It feels like yesterday that I was staring university, anxious to meet new people and try out new things. The reality of it is that it was almost a decade ago and I’ve long outgrown the seemingly endless nights of drinking myself stupid and partying until the sun came up. I think that’s why I had such a connection with The Sex Lives of College Girls, because it reminded me so much of my time at university and all the crazy antics I used to get up to with friends. What I hadn’t expected though, was the series to present women’s issues so boldly and straight faced in a show that had set itself up to be the female equivalent to American Pie.
Four freshmen women are paired together in their dorms at Essex College and must survive the trials and tribulations that come with college life. Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) comes from a small town in Arizona, doesn’t have a lot of money, and is woefully socially inept especially around people of colour. Bela (Amrit Kaur) has had a sexually repressive upbringing and wants to use college as her opportunity to explore sex and her passion for comedy away from her overbearing parents. Witney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is the daughter of a U.S. senator and a talented soccer player; however, she is currently dating her married coach. Finally, Leighton (Renee Rapp) is a legacy student from an extremely rich family but is struggling with her sexuality and refuses to let that define her amongst her peers.
Four freshmen women are paired together in their dorms at Essex College and must survive the trials and tribulations that come with college life. Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) comes from a small town in Arizona, doesn’t have a lot of money, and is woefully socially inept especially around people of colour. Bela (Amrit Kaur) has had a sexually repressive upbringing and wants to use college as her opportunity to explore sex and her passion for comedy away from her overbearing parents. Witney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is the daughter of a U.S. senator and a talented soccer player; however, she is currently dating her married coach. Finally, Leighton (Renee Rapp) is a legacy student from an extremely rich family but is struggling with her sexuality and refuses to let that define her amongst her peers.
Created by Mindy Kaling, The Sex Lives of College Girls starts off like you would expect any teen sex comedy to do. Some of the jokes are outrageously crude and dumb and it works well with the varied cast of characters and learn what they are attending college to do. But come the seasons mid-point the jokes start to become less prevalent and more serious issues become the focal point of the series. There’s no denying that the shift was jarring and unexpected based on the first few episodes, but those first episodes allowed me to connect to the characters better than had it gone in with the hard-hitting stuff straight away. Whilst the show never loses sight of its comedy roots, the final few episodes deal with some pretty hefty subject matter, and I was extremely surprised to see a show that had been pulling off crude sex jokes from the word go handle these sensitive subjects with such finesse.
It's likely that the show started off so dumb and bubbly so as to be picked up by a network, personally I couldn’t see a network like HBO picking up a show about college girls dealing with sexual assault, racism, homophobia, and financial difficulties like how The Sex Lives of College Girls handles them. I feel it’s also important and refreshing to highlight that, particularly in the case of the sexual assault storyline, young women are going to be outwardly exploring their sexuality and perform sexual acts they later regret, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to assault them. I can’t believe that those words even need to be written down, but unfortunately that’s the world we live in, and I like how bold the show was about confronting the idea that promiscuity doesn't then condone sexual assault.
I had a great time with The Sex Lives of College Girls, and at around twenty-five minutes an episode the show is perfect for binge watching. It frequently left me in stitches with its sharp writing and expertly timed comedy, but it also handled more sensitive subjects with the respect and reverence they deserve. Definitely worth checking out if you’re needing a series reminiscent of something like Mean Girls, and I’m looking forward to watching the second season when it arrives.
It's likely that the show started off so dumb and bubbly so as to be picked up by a network, personally I couldn’t see a network like HBO picking up a show about college girls dealing with sexual assault, racism, homophobia, and financial difficulties like how The Sex Lives of College Girls handles them. I feel it’s also important and refreshing to highlight that, particularly in the case of the sexual assault storyline, young women are going to be outwardly exploring their sexuality and perform sexual acts they later regret, but that doesn’t mean it’s acceptable to assault them. I can’t believe that those words even need to be written down, but unfortunately that’s the world we live in, and I like how bold the show was about confronting the idea that promiscuity doesn't then condone sexual assault.
I had a great time with The Sex Lives of College Girls, and at around twenty-five minutes an episode the show is perfect for binge watching. It frequently left me in stitches with its sharp writing and expertly timed comedy, but it also handled more sensitive subjects with the respect and reverence they deserve. Definitely worth checking out if you’re needing a series reminiscent of something like Mean Girls, and I’m looking forward to watching the second season when it arrives.