While no generation is monolithic, Gen Z seems especially muddy. As we’re emerging as adults uniquely affected by elements of the world, including but not limited to growing up on the Internet, polarization and political violence, COVID-19, or even artificial intelligence, it kind of feels like our behavior and views are being watched under a magnifying glass and constantly debated.
Gasp— Politics and Pop Culture Go Hand In Hand.
After the 2024 election and well into 2025, all I saw on my corner of the internet was discourse on whether or not Gen Z were becoming ‘prudes,’ or more specifically, ‘puritans,’ who scandalize everything in the media and have zero interest in onscreen sex and intimacy. That’s not untrue— Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found that young voters either shifted to the right, were disillusioned with the establishment, and divided after hosting a panel of Gen Z experts in late 2025.
Hollywood’s Mistake
However, the pendulum has swung, and we have recent independent film and TV to thank for that. Not only is ‘Heated Rivalry’ and director and writer Jacob Tierney’s steamy storytelling making big waves in the mainstream and stirring up discourse about on-screen intimacy, Gregg Araki, a director known for erotic and queer stories, most notably ‘Mysterious Skin,’ debuted his kinky, chaotic, comeback film starring Olivia Wilde, Charli xcx, and Cooper Hoffman, ‘I Want Your Sex’ at Sundance Film Festival.
Despite the buzz, the subject of intimacy might be another misstep on Hollywood’s part. In November, one leading agency, United Talent Agency (UTA), reportedly dropped intimacy coordinator clients, those on-set who both protect talent and choreograph and make scenes from kisses and hugs, to sex, believable. This change happened just as the profession was finding its footing. The reason for this, according to intimacy coordinator Zuri Pryor-Graves in an interview by The Ankler, is that “it seems like less intimacy is being written.” Gen Z is torn over what they want on-screen, and Hollywood’s scaling back of intimacy reflects that.
Indie Directors Know What Gen Z Needs
I, personally, am someone who is a huge believer in using these ‘taboo’ topics as legitimate plot devices (when executed well, I personally hate ‘Euphoria’ for this same reason). Hey, ‘Babygirl’ (2024, dir. Helina Rejin) got four stars and a great one-liner out of me on Letterboxd: “ominously hot.” ‘Secretary’ (2002, dir. Steven Shainberg) got a long, late-night deep dive. Sexual situations reveal so much about characters and their needs, critical to the tales of the human condition that film and TV aim to tell. Gen Z should turn their attention towards the independent directors and writers who are embracing the taboo, effectively using sex as an element of storytelling and not assuming what is or isn’t palatable to an entire generation of viewers.