Shailene Woodley was a guest on Ellen to promote the second season of Big Little Lies. She said she lived in France for two years, where they have a slower lifestyle and start drinking before noon. She doesn’t know French but she doesn’t seem to really care. Plus she admitted she’ll order rosé before noon with lunch and it’s no big deal. It sounds like she’s moved already though. They played a little game called “Woodley have done that,” which was modeled after a game they played with Woody Harrelson called “Woody have done that.” Both of them are hippies with weird habits, so it fit. Ellen described scenarios that Shailene either did or didn’t do to see if they were true, like eating clay (she did that). When they got to the question about oil pulling, or swishing oil in your mouth to clean your teeth, Shailene described the supposed benefits of that but then admitted she doesn’t floss. Here are some excerpts from the interview.
On dancing and why she loves it
There’s so much in the world that can get you down and so much fear. Dancing is just medicine.She lived in Bordeaux for a few months then Paris for two years
Culturally it was a bit of a shock. Everything is a bit slower. People don’t take your food away before you quit chewing it.When I first go there a friend ordered rosé [at] 11. She was like ‘rosé is like water in France.’ After a few weeks I was ordering bottles of rosé at 11.
Did you eat clay after learning about it from an African taxi driver?
That is half true. I was already eating clay for a few years. I don’t remember what country he was from. When women are pregnant they eat clay because it helps keep their systems clean for their growing babies.Do you use sesame oil to whiten your teeth?
Not necessarily whiten your teeth. It’s an ayurvedic practice you swish with… oil and it helps do a lot of great things.You probably floss a lot too
I don’t floss. It’s just a lot you brush for a long time and then you do the oil and you’re going to floss too?Do you know what gets caught up in there?
I always thought if you brushed your gums it stimulated all those little guys and they came out.
[From Ellen]
When I was Shailene’s age, 27, I didn’t floss enough, but I still knew it was important and did it a few times a week. Now I have one of those Waterpiks which really works to get everything out and make your gums healthier. I do floss too. Liv Tyler was on a talk show years ago, I think Letterman, and she said when she was a teen her bio dad, Steven Tyler, once made her floss and then smell the food that she got out from between her teeth. She said it was disgusting and that she always flosses after that. You don’t get food out from between your teeth just from brushing! I’m not surprised Shailene believes that and uses oil instead of flossing, since she also believes that eating clay has health benefits. That sounds like a way to get parasites.
Here’s the part of the interview where she admits she doesn’t floss. The other part is here.
Photos credit: WENN
1. I assume her dentist disagrees with her that flossing isn’t necessary.
2. I thought women eating clay and rocks in pregnancy was down to Pica, not that it keeps “bodies clean for their babies.”
I have heard of eating clay, but rocks? I think that the one rock eating woman I found in a search has an extreme case of pica rather than the traditional clay eating for nutrients. Wonderful internet…check your safe search settings before searching for woman eating (x) next time!
Not eating rocks, but sucking on them, absolutely. Especially the red ones. It wasn’t unheard of where I’m from, but the women usually just called it “pregnancy cravings” and then went out back and found more rocks to suck on. 🤢
She sounds like that legislator a few weeks ago who thought you could photograph a fetus by sticking a camera down the woman’s throat into the stomach. Someone please alert her that there won’t be any babies coming out of her digestive tract.
Oh, please please please tell me that’s fiction. Please.
that eating clay thing must be to get enough mi erals that they can’t get from their available traditional food otherwise.
About flossing, if you have tight teeth, where you can hardly pass the thread, flossing is a must. Some people with wider gaps could get away with it, but my jaw is smallish for my teeth, I have already had treatment for two molar-premolar teeth, it is a pain…
Clay is supposed to pull toxins from your body, and I do believe it works. Haven’t heard of sucking rocks though!
I feel like Ellen knew the answer to the flossing question ahead of time and put it out there so that Shailene would be shamed by America and encouraged to change her non-flossing ways, lol.
I think Shailene incapable of shame, at least when it pertains to her wacky health stances. She’s said stuff like this for years.
I feel like there should be a segment called Shailene Woodly says things – just in the same way Kit Harrington says things. Just when I think this woman can’t be any stupider…
Stay in school kids! You may not be filthy rich but at least you won’t be an idiot
I like her as an actress, but everything out of her mouth makes me roll my eyes.
That way my first thought: not a high school graduate.
There was an article in the NY Times a few years back stating research doesn’t exist which corroborates the claim flossing helps your teeth and gums. I admit I do feel dentist/ orthodonture expenses, which is outside of normal healthcare insurance, is a bit of a racket. I personally floss because I feel cleaner, but just like the “you don’t need to bathe much” people are out there, it’s not socially acceptable to share these private habits in public, when you go against the norm. Still leave it to Shaliene to break that mold. She is interesting at least.
