Thank You Notes

In this Jimmy Fallon skit satire, Oscar and Kelly describe the positive aspects of self-love and masturbation.

For all videos:

  • What did you see in the video?
  • What do you think this video was about?
  • What stood out to you the most in this video?

For this video:

  • Talking about sex and showing sex acts are very common on TV/movies/music/music videos. If masturbation was talked about more, would it be more acceptable?
  • What would it take for masturbation to be less taboo in our society?

Materials needed: colored paper, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, string, scissors, glue sticks, popsicle sticks/skewer sticks/straws (to act as stick to attach card), samples of paper flowers, access to internet for ideas, items for containers (milk/juice cartons, empty water bottles, beverage containers, small cup, small mug, tin can)

Step 1.
Students will take some time to think about what they love/appreciate about their bodies.

Step 2.
Tell them that they must pretend that they’re sending themselves a bouquet of flowers and will include a romantic card in it that expresses positive thoughts/feelings/desires they have about their sexual selves. Assist and allow them to come up with any level of message that they’re comfortable sharing and encourage them to write it neatly in a small card stock that will include a closing.

Step 3.
Students will then create a small bouquet of flowers (draw, build flowers, pottery out of cup/milk carton/water bottle) and attach/insert their card in it to make it look as realistic as possible. Collect all flower arrangements and put them on display in a prime location on campus such as the library, a hallway display case, a booth during a Health Fair, or a classroom area during Open House.

Materials needed: copies of Planned Parenthood article “Masturbation—From Stigma to Sexual Health,” poster sheets, markers, paint, paintbrushes, rulers, erasers, internet access to get ideas, cut-out (squares of) separate descriptions of the historical events from the article to assign to student groups. (If you choose to do this activity, make sure that students have had a chance to understand/discuss the benefits of masturbation.)

Step 1.
Tell students that masturbation has been a very taboo act/subject for many years and even though more modern studies bring a positive light to it, it still carries a deep history of shame, guilt, and fear that makes it difficult to accept worldwide and cross-culturally. Explain that in order to accept the act of masturbation as a healthy one, and to fight the stigma it still comes with, they will have the chance to learn how masturbation was perceived, dealt with, and misinformed throughout history.

Step 2.
Break the class into groups of two to three.

Step 3.
Give each group a different (square)/history description. Tell them that they must read and understand their historical description and work together to create a visual depiction on a poster sheet. Encourage them to get creative and humorous with their depiction (i.e. draw characters with fashion that represents their era mixed with a little modern fashion like high tops; add speech/thought bubbles with relevant dialogue mixed with a little slang and/or in text mode). Each poster should include a short title that tells what era/culture/region/country/time period they are depicting.

Step 4.
Once the class is done with their posters, have them stand in groups in a circle, in timeline order, holding their posters for other groups to see. Have them take turns explaining what historical piece they learned about and how they depicted it in their poster. Encourage everyone to respect each other’s work but allow laughter, questions, and responses to lighten up the mood and maintain a healthy, comfortable space.

Step 5.
Once everyone has shared, ask them things like:

  • What historical piece did you find the most interesting? Shocking? Similar to today’s society?
  • What did you think about this activity?
  • Did learning a bit about the history of masturbation affect your beliefs?
  • Would you share any of what you learned with someone? Who? What will you tell them?

Step 6.
Have students pin up their posters in timeline order in a visible area for others to learn from and enjoy.