Takeaways from Netflix’s Sex Education
In the Netflix TV show, Sex Education, high schooler Aimee is sexually assaulted on the bus early in season 2. Not only does this show handle the remainder of the episode well, but the aftermath of the assault is carried on into season 3, highlighting the reality of trauma.
After Aimee shares with her best friend what happened to her, her friend informs her that she experienced an assault and accompanies her to report it to the police. As time goes on, Aimee starts to display signs that this incident was traumatizing for her. She finds herself unable to ride the bus, and she also doesn’t like her boyfriend touching her. Her best friend and boyfriend continue to be supportive as time goes on without pushing her to speed up the healing process.
At the end of season 2, a group of girls go to detention and are given the assignment to find something that unites them as women. After disagreeing over fantasy, shopping, and other various topics, they come to find that each of them have experienced sexual assault or harassment. This allowed the girls to feel that they are not alone, and they were able to give support to each other that they had not received before.
In the beginning of season 3, Aimee’s friend encourages her to see a therapist. Throughout her therapy sessions, she starts to overcome her body image concerns that stemmed from the assault, and realizes that she needs to be alone to truly process the trauma and work through the healing process, which results in her breaking up with her boyfriend.
This show did a great job showing viewers that sexual assault can happen in many different forms, exhibiting strong community support both from friends and acquaintances, and portraying the ways trauma manifests. The show conveys that trauma can impact everyone differently, from whether they feel traumatized or not, to the severity of their symptoms, and how long the symptoms can last.