Watch the trailer for season 1 of Sex Education. SOURCE: YouTube
In its debut season, the Netflix Original, Sex Education, manages to tackle pertinent twenty-first century social issues such as abortion, sexual orientation, homophobia, revenge-porn, slut-shaming, transgender identification and much more.
In just eight episodes, the British comedy-drama dives into these issues in relative detail and shows the importance of sexual education from an early stage. It does all of this in a thoroughly refreshing manner, without avoidance of difficult-to-talk-about topics.
The show tackles these topics head-on, as the sixteen-year-old Otis Milburn, played by Asa Butterfield, comes together with the unlikely Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) to offer the students of Moordale High sex therapy. Milburn has inadvertently learned a great deal from his mother and sex therapist (Gillian Anderson) but in a story-within-a-story, he struggles with his own sexual complications.
Twitter reaction to the show. SOURCE: Twitter
Dr. Anthony Smith, a general practitioner from Cape Town and Fellow of the European Committee of Sexual Medicine (FECSM), believes that there is a lack of sexual education amongst younger people.
“There is almost always not enough formal sex education, [even though] the need [is] increasingly pressing with rapidly changing social and cultural forces.”
Forces such as the ones Sex Education deals with in its debut season are now more than ever discoursed and prevalent. Sexual activism through movements like the #MeToo campaign, have placed a greater importance on the depth of sexual education being delivered.
“Truth is that not many guys get taught about sexual ethics so they find their own ethical compass via locker room chat, the internet or pornography,” says Dr. Marlene Wasserman, better known as Dr. Eve, an internationally trained Clinical Sexologist and Couple and Sex Therapist.
She believes that this education begins at an early age and at home, between parent and child.
“Gone are the days of ‘black and white’ – I say ‘live in the gray’ with your teen. Stay away from the authoritarian part of you that longs to protect your child from sex and sexual pleasure. It is ideal that your child wants facts from you, factual facts, not facts couched in your own personal fear based bias.”
The Average Age People Lose Their Virginity Across Different Generations. SOURCE: DrEd
“Today all you need to raise a sexually healthy child is a great deal of updated education, self reflection, redefining of your values, tolerance and curiosity,” says Dr. Eve.
Here is a list of professionals in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, should you wish to speak to someone: