May 11--Jane Fonda
two-time Oscar winner, author, activist and fitness guru -- will speak in Orlando on Thursday at a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando. (To reserve tickets, call 407-872-6838.)
Fonda recently spoke to the Sentinel about teen pregnancy, feminism and making the most of her "third act":
Why are you coming to Orlando?
I am a big believer in the work that Planned Parenthood does. It is where most low-income women without insurance go for [reproductive] health care. And in the day of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, we desperately need to educate young people about the importance of safe sex and contraception.
You've become very passionate about teen-pregnancy prevention -- you started the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. What's the key to preventing it?
Hope is the best contraceptive. If a young person sees a future for themselves that would be compromised by having a baby, they will be motivated to not get pregnant or engage in risky behavior.
We call it "above-the-waist" work. What goes on between the ears of young people influences their sexual behavior more than what goes on between their legs. That includes helping girls understand that they have a right to say no -- that their job is not just to please boys in order to be popular -- and letting our boys know that being a man doesn't mean fathering a lot of children that they can't take care of.
What else have you been doing?
I'm writing a book on aging called The Third Act: Entering Prime Time. Since the beginning of the 20th century, people have been living 30 years longer than they used to. How do we make the most of what used to be an entire adult lifetime? How do we learn to age successfully? I'll talk a little bit about it in Orlando. I'll also talk about my own growth as a woman and what I learned about girls and boys growing up.
How are you making the most of your third act?
I stay healthy; I exercise; I meditate; I watch what I eat very carefully. The meditating part is very important. I have a lot of loving friends and family.
What's your workout routine these days?
I lift weights; I hike; I walk. When summer comes, I'll swim.
Do you ever pull out your workout videos?
Occasionally I do -- the easy ones. I'm 70! I'm not going to do some of the harder ones that I used to.
You were one of the early feminists. Yet these days there seems to be a backlash against feminism, with young women not wanting to call themselves feminists. What do you think?
I don't think there's been a backlash. They may not say they're a feminist, but more and more young girls are growing up feeling they have a right to claim their full humanity. More and more, that's taken for granted by young people. Whether they call that feminism is not important.
Daphne Sashin can be reached at dsashin@orlandosentinel.com or 407-650-6361.
-----
To see more of The Orlando Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.OrlandoSentinel.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
