Christina Aguilera is teaching her kids that sexual wellness matters.
In her 42 years, the “Fighter” singer has treated her sexual wellness with the utmost importance and she’s going to do what it takes to remove the “shame” surrounding those conversations with her kids as well.
“At this point in my life also as a mother, it’s really important for me that I open up this conversation to my daughter and make sure that she feels empowered early on in her life to feel good about asking me any questions,” Aguilera tells Mister Truth in light of her new role as co-founder and chief brand advisor or sexual wellness brand Playground.
She continues, “Simplifying the information and just making it very matter of fact. This is not something that we should be scared or ashamed of.”
When approaching the conversation with her kids — son Max Liron, 14, whom she shares with ex Jordan Bratman and Summer Rain, 8, whom she shares with fiancé Matthew Rutler — Aguilera says it’s important to “know your audience” and not “overwhelm developing brains.”
“It’s very important that I’m honest with my kids, but I simplify it in a way that they’ll be able to understand and digest. I never want to impose things to be so scary that it’s going to impose anxiety or fear, even scary topics,” the Grammy winner says. “I really try to make sure it’s done very matter-of-factly and to always know that their body is their playground.”
“That is for them to decide how it should be used, how it should be treated, how it should be respected ultimately,” she adds.
Playground makes intimacy products that improve women’s sexual pleasure and health through FDA-approved personal lubricants. Though she’s not “going there yet” with her daughter, she’s ready to educate her when the right time comes.
“There’s questions that arise between, ‘Mommy, what’s a tampon?’ and getting your period. Our vaginas go through the gamut in our lifetimes with so many different things,” she says. “The more we understand them, the more we feel comfortable and safe talking about them and take the stigmas or other people’s outside ideals out — or the fact that they’re just uncomfortable with themselves to talk about something so natural. Taking any shame out of that is so important to me.”
When it comes to herself, Aguilera says her work for the brand and creating this open conversation is a “natural progression” for her.
“[I hope to] inspire other women to feel comfortable with talking about their experiences and owning their body and their sexuality and what that means to them, because every woman is different,” she says.