Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood has revealed she used to think masturbation was “only a boy thing”.
The British actor, who played Aimee in the wildly popular Netflix series, explained that the way she was taught about sex in school meant subjects like virginity, slut-shaming, abortion and masturbation, were left out.
However, they are all addressed in Sex Education, in which Lou Wood had to film a masturbation scene and soon found out that other young people had similar views to her on the subject.
“When I filmed a masturbation scene, extras were asking me, ‘What do you mean you had a scene like that? That’s only for boys’,” she told BBC Newsbeat.
The actor went on to explain how important comprehensive sex education in schools is, adding that she felt like a “weirdo” for wanting to masturbate when she was a teenager.
“Food, jobs, sex... it’s a very key part of life and we don’t know enough about it,” she said.
“I wish I knew it was normal to want sex for pleasure, and not just to make babies.”
Tanya Reynolds, who plays a character with vaginismus, added that the show teaches women about sexual health issues they might not otherwise have known about.
“I didn’t even know [vaginismus] had a name,” the actor told the BBC.
“So many women will watch this and realised there’s not something wrong with them.”
The NHS states that vaginismus is when the vagina suddenly tightens as you try to insert something into it.
It cannot be controlled and could lead to severe pain or distress. It can, however, be treated and those experiencing symptoms should seek support from their GP.
You can read more about vaginismus here.
