I didn’t know what to expect when I began to watch the series PEN15 on Hulu. It’s an actual depiction of the middle school lives of two girls, Anna and Maya. The actresses, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, are playing themselves in the show which has proven to be very comedic. With that being said and in reference to the title which says basically says ‘penis,’ the show is rated R.
Despite it being rated R, it’s a very realistic depiction of middle school, in my opinion. Many of the things they go through in the show are all things I’ve gone through personally and know plenty of other females have gone through during middle school as well. Bullying, self-esteem, puberty and bad-influences are a few of the issues they get into on the show.
Their episode titled ‘Ojichan’ spoke on a topic that really resonated within me. Sex. In the show, Maya started to experience certain feelings, after making her dolls (ponies) kiss, that she didn’t really understand. Soon after experiencing this sexual feeling, she discovered masturbation as a relief. A day or so later, Maya’s family pays respect to her Ojichan because it’s his birthday and during it, her mother told her that he was always watching her. She began to feel dirty and like what she was doing was wrong because her grandfather was ‘watching’ her.
This is something that many middle schoolers and high schoolers go through. A lot of them feel shame for what they’re doing which could be for a variety of reasons; religion, ignorance, or not being properly told about sex. Sexual education in the United States is a joke. I remember in both middle school and high school, all they spoke about was abstinence and diseases to scare us and try to prevent teen pregnancies. This isn’t a help at all to students, they’re basically told any sexual feelings they have are wrong.
Many psychologists and health professionals will tell you that these sexual feelings are normal for those of middle school and high school ages and that exploration, such as masturbation, is healthy.
That’s right. Masturbation isn’t anything to be ashamed of. It’s a great tool for relaxation, it helps people learn more about their own private parts, and it helps people figure out what they do or don’t like. That way when it comes to the real deal, whether that be before or after marriage, sex can be a better experience overall.
At the end of the show, Maya tearfully confesses to Anna that she sometimes masturbates. Anna then confesses that sometimes she does it too and Maya asked her if she doesn’t feel gross doing it.
Anna replies, “How gross can I feel if you do it too?”