If your sex education class was in every way as useless as mine, then you need to watch Big Mouth. The Netflix original TV show Big Mouth is a hilarious cartoon that is filled with essential sex education lessons. This show confronts so many crucial topics such as sexuality, masturbation, safe sex and more. Here are some major sex education lessons that Big Mouth covers.
1. Consent is everything
In Big Mouth’s first season, Leah, Nick’s older sister, is making out with Daniel. Daniel relentlessly pushes Leah’s head toward his crotch to coerce her into giving him oral sex, and Leah continues to fight his pushing. At the end of the night, all of the characters are playing charades. Leah sees her little brother bonding with Daniel, so she starts acting out her make out session with Daniel and includes her head being pushed down. One of the girls at the party says Leah is doing “the Daniel.” Daniel then says Leah is blowing the situation out of portion and argues that girls need to be encouraged to have sex. The party then has a discussion about what consent is and how consent is essential for sex. This discussion came to the conclusion that pressuring others to do sexual acts is not consent. Talking about consent and sexual assault is so important especially in a sex education course.
2. No body is the same
Puberty is a challenging time for all genders because everyone wants to keep up with his or her peers. Television shows have older actors playing younger roles to add to the pressure that pubescent children should look fully developed. This show approaches the topic that not all bodies mature at the same rate through Andrew and Nick’s friendship. Andrew is developing a lot faster than the other male students, and Nick is maturing a lot slower than the other male students. Having this comparison in the show proves that maturing at different rates is perfectly normal.
3. Objectifying the female body is not okay
In season two of the show, Gina grows breasts. All of the boys say they like her all because of her breasts. Leah and Nick’s mom tell Andrew and Nick that there is more to a woman than her breast and that to have a crush on someone you have to like the person for his or her personality, not appearance.
4. Bystander intervention is on us
Bystander intervention is when a bystander intervenes during a hostile situation such as bullying or sexual harassment. During one of the episodes, Nick gets pantsed in front of all of his classmates. Another character, Gina, tells everyone to not laugh at Nick. This scene is important for sexual education because it shows viewers that it is on us to intervene in dangerous situations like this one.
5. Planned Parenthood is not a baby killing factory
The show discusses the purpose of Planned Parenthood. A male character, Jay, says Planned Parenthood is “a baby killing factory.” Missy and Jessi argue with Jay that abortions are only a small percentage of what Planned Parenthood does. The girls list several other things Planned Parenthood offers such as cancer screenings, breast exams, contraceptives and more. Having this discussion about how helpful Planned Parenthood is for women is important because women need to be aware of their resources and take care of their bodies.
6. Safe sex is the best sex
The show highlights several types of contraceptives to inform viewers of all the types of contraceptives and help weigh the risks of each option. Now that Leah is ready to have sex, she has to decide which contraceptive she wants to use. Leah picks the pull out method. Her mother informs her that the pull out method is the worst option because of the risk of pregnancy and STDs. Leah and her mother decide that condoms and birth control are the best options for Leah because she is safe from STDs and extra safe from the chance of pregnancy. This scene educates viewers on the importance of practicing safe sex.
7. My body, my choice
Big Mouth has a scene of Andrew’s mom’s decision to get an abortion. This scene is important because it shows a woman make what she believed to be the best decision for herself. After she gets an abortion she meets the love of her life, Andrew’s father, and starts her dream life with her current family. Including this scene in the show proves that women have every right to determine if an abortion is the best option.