I Hate Suzie shows that sexual freedom is a fantasy

The New York Times

The HBO Max comedy starring Billie Piper "was just one of several series in the last year — two others were I May Destroy You and Sex Education — to examine female desire and conclude that it can never exist in a vacuum; even when it exists in the privacy of the imagination, it is still subject to the intrusion of social norms and expectations," says Maya Phillips. "But such shows reveal more than the symbiotic relationship between female desire and societally sanctioned shame — they show how sex and sexuality are forever tied to female identity and self-image. I Hate Suzie, I May Destroy You and Sex Education know that female sexuality is a trap: We live in a world that simultaneously objectifies and exploits female desire while trying to pretend it doesn’t exist. Society tells us there is no right way to be a woman, but countless wrong ways."