Jessica Biel is the author of a new childrenâs book focused on destigmatizing and normalizing the conversation around menstruation.
âA Kids Book About Periodsâ is âdesigned to inspire positive conversations between children and adults,â according to an official , and was inspired by Bielâs own personal experience getting her period for the first time.
In an with Womenâs Health published on Wednesday, Biel said her mom told her she âabsolutely preparedâ her daughter for the milestone. But the âSinnerâ star went on to admit that she had no recollection of such conversation, and even said she thought she âwas dyingâ when she got her period for the first time.
âWe have to change the feeling around how we talk about this thing,â she said. She added that even though people like her mom helped prepare her, she wasnât open to listening âbecause of the cultural shame around it.â
That âcultural shameâ that Biel experienced is something sheâs aiming to dispel with âA Kids Book About Periods,â which she hopes will help better inform children today.
âThis book provides positive information about how periods work,â the bookâs synopsis reads. âIt helps to show children aged 7-9 that periods are normal and that getting your period is actually pretty cool.â
Even her own two sons â Silas, 9, and Phineas, 3, whom she shares with Justin Timberlake â arenât immune to learning about the topic in their home. In fact, the book is dedicated to them.
Biel said that she does plan to one day read the book to her boys, but that in the meantime, âI think weâre creating a very calm and kind of normalized feeling around it.â
âA Kids Book About Periodsâ is on Kindle and as a hardcover available now.