Common Sense Media Review
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Frank talk, lots of bodies in moving sex reality show.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sex, Love & Goop
What's the Story?
Hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, SEX, LOVE & GOOP brings together several couples to talk frankly about what's unsatisfying in their sex lives and in their partnerships. Then each couple is paired with a professional who teaches them new ways to touch and communicate with each other, leading them through exercises in hopes that they can find their way to positivity in all aspects of their lives.
Is It Any Good?
Honest and surprisingly touching, this show about sexual health and intimacy between couples transcends awkwardness to become a moving look at partners pleasing each other in and out of the bedroom. The couples are diverse (in terms of age, race, background, gender, body type) but all share a common issue: They have problems in their relationship that are affecting their sex lives. As we meet them one by one, the couples explain what they believe to be the problems impeding their intimacy, then they are matched with sexual health practitioners who lead them through exercises designed to break through their boundaries and allow them to safely express their own sexual feelings while tending to their partner's needs.
The results are positively moving. One couple, Damon and Erika, share a rather sitcom-ish sexual dilemma as the show begins: He wants more sex than she does; while she feels beleaguered, he feels rejected. Within a few moments they're talking to "somatic sexologist" Jaiya Ma, who says with pride that her job is to help couples have a "hot and juicy sex life." She instructs Erika and Damon to strip down in turn, and then lie on a table while the other explores what kind of touch makes their spouse twitch and jump. Damon's experience is so intense that he gets goosebumps, followed by tears. Looking over the footage, Paltrow remarks what a rare sight Damon's reaction is, when men are typically depicted in all forms of media as being aggressors rather than recipients of pleasure. It's true. And insightful. Viewers who primarily know the Goop brand through jokes about Paltrow and her jade egg may be surprised to find how genuinely affecting Sex, Love & Goop can be.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how sexuality is presented on TV and in movies. What do sex scenes usually show? Do we see different types of people relating to each other sexually -- or different types of sexuality depicted -- on Love, Sex & Goop? Are these images positive? What impact can this content potentially have on viewers, especially kids?
Conventional wisdom says that it's impossible to depict truth on camera, because the presence of the camera affects what people are willing to show. How does this dynamic affect Love, Sex & Goop? Are participants guarded? Should they be? Do they ever let their guard down? If yes, how is this evidenced? Do you think these couples act differently off-camera?
How do the participants on Sex, Love & Goop demonstrate empathy and communication? Why are these important character strengths?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 21, 2021
- Cast : Gwyneth Paltrow
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage
- TV rating :
- Last updated : January 26, 2022
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