Posted on 10/23/2007 7:02:09 AM PDT by the_devils_advocate_666
Helen Mirren has described the traumatic moment that influenced her decision not to have children.
The Oscar winning actress revealed in a new interview that a sex education film she watched as a convent school girl was so "disgusting" it put her off motherhood for life.
She said: "I went to a single sex convent school, and even in Biology classes we weren't taught about sexual reproduction. I was about 13, 14, just at that age where you begin to be self conscious about your physicality and about boys and all of that.
"They sat us all down, girls and boys, in this horrible school hall. This tweed skirted, dykey sort of woman with short, cropped hair comes on, and tells us about the miracle of childbirth. Then this film comes on, which is a midwives educational film.
"There is a close-up of a woman having a baby, a close up straight up her vagina, and that's all you see, and these are thirteen year old boys and girls, and its bloody and disgusting.
"Within thirty seconds two boys had fainted and the lights went on and they were carried out."
"I put my hands over my face because I realised I couldn't watch this."
The actress, who is married to American director Taylor Hackford, said she was deeply affected by the film: "I swear it traumatised me, I haven't had children and I can't look at anything to do with childbirth, it absolutely disgusts me."
"I think that this film has a lot to do with the fact I didn't have children. I'm not a motherly sort of person."
Mirren professed that this episode did not affect her sex life however: "My early sexual experiences were crap because the men were crap. They were just nasty boys."
In the show, Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, which aired in Australia this week, Helen Mirren also talked about her mother: "She was horrible, she could say very cruel things and it was difficult at home.
"I've sort of wiped it from my memory actually. She wasn't born to be a mother.
"She could be mean. She'd say just very, very hurtful, bitchy things. It was impossible for us ever to take a boyfriend home."
And despite her busy schedule, Dame Helen reveals that she keeps her work diary full because she is naturally lazy: "I know I'm lazy. I'm a wage slave. I need a timetable.
"If I don't have to be there I'll lie in bed until twelve and watch daytime television."
I can understand a 13 year old being traumatized for life after seeing that graphic a film. It should not be shown to kids that young.
I don’t know, I think she is pretty hot for an older lady. Don’t know much about her personality. And no this isn’t enough to make me think she is a terrible person. Being self-aware about something doesn’t make you a bad person.
Is she sure she didn’t watch NOVA on PBS as a kid? They’ve shown graphic childbirth too.
childbirth is rather disgusting, good heavens I live in fear of pooping or peeing on the table. Not to mention the tearing and all the other great stuff that can happen. Come to think of it, pregnancy sucks too, not that I remembered that 35 weeks ago. And I personally can’t watch the umbillical cord get cut...totally grosses me out.
But the one thing that always struck me when watching birthing videos was how absolutely miserable the mothers were and how, like the flip of a light switch, the baby was out and they were so happy. Childbirth can’t properly be judged without including the end result, that moment when you first meet your child. Which is why I am getting ready to give it my third go around.
personally, I didn't have to see childbirh at that age, but the sex education in grade school totally embarrassed me....it was done with boys in the room and to this day I think it was a humiliating experience....
at least this woman knows why she never had children...there are men and women running around who should never have been parents in the first place....
and I hate to break your bubble, but after my third the afterbirth pains were WORSE than the delivery for some reason....and the nurses pounding on your uterus didn't help...LOL....
There’s nothing like childbirth. We delivered both of our kids at home. It was the most incredible thing to experience, and it didn’t diminish the second time around.
Sad that she was screwed up so badly. Unfortunately, she seems to feel the need to puke her garbage all over everyone else.
PBS was founded in 1969 and NOVA in 1973. She was 24 in 1969 and 28 in 1973.
“It was impossible for us ever to take a boyfriend home. Especially the crappy, nasty ones.”
Then some cursed idiot came up with the idea that fathers should be expected to be in the delivery room instead of down the street at the bar.
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