I’ve been wondering how Ashley Tisdale, 34, and her husband, Chris, have been doing since they lost their beloved dog, Maui, at the end of June. Ashley last posted about Maui on Instagram a bit over a week ago. She’s keeping busy, though, and is working on a campaign that supports women in their reproductive health choices:
Ashley Tisdale says she’s not ready to start a family — and she encourages other women to take charge of their reproductive health and carve their own individual journey to parenthood.
“Whether you’re traveling or you have work or education or you’re married and not ready to have a kid yet, there are options out there,” the actress, who married musician Christopher French in 2014, tells PEOPLE. “For me, it’s like, it’s okay to not want to start a family right away. People are always asking me about that, but it’s just not the right time. And I have options out there.”
The High School Musical star has partnered with Allergan, the maker of birth control pill Lo Loestrin Fe, to join the “Women Who Know” campaign, encouraging women to seek accurate information about their reproductive health, including researching birth control options.
“We are trying to inspire women to take an active role in decisions about their reproductive health and contraceptive options,” says Tisdale, 34. “For me, it’s just about starting the discussion, having those conversations with your doctor and health care provider and knowing that there are options out there.”
People explained that “[Ashley] appears in educational video content alongside OB/GYN Dr. Lakeisha Richardson, in which she encourages other women to ask questions and engage experts”:
“Everyone is different . . . . You might be like, ‘Oh, that works for that person,’ but we’re all so different. So really what I’m trying to do is just support women and encourage them to have the conversation, to feel more comfortable and be able to ask those questions and find out what the best option for you is.”
The message that women should take control of their reproductive health and ask questions seems obvious, but it’s so important for people to hear, especially now. It’s crucial for women to find medical professionals who listen to us, take us seriously, and answer questions to help make choices for our reproductive health, whether that involves trying to have children or not. I’m glad that Ashley is working for a cause that is important to her. Of course it’s a paid endorsement, but it also sounds like it’s something she has a personal connection to. It’s hard when you’re grieving to focus on other things. The article also mentioned that Ashley is going to be starring in a new show, Carol’s Second Act, as Patricia Heaton’s daughter. I hope it does well.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, WENN and via Instagram
I love the message about reproductive health and birth control options. I am less enamored about the overall message of ‘take your time’ from a 34 year old woman? Because, even though celebrity women over 35, over 40 and over 45 are having children left and right the reality is still that after 35 having children gets dicey for a majority of women and the risks only get higher with every added year.
We actually can’t just ‘take control’ like that because financial and biological realities are what they are too.
I got married in 2014, so we’re coming up to our 5 year next month. Everyone that I know who got married that wedding season is either pregnant, or has already had the baby. It seems like it’s just baby season all of a sudden.
While I’d love to someday have a child, medical conditions might prevent that from happening naturally. Which… sucks. But I go back and forth between feeling sorry for myself, and feeling relieved that my conditions aren’t THAT bad in the scheme of things. My husband would love to have a couple of kids hanging off of him, but he’s been great about my hesitation. And I give him credit – he’s not the kind of guy who would push for a kid then leave me to do all the heavy lifting parenting wise like some dudes we know.
But still. Women are shamed for wanting too many kids, too few kids, kids too early, kids to late. So I just try to block it all out and do what works for me. Doesn’t mean that that’s always easy – but it’s about all you can do sometimes.
My two little kids are everything to me. How did I wake, and live, and smile and exist without their sweet faces and their little voices in my day?
And still… it’s incredibly hard. My kids are both healthy which is the greatest blessing I’ve ever gotten. My husband and I have a great marriage and we are financially stable. I was 31 when we started having kids, I knew myself and I had had years of working and being an independent person under my belt. And STILL it’s incredibly hard. Kids are the hardest thing yet in my life and I’ve dealt with severe health problems, poverty, mental health problems, failure in a career etc etc. Kids are harder! Not sadder or more depressing than these things, just harder. Each day there’s so much to do for them, and you have to push yourself in all kinds of ways if you want to provide them with what you know is best for them.
I wish people knew this and talked about this more. She’s right that there’s this mad rush to get them babies… but why? Don’t do it mindlessly. I’m here to tell you that even in the very best of circumstances like I am so fortunate to feel that I have, even after you’ve done plenty of things and feel ready for the next big chapter, and even when you feel the most profound love and gratitude for your babies, it is still REALLY HARD. Don’t take it lightly, don’t do it just because everyone around seems to push for it. Trust your intuition and get ready to feel like a slave to tiny, adored people for several years. Get ready to know you couldn’t go three days without holding your babies, yet feel incredible jealousy when you see childless friends go off for a week of travel. You lose part of yourself when they are tiny, they just need so much from you. If she’s not 100% sure she wants babies then she should keep on waiting and I love that she’s talking about it.
I like her message.
It’s also important to note that it’s okay to never want to start a family!
Ashley needs to make Patricia Heaton watch her video.
I really thought and still do think that she was the most talented member of the HSM core and should have a bigger career.
And this endorsement, cool, cool, cool.
Cool!! 🖖🏽🖖🏽
it’s okay to not want to start a family. full stop.
otherwise, i like her message and wish more people would realize that not all women are mothers (or want to be mothers). i can’t tell you how often people call me a mom or try to relate to me “as a mom.” sure, i’ll relate to you as a cat or dog mom, but not a human mom.
I had no idea she was 34, she looks like she’s still in her mid-20s!
My parents were married 6 years before they had me, and I always thought that was cool. I think I’d want to do the same if and when I get married – to each their own of course, but I’d want to have a ton of time to know my partner inside and out and live life as a couple before introducing new humans into the mix.