I floss every day and I still get plaque buildup along my gum line. In fact, I’m going to the dentist this week because of it – the plaque along the inside of my bottom teeth is actually visible if I open my mouth wide enough, ew. It’s my fault really, because I haven’t been for a cleaning in close to 2 years (like you said, it’s expensive.) Even using an electric toothbrush didn’t stop it from creeping up on me.
Now it could very well be that there’s no concrete evidence that flossing will save our teeth and gums, but speaking from personal experience it helps a lot. My gingivits cleared right up after I started doing it, for one thing. And the stuff that comes out from between my teeth smells so bad, why would I want it to linger in there? Halitosis, anyone? 😛
Same. If I miss a flossing session there’s already plaque buildup. My husband and I talk about how gross it must have been when we didn’t floss everyday back in high school and college. If you don’t floss the dental hygienist has to be spending a ton of time chipping away at all that buildup.
Try brushing your teeth with some oil. I tried pulling the oil once with coconut oil and i ve been using this whitening tooth paste with cloves oil in it. The oil really does remove the stuff off your teeth easier. The “dirt “ binds better with the oil hence it s easier to remove it. I sometimes use virgin olive oil for this purpose, not pulling as that made my cheeks sore. I put a bit of olive oil on the tooth brush and just brush the teeth.
I remember that article too but I am a case study for its benefits. No joke. I’d always dismissed flossing and rarely did it unless I had something stuck in my teeth. But about 15 years ago, in my mid 30s, my dentist said I had alarmingly rapid gum regression on my bottom front teeth and that I could either start flossing or my teeth would fall out of my head in a couple years! Or I could plan on extensive gum grafts. So I started flossing that day and haven’t missed a day since. Within a year my gum regression had stopped and within a couple years it had reversed completely.
I feel like more dentists should scare their patients into flossing like that.
I got lazy about flossing and my dentist pulled up photos of teeth and gums from people who didn’t floss and it scared me straight. I don’t floss every single day, I but I get to a few times a week. My dentist is happier.
Agreed. It’s important. It is about your genetics and bacteria in your mouth at all times. Some people are more prone. Hence, bad breath. I am super healthy but I brush my teeth every am before I drink/eat anything. Plus floss. Coffee is brewed by the time I’m down!
Yes, there’s no actual scientific data to corroborate that flossing does anything aside from removing clumps of food, using a tooth picker would do the same… I only floss after eating stringy stuff (mangos, steak sometime), never had one cavity or gum issue. That’s mostly lucky genes I think.
Removing food and buildup is the purpose of flossing. I don’t know what people think flossing is, other than that? I don’t think it has any scientific impact on my teeth, except that removing food and buildup is good for your teeth, and a toothbrush alone won’t get the job done.
honestly I never floss and my dentist always compliments me on my “beautiful teeth” and the good job flossing I do. I’ve also never had a cavity, so something is working right even without flossing.
It’s like there is not research to show that using a parachute when jumping out of a plane is better for you than not using a parachute …
https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k5094
Plaque is a biofilm ( a sticky layer on our oral surfaces, like algae) and physically scraping it off daily with floss is going to keep it thin and prevent gum disease
Annual ( more frequently if you smoke, have diabetes or other risk factors for gum disease) professional cleaning to remove plaque which has hardened onto the teeth ( tartar or calculus) is necessary too
Dentist here – it is expensive but so is our training, insurance, tools and equipment, staff and building costs, continuing education costs … it goes on.
Your teeth are part of your body and very important for overall health and well-being
I agree with you OP
I suck at remembering to floss and I’ve never made it a regular part of my routine. There I said it.
She’s got stank breath then! ANYone who doesn’t floss is essentially leaving food to rot between their teeth, and I promise you others can smell it even if you can’t smell it yourself. Please floss, if not for yourself then do it for the ones around you.
Yes! not flossing gives you horrible death breath
my breath doesn’t stink and I’ve never had a cavity, and I don’t floss. and bad teeth/hygiene is a huge pet peeve for my husband, so he would definitely let me know if my breath smelled!
No he may not want to tell you, my husband has horrible breath most of the time and I don’t have the heart to tell him, and I’m usually very blunt. He legit has no idea how bad it is, lol. He doesn’t floss regularly or brush his tongue, and I know it’s bacteria in his mouth causing it because whenever he takes antibiotics his breath is wonderful! It’s such a sensitive issue for people and I love him and I can deal with it:)
That’s gross and her breath is probably horrible. I can always tell when people don’t floss from their breath alone, it’s so much worse. When I was a teenager I got 4 cavities at once and it was miserable, ever since then I brush and floss regularly and I haven’t had a cavity since. I’m a big believer in flossing!
