Sex Education gets it right
The Netflix comedy ignites a positive conversation around sex
Perth: Netflix’s comedy Sex Education, now in its third season, is set among a group of students and teachers at a British high school. In depicting sex education, it teaches viewers about sex and sexuality – often doing a better job than school-based sex ed classes.
In the first episode of season three, Dr Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) is interviewed on the radio about her new book, Uneducated Nation: A Sex Education Manifesto for Our Youth.
When the host asks her about the book, she replies she was “shocked at the ineptitude” of school sex ed classes.
So, she created this easy-to-read manual to help empower our teenagers, and their parents, as they become sexually active young adults.
He responds, “Sounds a bit racy”. Jean retorts, “Well, if you mean highly researched and essential to the health of our children, then, yes, I suppose it is.”
Sex Education is one example of how stories in popular culture can portray teen sexuality positively.
The opening scene of this first episode of season three is upbeat, playful and sexy. This sequence is sexually provocative, but it also educational. It shows a range of desires across ages (yes, teachers and parents have sex, too), races, sexualities and body sizes.
The premise of the show is the teenagers at Moordale High do not receive adequate sex education classes, so Jean’s son Otis (Asa Butterfield) and his classmate Maeve (Emma Mackey) set up a sex therapy service for their peers.
These young people seek information about how to overcome sexual difficulties and become better lovers. They find (usually) correct – and always frank – information from Otis and Maeve, who offer resources and advice.
The stories told by teens and about teens can be a crucial tool to open conversations between children and adults about sex.