Misophonia and ‘Sex Education’: An Open Letter to Netflix
Dear Netflix and the creators of ‘Sex Education’:
I am the Founder and President of soQuiet, a 501(c)3 nonprofit misophonia advocacy and support organization.
First, thank you for mentioning misophonia, a multi-sensory disorder, in the series, Sex Education [Season 3, Episode 2]. Though awareness about misophonia is growing, it is often misunderstood. Our mission as a nonprofit is to provide advocacy, support, and resources for people who suffer from misophonia so that they may lead productive and serene lives.
Sex Education appears to have strong themes of diversity and inclusion across its story lines and this is to be commended.
For many viewers, this will be the first time they have heard the term misophonia. Its mention in this episode may have even sparked wider interest in misophonia. We appreciate the awareness this has brought!
However, the representation of misophonia in this series is concerning. soQuiet offers some suggestions on how it could be presented more accurately and realistically in the future:
Disorders and disabilities need to be portrayed accurately.
In this episode, the character, Ruby, claims to have misophonia. Another character explains that misophonia is “a phobia of the sound of other people eating.” This is incorrect. Misophonia is not a phobia. Misophonia is a neurological sensory disorder, according to the current research.
Characters feigning a disorder has real-world ramifications.
Ruby doesn’t appear to actually have misophonia. She doesn’t react to her world in a way that someone with misophonia would.
In an earlier scene of this episode, Ruby has a conversation with Gillian Anderson’s character while Anderson loudly eats a piece of toast. This entire scene is nearly impossible for someone with misophonia to watch or listen to and Ruby’s non-reaction to the eating right in front of her is an unrealistic portrayal. It sends the message that misophonia is a minor inconvenience rather than the serious disorder it actually is.
We are left to guess whether Ruby does have misophonia and is portrayed without considerate knowledge about this affliction or whether the character was not honest in claiming that she has misophonia. Either way, it’s not a good representation of how misophonia really is.
People who legitimately do have misophonia are often disbelieved, demeaned, and accused of lying. Ruby’s behavior leaves worrisome room for doubt. If she is being dishonest about having misophonia, this lends credence to those who already doubt the existence and severity of misophonia. This is disheartening.
Misophonia is not a joke. It’s a stressful daily struggle for those of us who have it. It affects everything we do.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Including a character who plausibly has misphonia would be a milestone for the community of people with sensory disorders. Such a character would also educate the general public about this misunderstood disability. Hulu’s film Books of Blood features a character with misophonia who is portrayed more realistically.
People with misophonia often isolate themselves and suffer in silence. What a wonderfully validating experience it would be to see a character in a film or series who also deals with what we experience every day. As depicted currently, Ruby is not that character.
Make content that is sensory inclusive and aware.
It would mean so much if films and programs were created with people who have sensory disorders like misophonia in mind. Game developers are already doing this.
Regarding the scene with the loud toast eating: What does Anderson’s noisy eating add to the story if Ruby doesn’t react to it? Unexpected misophonia triggers in film drive us away from the medium.
In the future, we offer our experiences and resources about misophonia to your writers and creative teams when they again wish to include a character with misophonia in their stories. Getting misophonia correct on screen would mean the world to people with sensory disorders and would help spread awareness about them to the public.
We look forward to seeing a character we can uniquely relate to — a character who struggles, manages, and thrives with misophonia — on Netflix.
We are here to help when you need us.
Thank you for your attention.
Cris Edwards
Founder and President of soQuiet
Misophonia Advocacy and Support
A 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization
soQuiet.org
