Netflix’s Sex Education pretty much nails normalizing Adolescent Sexuality
The recent Netflix series ‘Sex Education’ may raise eyebrows but it is undoubtedly the most honest representation of teenagers that we have seen in… forever. The name of the show may suggest a methodological approach to sex and sexuality but instead, it is young and refreshing. It refrains from hysterical activism, nails down crucial aspects of sex-positivity and makes you want to get back to high school.
‘Sex Education’ is set in England and stars young actor Asa Butterfield as Otis, the son of Jean, played by Gillian Anderson. Jean is a professional sex-therapist. Growing up around her has made Otis more sexually aware and informed than his high school peers. His everyday teenage life is disrupted when the most beautiful of his school’s outcasts and outliers, Maeve (played by Emma Mackey), convinces him to start a sex therapy business at school to earn them both a bit of cash.
Using this venture as an entry point, the show delves into the turbulent period called adolescence with wit, wisdom, refreshing candor and practicality. Each episode brings with it, its own share of instantly relatable growing pains – whether it is a young lesbian couple who are losing a sense of intimacy or a girl who has never considered sex as an avenue to pleasure.
Otis is shown as wise enough to admit when he is frequently out of his depth. However, he earnestly researches a solution until he can come back to the aggrieved with a moment of clarity. In the age of instant solutions, Otis’s quest to come up with holistic answers, to research, to think, to critique and analyze is a laudable model on its own.
The show’s sex-positivity is reflected in its various subplots that foreground the interdependence of mental-sexual wellbeing. It acknowledges how non-judgmental & calm communication with young people helps them navigate their feelings for themselves as well as those around them.
The plot takes on multiple aspects of contemporary teenage struggles- from bullying to low self-esteem, relationships, sexuality, identity, consent etc. All through, it normalizes adolescent sexuality without shaming, or insensitively using sex as the plot of the show.
Watching the show in Mumbai, it feels like while the socio-cultural details might differ but at the end, it boils down to similar experiences (insecurities, jolt, confusion, misinformation). One can’t help but reflect on the pervasive cultural discomfort around acknowledging and conversing about adolescent sexuality. The Indian education system is largely apprehensive of including sex education in their mainstream curriculum, even as adolescents are finding alternative ways of seeking help.
While it is clear that every school needs an ‘Otis’, they may not really have one. And it is a gap that needs to be addressed.
ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: Sudipta Das
