Sex Education heroes female bodies

livvygarrett
Feb 25, 2022
3 min read

Sex Education is a show that prizes itself on being inclusive and aware, but it's representation of the female body is what really makes it special

ree — Sex Education promotional poster | IMDB

In case you haven’t noticed, the pasty, balding heads of Hollywood are terrified of female sexuality. To them, and all the young impressionables they indoctrinate, men are the hormone-crazed animals and women are the passive boards there to please them. And if, god forbid, a woman gets pleasure from intercourse, it’s only ever shown as an almost immediate result of penetrative sex.

This kind of imagery is not only damaging for the soon-to-be deflated egos of teen boys, but also to the young women who grow to see their bodies as wrong, or dysfunctional.

Enter Sex Education. The show I wished I’d seen earlier.

Despite the jarring mix of Welsh valleys, English accents and American schooling, Sex Education feels relatable in so many ways. The show’s creator, Laurie Nunn, said in an interview with the Royal Television Society that she wanted a “frank but funny conversation with a younger audience.” While she certainly achieves this, as most of the episodes leave you with either a wide smile or a scrunched-up cringe face, it is the poignancy and portrayal of female bodies that puts the show in iconic territory. Let’s have a look at some of those moments.

Enter Sex Education. The show I wished I’d seen earlier

At the end of season one, Lily, a character who’s wide-eyed obsession with sex had made her a rather unnerving presence up to this point, has a heart to heart with main character Otis. In the conversation she talks about vaginismus, a condition around 1% of UK women experience where the vaginal muscles automatically tighten to prevent penetration. Although not the most common of conditions, vaginismus is something that can have a deep effect on women who will see their inability to have penetrative sex as a failing on their part. In reality, and as discussed in the show, the condition comes down to psychological reasons like the idea of not being ready for sex. When this is brought up Lily, played by Tanya Reynolds, confesses that the only reason she wants to have sex is to not feel behind. It is this that will surely chime with anyone worrying about the idea of losing their virginity. Thanks in part to mainstream cinema, there is a strong perception of shame around not losing your virginity, and anyone who hasn’t by a certain age is often dubbed a ‘prude.’ So to see a character voice these fears, and to have someone else listen, is a massive step in breaking the stigma around virginity and all the damage it can cause.

Season two also gave us a veritable catalogue of brilliant moments, best of all when fan-favourite Amiee, played by Aimee Lou Wood, learns to put herself first in terms of sex and starts to masturbate. Never have I seen even the remotest mention of female masturbation on TV before, and it’s certainly an interesting watch as Amy discovers for the first time that she can enjoy sex for herself and isn’t just there to please her boyfriend. This display is so crucial in moving away from the idea that only men masturbate and hopefully lets a few clueless watchers know what the female body can actually do because god knows school sex education won’t tell you! After this scene Aimee tells her boyfriend Steve how she wants to be treated in a communication that all relationships should aspire to. In short, girls be more like Aimee, and guys be more like Steve.

Lastly, in a scene that is now vital to portrayals of the LGBTQ+ community, background character Florence goes to Otis’ Mum Jean Milburn, played by the incredible Gillian Anderson. In a therapy session with her, Florence tells Jean that she doesn’t want to have sex and that she feels “broken” because of that. Jean’s reply that “Sex doesn’t make us whole, so how could you ever be broken?” has sent ripples through the asexual community as it at last shows their sexuality on screen. This scene may not be specifically about the body but what it does is show that sex is not the only milestone in life. It is not something women, or anyone, have to aspire to and it is not wrong to not want it.

This last scene is the perfect example of Sex Education’s strong ability to put the facts of sexuality in front of you in a clean and simple way, and yet make you feel represented in ways you’ve never seen before. No matter what gender or sexuality, the series has something for everyone and I can’t wait to see what they do next.