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'A real moment of female solidarity'

A favorite episode and scene of Nunn's is when the entire student body stands up during an assembly and supports Ruby, who is being blackmailed. Someone in the school has released a naked picture of her and is planning to reveal her identity.

\"The idea of the Spartacus moment came out of a brainstorming session in the writer’s room,\" Nunn explained. \"It had been an emotionally heavy day, discussing the general shame that women are made to feel about our bodies, in particular, our genitals. It began as a joke to lighten the mood — the idea of all the female students standing up and saying, ‘It’s my vagina,’ just seemed so funny.\"

She went on, \"But when I thought about Maeve standing up in defense of her arch nemesis, Ruby, and putting her beliefs before her pride, I knew that’s how the episode needed to end. It’s a real moment of female solidarity.\"

Handling abortion

Nunn said Maeve's decision to have an abortion was \"handled in the most thoughtful way possible.\"

This is the beautiful, bold, cast of Sex Education. These three spent weeks shooting a show that unflinchingly speaks to the diverse sex lives of young adults, and truthfully it sounds like every day was a blast. @Ncutigatwa says of his favorite scene: \"... when Otis and Eric run to tell Maeve they have Sex pretzels. It was just a lot fun because the characters are so excited and it was nice to play off that energy. Ben (director) and I have a naughtiness dial (the dial is invisible and exists in our heads) whereby I'm allowed to ad-lib and he kept turning it up at every take. Needless to say they didn't all make the cut but it made shooting that day very fun.\" ?? by @theresamarx for #GlamstheticSeries

279.2k Likes, 1,395 Comments - Netflix US (@netflix) on Instagram: \"This is the beautiful, bold, cast of Sex Education. These three spent weeks shooting a show that...\"

\"Maeve’s unwanted pregnancy was always going to be part of her story. I wanted to explore the issue in a way that was entirely personal to her character,\" Nunn said. \"This experience isn’t going to be the nicest one that Maeve goes through in her life, but it also won’t define her. I didn’t want the storyline to play out as an unexploded plot-bomb, as abortion often does when portrayed on screen.\"

The show creator said that Maeve makes her choice and then \"does her best to get on with her life.\"

\"What I like about the episode is it’s really about us getting to know Maeve better as a character. We chip away at her steely exterior and come to understand why she’s so alone in the world,\" Nunn continued.

Dr. Sara Flowers, vice president of education for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told \"GMA\" that the show really illustrates the need for young people to have information and resources.

\"Real, honest portrayals of young people’s lives include different gender identities and sexual orientations; masturbation and pleasure; decisions about a pregnancy, including deciding to have an abortion; birth control and having safer sex; and giving consent and receiving rejection,\" she said. \"These are all normal parts of sexual and romantic development through the lifespan and should be integrated into what is portrayed on TV and in film. We have to replace misinformation and stigma with facts, and 'Sex Education’s' realistic and compassionate depiction of one young woman’s decision to have an abortion does this well.\"

Being a true ally

Otis' relationship with Maeve, his mother, Jean, and women, in general, shouldn't be overlooked, as the male lead is always trying to learn from women, grow as a young man and has the heart of a true ally.

pic.twitter.com/n2QmPXvDq8

— no context sex education (@sexeducation) January 14, 2019

Through movements like #MeToo and Times Up, the conversation has really changed and D'Andrea said the old excuse, \"boys will be boys,\" isn't good enough anymore.

\"Women shouldn't just expect to be harassed,\" she added. \"It's really time to look at masculinity and toxic masculinity differently.\"

Nunn loves the relationship between Otis and Jean and while they are often hilarious, they also \"really capture the warmth and love as well as the sometimes difficult intensity of the single parent/child relationship. We couldn’t be luckier with the casting!\"

Flowers also agreed.

\"As the primary sex educators of young people, when parents or caregivers talk with their teens about identity, relationships, and sex, they are better able to support the young people as they navigate the path to adulthood. 'Sex Education' provides many teachable moments for parents and teens to discuss the themes in the show, and build a stronger foundation of communication about sex and relationships,\" she said.

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