Same here, I got scared straight by a bunch of horribly invasive dental work that I had to get done all at once when I was in college. I’ve brushed and flossed EVERY SINGLE DAY since, mostly motivated by fear of going through that again, lol. In the last 20 years (yikes I’m getting old!) I haven’t had any new cavities or root canals, though I’ve replaced some of my old metal fillings with white ones.
My dental history is the same as both of you. I had to have two crowns and a root canal done. I didn’t have time to sit in a dentist office for these time-consuming procedures nor did I have the money to waste because of not flossing. I started flossing immediately after my last major procedure. In 20 years I’ve only had one cavity and some old fillings replaced and that’s it. I learned the hard way it pays to floss. My oldest sister does not/will not floss and has 17 crowns. She doesn’t work so she has time to sit in the dentist office, and she doesn’t care about spending the money either. Amazing that nothing motivates her to take care of her teeth outside of brushing.
So, bentonite clay is a binder that pulls toxins from your system. A number of naturopaths use it with patients to help with mold toxicity, Lyme disease, heavy metal poisoning, etc. It’s not like she’s using the same clay and that you make sculptures and pottery with, which is usually full of minerals, compounds, and additives in order to make it more elastic and maneuverable. Clay that is dug straight from the earth is run through a sieve, then a pug mill, and then mixed with other ingredients before it can be used for making things. Similarly, clay that people consume is processed to get impurities out as well. (I work at an art center for clay artists where we process clay and my ex took bentonite clay to help with Lyme disease detox… though I probably sound just like Shailene, lol).
Yes, I was assuming that she was talking about bentonite clay/magma, too. My mom was a bit of a hippie and always had me drink a bit mixed with water if I had a stomachache, period cramps, etc. It is very different from sculptors’ clay.
I can’t help but like her. She’s a weirdo, but she is true blue.
Well hey, the clay parasites can lunch between her teeth… Everyone’s happy, circle of life intact.
LMAO!!!!
As a 50something with major tooth loss, no, brushing is NOT enough. You have to floss!!!!!
Yes, I said something similar above. I’d probably have no front bottom teeth now if my dentist hadn’t scared the bejeezus out of me 15 years ago and got me to finally start flossing.
I used to floss daily until I got braces for the first time at 50 and now I’m lucky if I hit it twice a week! It is really hard flossing with braces on even if you use the little loop things that helps to guide the floss in between!
I didn’t start flossing regularly until about two years ago, when my dentist warned me that a gum pocket by my back teeth was getting bad. It’s much better now, and my regular dental cleanings are so much easier, less painful, and less bloody now. I’m a convert.
I just bought a floss pick that is angled differently and it makes flossing so much easier. It looks more like a “U” on top of a stick instead of the “C” shape I used to get. The “U” is tilted so you can easily reach your back teeth. I hated flossing before, but now it’s easy. I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
Flat out, people who don’t floss are gross. It takes a few seconds to floss all your teeth! I floss probably twice a day and I’m always surprised at what kind of food particles are stuck there. My husband doesn’t really believe in flossing, although he is coming around and now keeps floss at his desk at work. It makes such a big difference in how your breath smells if you get rid of those little food pieces you can’t see or feel. (Tongue scraping makes the most massive difference in how your breath smells, too!!) I’m a massive champion of oral health and making sure everything is always taken care of and I’ve never had a cavity and I’m pushing 40 so I must be doing something right!
Yes to tongue scraping. I had no idea how much nasty, stinky stuff was living on my tongue. Food tastes better, too. I scrape nightly and after sugar, which coats your tongue.
I love a good tongue scrape in the morning because that’s where your morning breath is coming from. It’s so satisfying! Always love to hear someone else enjoys it as much as me 🙂
Well as a french I would also love to be able to drink rosé before noon every day… But I guess University + work + lack of money disagree with me lol
I Iive in Paris and wine is cheap. Even cheaper than food. But yes most offices here let you have a glass or so at lunch. I knew a guy who’s office had wine in their kitchen.
What she fails to mention is wine isn’t taboo in France, hence why it’s ok to have a glass at 11. Although she sounds like she took it too far with the “bottles” comment. Most French wouldn’t drink a bottle each. Most I know look at the alcohol content and take it very seriously before consuming.
Wait? What? French person leaving in Paris here.
It is not ok for 11 y-o to drink wine in France.
Also wine for lunch on a work day is super rare nowaday and mostly reserved for business lunch (et encore…) Also alcohol is forbidden in work places expect for special occasion.
And it made me LMAO when Shailene said she could order wine before noon for lunch. French people do not lunch before noon, especially in Paris.
Ugh I can’t stand those lazy stereotypes. I feel like she lived in the same cliché Paris as Natalie Portman. There must be a secret arrondissement for Holywood people.
