Bad Sex

Bad Sex traces the evolution of representations of sex on screen, from earlier portrayals of sex as glamorous or taboo, to more complex depictions of often awkward or painful experiences and feelings.

Jacqueline Gibbs, Billy Holzberg, and Aura Lehtonen examine the representation of sex and sexuality in contemporary English language drama and ‘dramedy’ shows like Fleabag (2016, 2019), Sex Education (2019-23), I May Destroy You (2020) and Euphoria (2019-). They argue that TV is where the politics of sexuality and gender are negotiated under the contemporary conditions of neoliberalism.

Through a cultural analysis of key television shows, they identify this shift as driven by the diversification of representations of sex and sexuality. This is occurring as women, trans and non-binary, Black and minority ethnic, working-class, and disabled TV professionals carve some space in a traditionally white, middle-class, cis male dominated industry. In doing so, they explore the affective potential and limits of ‘bad’ sex on our screens and what these representations can tell us about sexual politics and gender cultures today.