Netflix released a new original series in September called Big Mouth, which is a cartoon about a group of middle-schoolers starting puberty. The show follows the kids through the everyday drama of preteens plus the added hardships of starting puberty.
It may sound gross and cringe-worthy, which it sort of is, but it also is really funny in a strange, reminiscent way. It brings me back to my awkward teen years, feeling certain things for no reason and being sexually confused. I mean, I guess not too much has changed. But seriously, as a senior in college who is about to enter the real world, it’s nice to remember how far I’ve come. And despite how stressed and unsure I may be feeling now as I’m looking for a job, I am really much more at peace than I was back then.
The first episodes focus on the boys, which was just straight hysterical because it didn’t bring back any bad memories except the awkward boys I knew, and it was funny watching went through their minds. But then the episodes start venturing into the girls’ side of things. Whether it’s dealing with periods or that initial feeling of exploring and meeting your sexuality. Jessi, the main girl of the series, gets her period on a school field trip and, of course, she’s wearing white shorts! Who doesn’t remember that?! Whether it was your first period of your hundredth, I think everyone at one point had the horrifying debacle with white or blood stains on their blue jeans when they were at after school practice … no? Just me? Well we all know the fear that the red flood instilled in us.
In another episode, Jessi “met” her vagina and explored it a little further, obviously masturbating for the first time. By college, almost all of us have probably had this experience at some point and remember that scary, yet exciting feeling. I think most of us can recall what that one thing was that made us curious to start exploring that first time. I was a “late bloomer” I guess, and I didn’t have any involvement with this until my best friend was always talking about it. Almost like Sam in Sex in the City, my friend was like, “Oh honey, you gotta take a look and play around down there.” So I finally did in high school, and I remember it being so weird and confusing. But we all grow into it. It was hard not really having anyone to talk to about it. In such a new, unfamiliar situation, you want to talk to someone about what you’re feeling. You want someone to understand and tell you what you’re feeling is normal. But for such a risqué topic, nobody really talks about it, which is what makes that time in our lives so hard. Luckily, I had my friend that was very loud and proud to talk about these things, but not everyone is so lucky.
Both of these episodes were so reminiscent and funny as they made me think back on the embarrassing days of the past, but I don’t know who this series was really created for. Watching it, I don’t know if it would have really helped me when I was in that stage of my life, but being over it and comfortable with myself now, it was entertaining to go back down memory lane through the show. However, the show wasn’t too informational on the science behind it, so I don’t know if this could be used for educational purposes, but it does show you as a teen that the feelings you’re undergoing are normal, felt by everyone and just caused by the changing hormones in your body.
Overall, it’s a funny show as an adult to watch, but it could go either way for those younger people still going through it. But to all my college readers out there, I definitely recommend checking out Big Mouth! It’s definitely a little odd, and the graphics aren’t anything amazing, but it’s worth watching if you have a free afternoon and are a little bored and looking for a laugh.