“Sex Education” 301, a course in changing world media
Hawene Alemayehu, Staff Writer
“Sex Edcuation”, a teen comedy drama that aired its newset season on September 17, is not one to miss. The highly anticipated British show is loved by many all around the world and has set a new standard for all future teen dramas. The incredible casting and script all contribute to the shows relatability and truly capture the reality of many current teenagers.
“Sex Education” follows the life of high school student, Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). The show follows them as they help students navigate through their problems, as well as their own. In season three, Maeve and Otis have left their sex advice business behind, and leave their friendship and feelings for each other in the past. However, as opposition from the school makes students suppress their sexual identities and reinforces gender stereotypes, there is a call for students to step up.
To begin, the show clearly isn't a conventional story. It talks about concerns that usually are avoided by society and brings light to them. The story highlights the students discovering who they are while exploring a spectrum of sexuality. This is an attractive factor to the show, because for high schoolers, high school is the place where students learn the most about themselves. In this short period of time students are not only gaining an education but also building a social life. “Sex Education” dives deeper into this concept by taking a look into different high schoolers’ lives as they explore different relationships.
The school also participates in many questionable punishments and unjust acts towards those with different identities. They take it upon themselves to force students to identify as male and female, while also pushing them to hide themselves in order to protect the school's image. This is a reflection of our current society over the many years. It can be seen in the way we have built gender roles, the separation of toys for boys and girls and in the way we choose to identify with specific pronouns. In today's world, the “punishments” for identifying differently and consequently associating different, with bad, is an ongoing problem. Sex Education’s powerful script reflects this through its characters and plot.
Sex Education is uniqe and powerful because of its choice to break this pattern of non-inclusive relationships. It sets a new standard for the rest of the media world. All in all, “Sex Education” delivered an amazing season and has raised the standard for teenage shows and movies.
Photo from Netflix