Premiering in 2017, Netflix’s show “Big Mouth” has become one of the company’s most notable shows. The series follows a group of middle school students as they explore the ups and downs of puberty, sex, and their bodies. While the series is known for its star-studded cast of voices (Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, to name a few) and its distinguishable animation style, I find the existence of the show itself a fascinating thing when thinking about representation. Particularly, I’m interested in where the show lies in the discourse between Kristen Warner’s “In the Time of Plastic Representation” and Aymar Christian’s “Beyond Branding” and whether it is a “good” or “bad” representation.
Known for its graphic depictions of sex, bodily changes, queerness, etc…the show has garnered much negative attention. There are some insane, honestly gross plotlines (i.e. when we find out that one of the most sexually-driven characters, 13-year-old Jay Bilzerian, has frequent sex with his pillow (“Pam”), and eventually impregnates her with a mini pillow) that at times, make it hard to watch without cringing. Indeed, while the show is extremely funny, many find it strange and unwatchable in that it depicts the sex lives of minors, yet is geared towards an adult audience. In fact, many websites say that the show isn’t even appropriate for 12-year-old audiences…even though that is the exact age demographic represented! It does make us question: what work is this representation actually doing? To what extent is it simply sexually exploiting children for adult entertainment? Is it simply a marketing opportunity for Netflix where “intersectionality has superficial branding value” and the real demands and desires of communities and viewers aren’t being taken seriously?
I think it’s less black-and-white than that. In fact, I do not think that the show is an example of Warner’s “plastic representation” because there is actual “meaningful imagery” in the show’s 8-season-long exploration of puberty, hormones, emotions—all things that we, even as adults, must contend with (Warner 35). While, of course, some parents might not allow their young children to watch the show (for obvious reasons), the series does a pretty good job at educating viewers about sex (much more than the basics we get in high school sex ed) and everything associated with it. Behind all of the gross humor and uncomfortable yet memorable lines, the series exposes and normalizes the raw, awkward truths of growing up, experiences that we ALL go through but don’t talk about. And, I would argue, having it be on a platform as big as Netflix is important for the mass audience it reaches.
While we can argue that the series is disgusting, we can also observe the myriad ways in which the show is doing good work for our world. Articles like “Big Mouth is Telling #MeToo Stories Better Than Any Other Show on TV” (Esquire) or “Big Mouth: Can TV Teach Us To Be Better People?” (Women Empowering Women) reveal how the series is not simply entertainment, but educational in its deep attention to relatable topics such as consent, birth control, periods, sexuality, fingering, depression, masturbation, anxiety, etc… As the show comes to a close, I still don’t quite know where I stand. The show can be gross and uncomfortable, but it can also be funny and make people feel seen. In many ways, I find joy and comfort in the series because finally, someone is talking about these things! And to me, that means something.
One reply on “Growing Pains: is Big Mouth more than just gross?”
It’s really interesting to consider ideas of plastic representation in regards to “Big Mouth.” As Warner notes, “plastic representation uses the wonder that comes from seeing characters on screen who serve as visual identifiers for specific demographics in order to flatten the expectation to desire anything more.” Plastic representation does this by simply adding representation to existing storylines, rather than thinking up new ones that do justice to these demographics. I think, in the case of “Big Mouth”, while it certainly has its faults, it engages with traditionally uncomfortable and stigmatized topics, like puberty, sex, and first relationships completely unabashedly, which transforms these topics to feel less taboo and more normal. In this way, “Big Mouth” crafts new storylines that dive deeply into these topics, rather than just adding representation to existing portrayals of puberty and growing up.