“When parts of our bodies go undescribed, we often feel they are wrong or forbidden. Outspoken Sex Ed is a step toward universality and acceptance – for ourselves and for each other”
– feminist icon Gloria Steinem
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Actor Nicola Coughlan, age 39, on being considered plus-size
“‘The thing I say sometimes that pisses people off is: ‘I have no interest in body positivity.’
When I was a kid, I never thought about that. I didn’t look at actors and think about their bodies. So I actually don’t care.
When I was shooting Bridgerton I was exercising a lot because I knew I had to, so I had lost a bunch of weight – I was probably a size 10, and one of the corsets was a size 8. Then people talked about how
I was plus-size and I was like: ‘How fucked are we that I’m the biggest woman you want to see onscreen?’
I remember this really drunk girl once talking to me in a bathroom being like: ‘I loved Bridgerton because
of your body.’ And started talking about my body and I was like: ‘I want to die. I hate this so much.’
It’s really hard when you work on something, and then it comes down to what you look like”
WORDS Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan says she has no interest in “body positivity” and wants to be judged on her acting (Daily Mirror, 5/3/26)
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WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING…
“When parts of our bodies go undescribed, we often feel they are wrong or forbidden. Outspoken Sex Ed is a step toward universality and acceptance – for ourselves and for each other”
Gloria Steinem – feminist icon, leading social political activist, speaker and author of My Life On The Road
“We’re all trying to figure out how to talk to our children about this tricky stuff, and I’m turning to Outspoken Sex Ed for a few tips”
Anna Whitehouse – author, columnist and founder of Mother Pukka
“The best support and protection parents can offer young people is ensuring they have all the information they need to make decisions about their health, body, sexual exploration and emotions – which is what Outspoken is all about”
Sara Pascoe – comedian, author and member of Outspoken Advisory Board
”As a parent I felt enabled and empowered to have age-and-stage appropriate conversations with my children after the Outspoken Sex Ed workshop. This suddenly felt like a challenge I could take on with gusto rather than shying away from”
Dr Pooky Knightsmith – child and adolescent mental-health expert and author
“I totally love Outspoken Sex Ed and everything it stands for! This is wonderful work and very much needed”
Dr Naomi Sutton – NHS sexual-health consultant on E4’s The Sex Clinic and member of Outspoken Advisory Board
“Misinformation about sex has always been part of teenage life. But today, with pornography and social media, young people are exposed to a tsunami of false and damaging ideas and information. It’s therefore our duty to provide young people with a healthy counter-narrative. The work of Outspoken – which provides resources for parents and teachers to have open, honest conversations about sex and relationships – is therefore more crucial than ever”
Natasha Devon MBE – mental-health and body-image campaigner
Incredibly helpful. I feel much better equipped to deal with what I thought would be awkward conversations – actually I don’t think they are at all!
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