Let's Talk about Tv's Evolving, Complicated Relationship with Sex

TV Guide
March 21, 2019

https://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-sex-ed-week/

It's no secret: people love to talk about sex, baby. But what Salt-N-Pepa left out of their groundbreaking, envelope-pushing, hit single was "on television." As one of the more democratic mediums — and often the one preferred by younger viewers (at least before YouTube and streaming platforms took over) — television has long been a battleground over the ways in which sex, gender, and related issues are portrayed. And while some critics lambast television for how certain shows may negatively influence viewers' beliefs and behavior, television has also been praised for the ways it can fill in the gaps of understanding, helping to create better informed and healthy relationships with sexuality for its viewers.

Over the past few decades, television has played a key role in shifting the representation of sex away from a restrictive, patriarchal binary to a more open, authentic, and accurate reflection of varying perspectives and experiences. And in recent years, the way television has approached issues surrounding sexuality has expanded at a rapid rate, as writers and producers are interrogating sex in ways they either never had the opportunity to do before or never chose to do before. Thanks to shows like Steven Universe and Sex Education, TV is carving out space to provide viewers of all ages with a progressive education on sexuality and gender that will hopefully further the conversation for this generation and the next.

But while we've come a long way since I Love Lucy's married protagonists slept in twin beds, it's not as though TV has magically solved issues pertaining to outdated boundaries, biases, and misconceptions surrounding these sensitive issues. For every groundbreaking series like Vida, there's another that continues to let down their viewers again and again when it comes to its approach to sex (sorry, Game of Thrones, but yes, we are talking about you), and the way sex scenes are filmed still has a long way to go before they're consistently safe for the performers involved.

In order to take a close look at the ways that TV is pushing boundaries forward — and the ways in which it still lets us down — TV Guide is dedicating the next five days to all things sex. As part of Sex Ed Week, we'll explore television's relationship with virginity, puberty, sexuality and everything in between. Check out our coverage below, and be sure to check back throughout the week to see what's new.

The Deuce

How Intimacy Coordinators Are Making Sex Scenes Safer for Actors

A complete lack of norms, systems, or safeguards surrounding sex scenes was par for the course for decades in Hollywood. But as the #MeToo and Time's Up movements began rocking the foundations of the industry, leading to a widespread reckoning with offscreen abuses and imbalances of power, people started to wonder whether a similar discussion was in order surrounding what happens on camera. Suddenly, intimacy experts weren't just being listened to; they were in demand. TV Guide caught up with two of these pioneering women to learn more about how they're helping Hollywood have better sex.


MTV's Undressed Was Basically Sex Ed for '90s Teens

Though the anthology series may not court the same kind of nostalgia and cult following other shows of the era enjoy, Undressed was incalculably important to those of us who grew up as sheltered teens in the late '90s. While young girls found themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war over how sexually charged the female idols of the day should be, Undressed refused to accept the Madonna-Whore binary and broke the mold about what adolescents could and should see about sex on TV.

Sex Education

Sex Education's Bold Aesthetic Finds Sweetness in the Midst of Vulgarity

It's impossible to miss the exquisite style of Sex Education, which excels at finding unexpected vibrancy in the midst of vulgarity. Filmed in a lush, scenic town in Wales, with most of its action taking place at a school that looks like Riverdale and sounds like Skins, the series seamlessly juxtaposes influences that would clash on most shows. Director Ben Taylor explains how he created the Netflix hit's unique aesthetic.

9 1/2 Weeks

Here Are Our Horrifying Tales of Watching Sex Scenes With Our Parents

One of the most pure domestic traditions is gathering the kids around the television for family movie night... until things on screen get very unpure. We all have stories of awkward situations from our childhoods where we were trapped in a room with our parents while watching a show or movie where people were doin' it, and they still give us the shivers. We asked the TV Guide staff to dig deep into our repressed memories and unearth those moments where sexy time met family time, and the responses are pretty hilarious.

Degrassi: The Next Generation

129 Things Degrassi Taught Me About Sex, Dating, and Puberty

Over the course of The Next Generation's 14 seasons, the series provided many millennials with their first examples of kids their age facing relatable issues like wet dreams, STIs, menstruation, and more. But while the issues the characters faced were relatable, their responses were rarely anything to repeat in your own life. Degrassi was definitely not always a show that followed the "teach by example" method, but it did teach nonetheless. Look back on 129 (often outlandish) things the show taught viewers about sex, dating and puberty, for better or for worse.