Sex positivity.

Great, now that I have everyone’s attention, I would like to talk about the importance of the new HBO Max show, “Minx.”

This is not a review, rather a discussion about the premise of a show that has been done extraordinarily well so far. “Minx,” a new HBO Max comedy, is based in ‘70s California, where misogynistic men stepped over women like a doormat. While there’s been few changes to this cultural attitude since then, many of the gender-based issues the show addresses are still relevant today. The premise of the show starts with Joyce, who is a feminist with a mission to start a magazine full of educational, driven articles about how to destroy the patriarchy. The only person who will listen to her is a porn magazine publisher, Doug, who has one main idea to promise the sale: male nudity in a women’s magazine.

Unless you were raised in a sex-positive household, then it is likely we are or were raised in the same boat. Sex is taboo. Sex is wrong. Sex is dirty.

Obviously none of these examples are true, but it causes doubt and self-hatred where there should be exploration. “Minx” only has two episodes out so far, and the show successfully offers commentary on being knowledgeable about sex and intersectionality.

The series manages to frame the subject of sex-positivity in a time period where a women’s liberation movement was booming.

Sex is contradictory in America. Everyone does it! You know what to do! Here’s this totally not helpful online article a professional definitely did not write! Much more prominently, the ‘You should never have sex in any circumstance ever because we said so!’
We being your family, relatives, friends, the media or anyone else who has shared with you the message that you need to feel wrong or guilty when talking about sex.

There are certified sexologists who dedicate their careers to sex education. There were not nearly as many sexologists in the 1970s, if any, so people had to find their own way through the narrative. An archived New York Times article said the largest sexologist gathering was 1,000 people before the World Congress of Sexology, and that was in May of 1983. “Minx” allows women who love men to love themselves in a way which no other television show quite depicts. They are honest, bold and kind people who want to work to create the next best thing. Piecing together a controversial magazine is no easy feat, let alone trying to gain an audience in secret.

Being based in the 1970s, the show is heteronormative, with the message that times are changing. Times are always changing. There are still many patriarchal systems and mindsets in 2022. Yes, women in the United States have more legal freedoms and protections, but women have the innate right to walk around without any comment or action done by a man. Women have the right not to be followed in a store. It is human decency to respect women.

We are at a time where the patriarchy needs to receive that final smash with a sledgehammer to be broken down completely. Our language, societal expectations and behaviors have been established by the patriarchy, and until we actively dismantle the system, women will still feel stuck in the 1970s.

Happy Women’s History month, everyone.