Ginny & Georgia (& Trauma)

Watching Ginny & Georgia, I question how we cope when we are confronted with triggering content in enjoyable art.

With the prevalence of trigger warnings that precede our participation in art—be it literature, performance, or film—it seems as if we have collectively beginning to understand that consuming media can be dangerous. Certainly, it is a phenomena that I appreciate; there have been times where I have actively chosen not to watch a show due to sudden loud noises or avoided a book with a particularly heavy topic.

Recently, I have been watching Ginny & Georgia. Its popularity on Netflix shows that many of us have; and rightly so, with its exploration of familial relationships alongside race, class, and education. There are fun characters, there are moving moments, and there are some unexpected turns. I’m not a huge binger, but I have found myself excited each night to put on an episode before bed.

But now that I am watching Season 2, the intensity has heightened and I have discovered some of the scenes have been quite overwhelming to me. Sure, the show grapples with mental health and trauma perfectly—showing that its messy, its spontaneous, its potent—but the realism is quite confronting. Dealing with a bad mental period in my own life, I have found that I am tending to watch less of the show at a time, as it can often take its toll.

Alas though, a conundrum, for it is such an enjoyable and meaningful show. How can we cope with seeing our everyday struggles, our lowest moments, projected for us onto our screens? I do not have the answer. Because, I have also found it helpful to see these struggles (of course, in the context of much more amplified plot than my own life!) depicted in a mainstream Netflix production. 

It seems to be a nuanced problem, that I am choosing to take on a case-by-case basis. For me, I can still watch Ginny and Georgia because I know that it is interspersed with funny and heartwarming moments, and in the worst case, choose to forward certain triggering scenes. But mainly, I am grateful at the representation. If you are interested in watching the show (and I would absolutely recommend!), then perhaps the best option is to look up trigger warnings first. In the future, there is sure to be shows or films or books that hit even closer to home for me; so maybe, I will sit out on those.