Everyone’s college experience will be a little different, but that doesn’t mean someone else out there hasn’t been through something similar. Where 40,000 students are packed on one central campus for multiple hours a day and almost nine months out of the year, some experiences are definitely shared. One of the newer shows released that aims to represent the U.S. female college experience, The Sex Lives of College Girls (SLOCG), has quickly risen in popularity for its exciting plot lines, cringy and overly ‘Gen z’ dialogue, but also for the real and relatable experiences of the four roommates.
Based on my own college experiences, I’m here to tell you (in my opinion) what the hit TV show Sex Lives of College Girls got wrong and possibly right. As a result, this article will contain spoilers and information from seasons one and two.
Things They Got Right
1. Complicated Relationships
Throughout both seasons, we see the roomies work at maintaining romantic relationships, friendships and even academic relationships. In college, it is hard to keep up with everything while ensuring you’re still being a good person and upholding your end of a relationship. I think the writers do a good job of showing that sometimes it is hard to be you as an individual and also be you in a friendship or a relationship. Sometimes we mess up. Sometimes we do the wrong thing and hurt someone else or put ourselves in a position we do not want to be in, and that is real. In the season finale episode, we see Kimberly go for Whitney’s ex, who Whitney is still in love with, and then not tell her! Not only was this a total breach of girl code, but it shows how difficult it is to be a good friend while still going after what you want. Friendships and relationships aren’t always easy, which we, as the audience, see multiple times during the show.
2. College Is Expensive
Kimberly has had a job from the very beginning of the show. Then, she literally has a surgical procedure to remove her eggs in order to pay her way through college after losing her scholarship. College is expensive, and while being an in-state tuition-paying student helps a lot, higher education is an expensive business to buy into. Some of us are going to need one college degree to open the door for the next opportunity or a job, but that’s not something that comes without a hefty price tag. The show uses Kimberly to show that this is a common position students find themselves in, trying to work overtime to pay for school or school-related things.
3. Good Friendships Can Help You Work Through Anything
Whenever something happens, I send a Snap to my best friend. If my coffee spilled and now my day is ruined, I sent her a Snap. If I made a mistake, I send her a Snap, and if there’s something I need to get off my chest, I send a Snap (except it’s probably a voice message rant). Female friendship is essential. There’s something unique about being the same age and going through the same things (sometimes) at the same time. The show does a great job of showing the moments that their friendships help them through the good and the bad. Everyone is there to help Kimberly recover from her surgery, support Whitney through her affair scandal and encourage Leighton’s coming out journey. They show multiple times that “I’m here for you” is shown through actions and words, which was really heartwarming to see.
4. The Debrief
After a night out, a date or a class with a crush or an enemy in it, ‘the debrief’ happens. SLOCG does an amazing job by showing the debrief in college. The debrief doesn’t happen all the time, but sometimes hearing someone’s opinion on something that happened makes you realize maybe you were the one in the wrong, maybe you weren’t actually crazy and just maybe, that you need to take action.
Things They Got Wrong
1. No One Talks Like This
If I counted the number of times I cringed at something Kimberly said, I might have to stop watching the show. The dialogue is often trying too hard to be relatable and quirky, which makes for a major fail.
2. The Outfits
I have to admit I have personally looked up some of the outfits for inspiration, but not everyone goes to class like this every day. If you’ve ever woken up ten minutes before a class that’s all the way on the other side of campus, you probably do not have time to put together a fit like Bella, Whitney or Leighton. Sometimes you have to rush out the door, which means grabbing the easiest outfit, which probably isn’t a carefully crafted two-piece set with blending colors.
3. Kimberly Finkle
I think the presence of Kimberly’s character as someone a little bit awkward and too honest for her own good makes it great to see that she has no trouble at all finding a date and being confident in who she is. In fact, a popular Tik Tok account calls Kimberly Finkle’s ability to catch the eye of traditionally attractive men the “Kimberly Finkle effect.” However, I believe that this is something the show got wrong because so many people were completely shocked at how much male attention Kimberly gets.
It is clear that this is a phenomenon that doesn’t commonly happen exactly how it’s portrayed. Being so confident, having no problem getting a date and being open to putting yourself out there for any type of relationship at all is hard and scary! What if they don’t like me? What if I’m too weird? For Kimberely Finkle, it’s effortless, which is not really what being a college student is like. Something the show got right is Kimberly being true to who she is whether she has a boyfriend, situationship or no one. Kimberly Finkle is unapologetically her, but that is something scary to do in college.
Overall, The Sex Lives of College Girls is a good way to sit back and watch a quality show about things that you might find relatable, funny and everything in between. They’ve also been renewed for a third season, so make sure to catch up before it comes out!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and Pinterest!