So You Want to Talk About Sex (Education)
For me, sex education consisted of two female science teachers and a classroom full of seventh grade girls. Predictably, the boys were down the hall with two male science teachers. The extent of it for us girls was being shown a presentation with pictures of different STDs. I remember being scarred by a picture of crabs and being told I would get it if I had sex. I didn’t even know women could masturbate until I watched the first season of Sex Education when I was 16.
Written by Laurie Nunn, Sex Education touches on many sensitive topics that could easily be done superficially. The show is able to represent many different identities without “tokenizing” or creating one version of what a non-binary person is or what an asexual woman looks like, as many shows have done in the past.
Emerson professor of literary and cultural studies Kate Perillo discussed the show’s versatility, conveying to its audience “that we can’t just take on those relationships as the message, as emblematic” of adult relationships, queer sex, or what our vagina looks like. Talking about Adam Groff’s character, Perillo attributed his genuine character growth to showing “the depth of his character, without letting him off the hook.”
When asked about the show’s genre being marked as comedy, Brooke Harrison ‘25 says the casual nature of the show is what makes it so powerful. It helps not to stigmatize or alienate the LGBTQIA+ community, and it reminds viewers that we are all just “ordinary people.”
Perillo also commented on how the relatability of the show is built upon the funny elements: “Sex is funny; have you ever seen a human body!”
Nunn’s choice to make the show lighthearted was incredibly smart because it allowed her to add to ongoing conversations and help aid change happening in the world.
Perillo discussed the influence Gen Z has had on destigmatizing sex: “You are all saying things none of us would have ever said 10, 15 years ago.” While the show alone is not responsible for making these conversations happen, it contributes to growing discourse. Additionally, the show doesn’t over-glorify sex (as Hollywood tends to do) and gives real consequences to some of the characters’ actions. The show “reflects” the changes our generation has made and is able to amplify them on a much bigger scale.
What I think Sex Education has done so well is showing people that it is okay to take up space. It’s granted people permission to be who they are and told them that there is a place in this world for them. They are welcome, they are valid, and they are heard—it’s more than Aimee giving out vulva cupcakes or Otis exchanging sex advice for money. Sex Education normalizes sex and helps grow communities of acceptance, love, and honesty our world desperately needs. It shows people everywhere that at the end of the day, we are all just trying to find love, or making it.