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• Mad Men, Bad Girls by Maggie Groff
• Point and Counterpoint by Bob Wyatt
• Marley & Me by John Grogan
• No! I Don't Want To Join A Bookclub by Virginia Ironside
• Mennonite In A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
• First Big Crush by Eric Arnold (Hard cover)
• The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Hard Cover)

This big book buy was definitely EXTREMELY different to me as I'm used to buying SCI FI, dystopia or fantasy, however this buy is majority contemporary novels. 

Hey There!

Hey guys and gals! So, I haven't posted for a while, but I've been CRAZY busy. I've finally got myself a job in Kmart so the Christmas period was nuts. However it is quietened down now, A LOT! So I thought I'd do a quick update post of things that have been happening and new.

Christmas have came and gone and it was AMAZING!!!

So there's a quick photo overview of my Christmas!  :)

Also recently I have got reacquainted with an app I used to love called mixpod!!! I love it!!!! I'll have to make a post of my playlists :) Or you can find me by my username: BeautifulLie.

I've got an absolute ton of posts to write. However I think this one ends here. Keep an eye out for more posts. :)