Teaching and parenting has always been an exhausting combo, but doing it during a pandemic means my evenings are spent on the couch binge-watching TV. I recently put on Ginny and Georgia, which has held the #1 spot on Netflix. The preview made it look like a snarky, and sarcastic, yet heartwarming show. The trailer even references Gilmore Girls. I quickly found there are some dark themes that I found jarring as a teacher and a mom. Here’s what you need to know.

(Spoiler alert warning.)

Heavy themes in Ginny and Georgia:

Ginny and Georgia centers around former teen mom, Georgia, who has just moved to a new town with her now teenage daughter, Ginny, and 9-year-old son. There is a lot going on in this show with complicated backstories and a large cast of side characters, each with their own stories. Here are some topics to be aware of.

  • Self-harm – Ginny self-harms several times throughout the series. This hit way too close to home for me as a parent and I was startled when it occurred for the first time in episode two – so much that I had to shut the TV off. (I did go back to the series a few days later.)
  • Anxiety/depression – One of the teenage characters refers to a dark time he went through recently. His mother (played by Jennifer Robertson ofSchitt’s Creek) also mentions it. Ginny clearly struggles with anxiety. 
  • Child mental health – Ginny’s little brother is clearly struggling with some serious mental health issues, including violence and what may be selective mutism. His mother is in denial, refusing to take him to a therapist. 
  • Sexual abuse – Sexual abuse is touched on or alluded to multiple times. 
  • Teen pregnancy – Georgia had Ginny at 15. The show discusses teen pregnancy and Georgia’s fear that Ginny will follow in her footsteps. Georgia even forces Ginny to go on birth control pills. 
  • Underage drinking and marijuana – Ginny is pressured to smoke marijuana by her friends. There’s a whole lot of teenage drinking. 
  • Teen sex – There’s a whole lot of teen sex, too.
  • Guns – There are several scenes involving unsecured guns.
  • LGBTQ+ – Many LGBTQ+ teens are lacking support and acceptance. One of Ginny’s friends is gay with supportive parents, good friends and popularity at school. This might be triggering for kids who don’t experience this ease.  
  • Racism – Ginny is biracial and one of very few students of color in a very white school (and town in general). She deals with covert racism from a teacher and gets into an “Oppression Olympics” with another character about who has the most race-related struggles. 
  • Body image – One of Ginny’s friends is shown scrutinizing her body and taking extreme measures to appear thinner.
  • Questionable parenting – Georgia is at times overly involved in Ginny’s life and at other times extremely permissive. 
  • Sexism – Many of the female characters (both adult and teenager) are subjected to sexist, gross behavior from men. In fact, Taylor Swift took to Twitter to call Netflix out on the sexism in Ginny and Georgia.

Why adults should be aware:

While we certainly can’t keep up with the content of every show streaming, it’s important to have a bit of insight into popular content. Our children and students will be talking about trending shows and may not know how to express feeling triggered by sensitive topics (often presented in a not-so-sensitive way on the screen). 

It’s also good for our own mental and emotional well-being to know of possible triggers for ourselves. PTSD is a common mental health issue for teachers, frequently due to hearing about the trauma our students go through. The scenarios brought up in Ginny and Georgia could certainly be triggering for teachers, as well as parents who have experienced difficult situations with their child. 

I did end up finishing the show and enjoyed it. It’s very entertaining and offers lots of great conversation starters with teens about some really challenging topics. However, it would be helpful if Netflix offered trigger warnings and disclosed more about the dark themes in Ginny and Georgia, something it seems they would have learned from the backlash they received over 13 Reasons Why. 

The Crisis Hotline is a great mental health resource for adults and students alike. It’s free and available 24/7. Simply text HOME to 741741.

Come connect with fellow educators in the Empowered Teachers community!

Trigger Warnings for Ginny and Georgia: What Parents and Teachers Should Know