“Heartstopper” provides representation for queer youth
Written by Abby Chadwick. Photo by Abby Chadwick.
Soon, it will be a month since Netflix released season one of the new show “Heartstopper”, and the show has already become a trailblazer in the way queer youth and queer relationships are being portrayed in media.
The show is based on the graphic novels created by Alice Oseman. At the center of the storyline are Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), both of which are attendees of an all-boys school in the United Kingdom. They form an immediate connection after being seated next to one another in their homeroom. The show’s eight episodes follow the story of Nick and Charlie’s friendship and eventual romantic relationship, which poses numerous obstacles as Charlie is the openly gay student at their school and Nick is only beginning to discover his sexuality.
Since the show was released, it has been rare to find someone who has watched the show without rewatching it another time. This is a testament to the overall tones of the show and how different they are from the way mainstream media portrays queer relationships. LGBTQ+ relationships are often set into darker narratives, but “Heartstopper” showcases the complete opposite. The show at its core is a perfect blend of cheerful optimism and honest realism. The graphic novels cover issues like self-doubt, bullying, eating disorders, mental health and self-harm. Kit Connor explains it best in an interview with Headstrong where he says:
“The beauty of “Heartstopper” is that we approach these kinds of issues with a very optimistic lens. It’s unrealistic to suggest that, you know, mental health can just be cured, I think it’s healthy to sort of give people hope that it will get better and that sometimes, you know, even when you’re feeling just absolutely awful, which, you know, a lot of the characters go through, especially in the later graphic novels, it does get better. I think that’s something that’s really important that hopefully if we were to go into later seasons, we could explore that more.”
“Heartstopper” has also been praised for its queer diversity within its cast. Just within Nick and Charlie’s immediate friend group, you find Tara and Darcy (a lesbian couple), Elle (a transgender girl) and Isaac (a character that Alice Oseman recently confirmed to be aro-ace). Not to mention the racial diversity that transfers from the books to the screen. It is important to note though that the diversity and representation presented within the show does not feel forced at all. In fact, the show itself feels like a mirror of real life. Jeffrey Ingold, the show’s LGBTQ+ consultant, said in a Netflix interview, “We did a lot of conversation and training around what is happening in schools these days so, particularly for the cast, they could take that into the roles, and for the crew, they could also understand why this show matters and what its gonna mean to the audience who watch it.” Another factor that plays into this realism is the actors are all cast into roles that accurately represent their ages, allowing teenagers and younger viewers to see themselves in the characters, and not an older and more mature version.
In that same interview with Netflix, director Euros Lyn shared, “As a director, you’re not by yourself. You rely on a huge team of designers, of photographers, of makeup/hair, loads of people, and I wanted as many of those people as possible to be from the LGBTQ+ communities so they could bring their experiences and identify the bits of the story that could only be from an LGBTQ perspective.” Even in the soundtrack of the show, over half of the original songs are by queer artists, including girl in red, Baby Queen and Orla Gartland.
Though the reaction to “Heartstopper” has been overwhelmingly positive, there are many reports of viewers experiencing melancholic responses from watching the show, mainly because they wished that they had a show like “Heartstopper” growing up. The show is a comfort to all who watch it and many viewers have shared on social media that they used scenes from “Heartstopper” to accept themselves and their sexualities and even come out to their loved ones. Representing LGBTQ+ communities in such a hopeful and positive light, this show is bringing a sense of acceptance and reassurance to all who see themselves in the characters.
Abby Chadwick is District’s Chief Social Media Strategist and an interior design major at SCAD. She has been involved with District since her freshman year, with this year being her third as an editor. Apart from her role at District, Abby can be seen around SCAD walking to and from Clark Hall and enjoying the Savannah coffee scene. (Her go to is an espresso tonic, if you were wondering!)