She is referring to 11am, not an 11 year old. 😉
Though I totally had a glass of wine at restaurants when I was eating out with my grandparents when I was 11 😉
Coz, “secret arrondissement for Hwood people”–dying!! 🙂
I see plenty of French folk drinking wine for lunch. But I have yet to meet a pregnant French woman who eats clay…
It’s true wine is cheap. It’s also true wine is allowed in some work places (government employees for example, teachers are drinking wine during lunch breaks).
And if I’m not mistaken, cider, wine and champagne are not really considered alcohol in France, but “patrimoine” Hence why it’s allowed at the workplace… (Also because it’s taxed differently)
But it’s rare to drink more than a glass of wine during lunch break especially if you have work after
Flossing is not a thing (as in , not actively recommended by dentist) in France, and it’s controversial, I know, but it’s actually been proven to not be that effective/important.
The health department actually removed daily flossing from its list of dental recommendations a few years ago: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/08/02/flossing-teeth-does-little-good-and-us-removes-it-from-health-ad/
Yeah, I was about to say I feel the flossing habit is weirdly American. My dentist never mentioned flossing (in fact I seem to remember him saying it irritated the gums and could make them bleed) and no one I know actually does it regularly. Btw they all have fine breath and good dental health 😛
Rosé all the time also isn’t a thing, at least not in my family circles. You can have a glass of wine for lunch, but you still need to be able to work in the afternoon and, like, not be blackout drunk all the time!
I’ve read that the real benefits are not so much for teeth but for the health of your gums.
Huh, I missed the part where she went to dental school…
Also, how do you live in a country for two years, and not learn the language?
Melania has been here for decades and can barely speak English.
Minx I hate that I’m going to defend Melania but she speaks English very well as the other five languages she speaks.
She does speak English pretty well. Well enough to push that racist birther stuff, right?
@lucy2 100%. She speaks English well, well enough to perpetuate her husband’s hate
Dental hygenist here, please floss…I cannot stress that enough.
Yeah, I didn’t floss much in my twenties either. By my early thirties, my dental x-rays looked like a patchwork quilt of overlapping fillings. I mean, I probably have one or two teeth that have never had cavities, but I wouldn’t swear to it.
My dentist said he’d rather I floss than brush if I was going to pick only one! I do both and then gargle rinse after flossing before I brush. I’m trying to make sure I don’t need to get anything drilled one day!!! Dental work is so expensive and insurance don’t see it as medical (crazy) since your teeth/gums really impacts your entire body (heart disease linked to gum disease studies)
Ahhh, there she is. And last week, I was thinking she had “changed”, “grown-up”.
My universe spins right again.
She probably doesn’t even go to her dentist. They’re so mainstream! I’ve learned that holistic dentistry is a thing though, and I’m sure even they would advocate flossing.
That Liv/Steven Tyler anecdote is literally the reason I started flossing regularly. I think about it every single time I floss. Used floss is stanky, that’s what your mouth smells like if you don’t do it!
French people don’t sit around drinking wine all day. That’s a stupid stereotype.
Have you ever noticed that when she pontificates about one of these wacky “health benefits” things, she barely has enough knowledge to explain why it’s supposed to be good for you. “You swish with oil and it does a lot of great things.” Eating clay helps keep your system clean.” ?!?!? There is NO substantial medical evidence that these clays, including popular bentonite clay, remove toxins. And, anyway, most people don’t need help in this regard. Our livers and kidneys, if healthy, are perfectly capable of clearing our systems of trace amounts of “impurities” from our environments.
Shaddup Shailene. And floss…your oily teeth will thank you for it.
Out of respect for Pride Month, I will say only that I love her fashion choices lately.
If she’s “oil-pulling” the way that it’s supposed to be done, maybe she doesn’t need to floss. I believe the recommendation is to vigorously swish the oil in your mouth and between teeth for 15 minutes and then spitting it out. I can believe that all sorts of stuff is loosened and spit out in that process. Also I think coconut oil is more commonly used and it is supposed have anti-bacterial properties.
Having just read a bunch of reports written by dentists, general consensus is “Brushing for two minutes twice a day and either Waterpiking or flossing is much, much better than oil-pulling. It can get into places the oil can’t. But if they want to use oil-pulling as substitute for mouthwash, that’s totally fine.”
I floss several times a week, but not every day. I know I should though. If someone tells me they don’t floss I encourage them to floss and then smell the rotten food they get out from between their teeth, it really is horrendous.
Well if she doesn’t floss then I guess she’ll lose all her teeth when she gets older. Does this lady even see a dentist to get her teeth cleaned? I’m guessing she doesn’t because no dentist would be ok with her.
I hope she isn’t one of those nuts who will not vaccinate their kids. She certainly sounds like it.