It’s 2021, and female sexuality is still a taboo. Female sexual pleasure is frequently criticised and swept under the carpet to make room for the male orgasm. In the last thirty years, we have made significant strides to make sex less taboo. We are starting to educate women on self-pleasure and produce realistic sex scenes in TV shows and movies. There is still a long way to go, but we’re making progress, ladies.
Let’s take a closer look at the TV shows helping to destigmatise female sexuality.
Sex and the City
Carrie and the girls took the media industry by storm in 1998. The hit HBO show undoubtedly changed the narrative around female sexuality and paved the way for future shows. It turned the tables on slut-shaming, and normalised female masturbation. In fact, Samantha Jones was one of the first female TV characters to have casual sex ‘like a man’. The Sex and the City characters shop for lingerie and celebrate their sexuality. Thankfully, the show is set to return in December 2021 under a new name – And Just Like That.
Girls
Lena Dunham’s, Girls, is considered to be the modern-day version of Sex and the City. It follows four twenty-something girls through their most formative years. The show explores everything from breastfeeding to one night stands. However, unlike Sex and the City, Girls also tries to normalise normal bodies. Dunham spends a lot of time naked onscreen to demonstrate that not everyone looks like a supermodel.
Orange Is the New Black
The prison drama Orange Is the New Black takes a less-glamorous approach to female sexuality. The female prisoners pleasure one another and talk openly about their sexual experiences. Orange Is the New Black is one of the most successful LGBTQ+ shows in the world. Over 105 million people have watched the original series on Netflix.
Sex Education
Sex Education tackles the all-important subject of, well, sex education. Gillian Anderson stars in the popular Netflix drama alongside Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa. The series explores sexual intimacy, personal dilemmas and the challenges of teenage sexual relationships. The comedy-drama tackles important topics with vibrant characters and complex storylines.
Game of Thrones
Game of Thrones has a huge amount of nudity and sex scenes. There are some steamy scenes between Jon and Ygritte and uncomfortable ones between Jaime and Cersei. Intimate and somewhat normal sex scenes punctuate the dramatic, fantastical scenes. You can see public hair, wobbly tummies and the characters changing positions. Game of Thrones shows that sex is a normal part of our relationships – with a few dragons thrown in.
We are starting to see more realistic portrayals of sex onscreen and a refreshing outlook on female sexuality. Add these shows to your Netflix watch list