“So many people are left out of the pleasure conversation,” we’re told early on in “The Principles of Pleasure.” A three-part docuseries exploring how “sex, joy, and modern science converge,” the project aims to make that conversation more inclusive and accessible by disproving old-fashioned myths and empowering its viewers, equipping them with medical knowledge and tools to help navigate how to talk about — and experience — pleasure.
In a world where a significant percentage of women cannot definitively identify whether or not they’ve orgasmed, “The Principles of Pleasure” is an essential primer for folks who want to know more about their bodies — and are looking for answers about why they’ve been denied a basic education about their anatomy and how it functions. Of course, the docuseries makes it clear that plenty of learning is done outside of the classroom. Gender roles and dynamics play out on TV shows we watch from the time we’re still learning to talk. We also learn from what’s not said, internalizing shame and stigma thanks to deafening silence regarding the pleasure of girls and women.
“The Principles of Pleasure” aims to kickstart these discussions and increase their volume. Its approachable, conversational tone invites viewers to reflect on their own relationships with their bodies and pleasure. But it’s not all about looking inwardly. The docuseries asks us to consider the orgasm gap, how the vast majority of the scientific community has ignored everyone other than cisgender men, and unrealistic beauty standards that have contributed to our perceptions of our bodies and our ability to appreciate and enjoy them.
While women are largely left out of the aforementioned “pleasure conversation,” “The Principles of Pleasure” emphasizes that women of color, trans women, fat women, and women with disabilities in particular get excluded from the dialogue, and most sex educators are white, cisgender, and able-bodied. This isn’t a one-time acknowledgment in the docuseries. Instead, the project consistently wrestles with, to paraphrase one interviewee, how the world relates to our bodies and how that impacts our ability to be sexual. It is a through-line.
If you’re interested in normalizing conversations about masturbation, hoping to find sex toy advice (“Our eyes are always bigger than our assholes”), wanting reassurance that vulvas are unique and that’s a wonderful thing, or feel like you could use some advice about communicating your needs with a partner, “The Principles of Pleasure” has something for you.
Narrated by “Marry Me” actress Michelle Buteau and directed by “Gaycation” helmer Niharika Desai, “The Principles of Pleasure” is now streaming on Netflix.
