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Normal People was shown earlier this year on BBC One and became an instant hit. If fans haven’t been talking about Marianne’s (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) bangs, they’ve been drooling over Connell’s (Paul Mescal) chain which now even has its own Instagram account. The series is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Normal People.
What does a sex therapist think of Normal People?
One of the main focuses of Normal People is the sex scenes, both between Marianne and Connell, as well as Marianne with other partners.
While Connell was the first person she had sex with, Marianne explores more, including BDSM with other boyfriends.
But how does the protagonists’ relationship compare to her exes and is their relationship healthy?
Express.co.uk has spoken to sex therapist at Emjoy Mia Sabat about what she thinks about the series and how it portrays sex.
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Sabat explains: “Marianne’s first experience of penetrative sex is with Connell and ‘that’ scene from Normal People is vitally important because it shows just that, normal sex between normal people.
“Her bra gets stuck, they giggle, a condom is used and all this not only feels incredibly refreshing but it’s important.
“Aimed at teenagers and young adults, the show goes out of its way to show sex as it really is, not as it is shown in pornography.
“On top of this, the couple communicate. Connell asks for Marianne’s consent, and makes clear that if she says no, or changes her mind, then that is okay.
“With teenage sex education being limited at best, this scene is iconic because it doesn’t just educate, it also normalises these behaviours: behaviours that are essential to a happy, healthy sexual relationship and are not talked about enough.”
Sabat continues: “As Normal People progresses, Marianne and Connell appear to enjoy a varied sexual relationship. Like many teenage couples, together they explore their tastes, preferences, needs and desires.
“As they explore their sexuality, they discover what they are and are not into, and how to articulate this.
“The important thing to remember is that communication is essential in the success of any relationship – without it, doubt, fear and frustration can take over. When we are young, and still finding the words to
articulate our needs, creating a dialogue can be incredibly difficult.
“Normal People shows its younger viewers that it is OK not to have the perfect words, but you must try and find a way that works for you to express your needs and that may take some time.”
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Throughout the course of the series though, Marianne doesn’t just stay with Connell.
She also has relationships with Gareth (Sebastian de Souza) Jamie (Fionn O’Shea) and Philip (Kwaku Fortune).
While Jamie was abusive, Philip and Marianne regularly had BDSM but a few scenes made for an uncomfortable watch.
Sabat said: “At some points, Marianne appeared to be out of her depth and not necessarily in control of, or comfortable with, what was happening and this felt like a stark contrast to other scenes where we got the sense she felt empowered to change her mind, or say no.
“At one point she asks her partner to stop and he ignores her request
“Given the importance placed on the exchange of safe words during sex play to signal the end of BDSM play instantly, it did not feel to me as though the show was trying to convey this in a healthy way and shouldn’t be held up as a good example of a relationship of this sort.”
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Summarising her thoughts on the show, Sabat added: “Normal People is certainly a step in the right direction because of the way that it normalises sex.
“The show explores everything from first time penetrative sex to discovering role-play and BDSM.
“It neither glamorises nor shames these acts and goes a long way towards showing the viewer what real sex looks like and, on the most part, makes it clear that, so long as you have communicated clearly and have both consented to the act, then there is nothing about having sex that should feel shameful.
“Generations of young people are growing up with access to graphic pornography from an early age, so it is increasingly becoming the responsibility of authors, filmmakers, producers and public figures, as well
as teachers and parents, to educate younger people on what sex really looks like.
“Normal People does a great job at paving the way for making this the norm.”
Normal People is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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