‘Heartstopper’ addresses the importance of talking about sexuality and captivates the viewer with engaging narrative

Issues such as relationships and sexuality are of paramount importance and should be discussed among friends, family and the school environment to clarify doubts that usually occur during adolescence, so that unpleasant events can be avoided – such as rejection, bullying and, in many cases, aggression. physical. The series Heartstopper which recently won its second season on streaming became a blockbuster and the characters Charlie Spring (joe locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) through their sensitive dialogues about the discovery of sexuality, made many teenagers identify.

In the second season, the family drama that the character Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) suffers is more common than many people imagine, and gains prominence of extreme importance – for a long time she hides her identity and ends up being kicked out of the house by her own mother when she discovers that her daughter is a lesbian, in the plot she maintains a relationship with Tara Jones (corinna brown). “It is essential for teenagers to know that, in addition to friends and the internet, they have a safe place to talk about sexuality, to share thoughts and fears on the subject. Parents should introduce the subject naturally, the mother and father are the best people to guide their child and make themselves available in case he/she experiences a really conflicting situation”explained the therapist Vanessa Moreira.

“I always guide my adolescent patients to share their experiences and discoveries with their parents, also because, both in the search for guidance, prevention of pregnancy, diseases, it will be the parents who will have to intermediate the consultations and refer their children to professionals to be care. Denying the subject, pretending not to notice, will not help at all with what the teenager will have to live and face. Another important point, parents are not friends – they are parents. Of course there is affinity, complicity, but don’t mistake your role as that of a best friend to stay ‘on top of everything’. Your child needs to know that he has someone to count on, and that you are able to guide him. Respect yourself, your body, the body of the other, to have a healthy discovery about your own sexuality. Remember that your child is only here on this journey with you, (with the exception of artificial insemination) because it came from a sexual act, it is something natural, loving and that gives rise to new lives. All of these must be addressed.”he added.

Family embracement related to the topic of sexuality is important for the emotional development of adolescents. “When mistreated, adolescents can quickly access information on the network, or even with peers, and realize how much it could be different – ​​the traumas can be varied, low self-esteem, difficulty communicating and believing that their opinion has no value. . Abused adolescents often believe that they are to blame for their parents’ suffering, or for the things that go wrong in their parents’ lives, and that is why they believe they are being punished, that they are not welcome and that they are in the way simply by existing”explained the specialist.

Other characters bring matters relevant to the plot, as is the case of the protagonist couple, Charlie, openly a gay boy, and Nicki, until then a boy who had relationships with girls, but when he meets Charlie, he discovers his bisexuality, causing his head into an identity conflict for fear of expressing his true self in public and being “cancelled” by high school friends. Both maintain a good dialogue with their families about the discoveries about sexuality, however, Nicki receives an unpleasant visit from her older brother who, when finding out about his bisexuality, does not accept it and ends up exposing his brother to the rest of the family.

“Sexuality should be a fluid subject, in the same way that we talk about friendships, day-to-day difficulties, and the most varied subjects – sexuality is part of physical and emotional health. It shouldn’t be a separate topic, teenagers should always ask their curiosities, what they’ve heard or even their fears and anxieties, whenever the subject is pending in their mind. Talking about sexuality is still a taboo due to lack of information from parents on how to approach the subject, due to a need to infantilize children and think that they will always be the little ones and that they will always follow the life they want, due to the difficulty of adults in often dealing with their own sexuality and not knowing how to set limits, how to manage their children’s sexuality, not knowing what is right or not, and being lost waiting for their children to speak one day. If necessary, family therapy, conversations, exchanges, and bonding growth at this stage with this approach are important”clarified the therapist.

The new season of “Heartstopper” is marked by anxiety and insecurity and the viewer is transported into the narrative, as the age groups of the characters speak directly to the target audience, who feel, vibrate, get excited and revolt in the same way, because most of the time, they don’t have family support, much less a friendly shoulder to talk about their fears and anxieties. The fear of being exposed to classmates is still a delicate topic that is also addressed in the series, and points out that the institution must intervene and address the issue in order to avoid school bullying that can often have serious consequences.

“Still nowadays, prejudice maintains bullying attitudes, where teenagers often repeat the absurdities they hear at home, offending their colleagues and the group they live with, excluding or pointing out anyone who has attitudes different from the “rules” that he learned that he should continue with his sexuality, this should not be accepted, the school needs to address this topic and how diversity in the conversation about sexuality can add to everyone’s knowledge and sharing of ideas and thoughts. The fear of exposure at this stage is huge, young people among them have much more information than we can imagine, so if this is well aligned with school and education, it will be of great growth for everyone”, reinforced Vanessa.

‘Heartstopper’ shows that not always the blood family will be the one that will welcome you, that chosen families exist, and they are of great value for the psychological and emotional development of the young person – who accept the person as he truly is – regardless of his sexuality. “School institutions should make room for teenagers to debate the subject and put a trained teacher in the subject to clarify several doubts. Forbidden matters only generate chaos, from the moment that sexuality can be approached lightly, sharing fears, doubts and anxieties, it is what will make us grow and help them in this phase so full of details, which will carry this discovery and the way they have that experience for years to come”concluded Vanessa.