Durex takes down its latest social media post on the bus scene from Netflix’s Sex Education after internet users call it ‘insensitive’
Durex India used Netflix’s Sex Education’s most powerful, endearing, revolutionary ‘Bus Scene ’ about sexual assault survivors to sell its product.- Soon, Durex’s comment section flooded with Twitter users calling it out as ‘insensitive.’
- Here’s how the internet reacted.
Last year, when Netflix released Sex Education’s season 2, the internet couldn’t stop talking about the ‘bus scene.’ The seventh episode of Season 2 shows the character Aimee, played by Lou Wood, grappling with the trauma of a recent sexual assault. It explores the aftermath of an incident in which Aimee was assaulted on a bus. Post that incident, Aimee keeps reliving the past with the touch of her boyfriend and is terrified of taking a bus. So, she walks to her school instead.
In episode 7, Aimee approaches the bus and finds her whole squad there. “It’s just a stupid bus. We will all get on the bus,” says her friend Maeve. This scene from Sex Education season 2 showed us the true meaning of women companionship and solidarity. After the traumatising incident, everyday tasks became a little more difficult for her to complete. The bus scene marks the beginning of her healing process. Aimee sits with her friends, smiling at the back of the bus, sandwiched among her friends.
As Netflix launched Season 3 of Sex Education on September 17, Durex referred to the scene -- “It is just a stupid bus” to make sexual innuendos and promote its product. The tyre of the bus was replaced with a condom, the tagline read, “But it is one memorable ride.”
Twitterati called it out and asked Durex to take it down. Here’s how they reacted:
The "bus scene" in Sex Education is about women supporting each other and helping a friend overcome her fear of the… https://t.co/YQhuXhu0B3
— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) 1632115977000
@shreemiverma Try making sense of their explaination https://t.co/rEhIepRAE9
— Inj. Kindness 50mg (@DerArztSagt) 1632120017000
memorable ride? assault is not memorable it's scarring @DurexIndia DO BETTER https://t.co/R7FDsHNYEg
— Sushri Sahu (@SushriSahu) 1632116203000
Ridiculously insensitive, and unintelligent. Fire the team that made & approved this ad, @DurexIndia. Absolutely sh… https://t.co/Wt2Zf72M1Y
— Somya Lakhani (@somyalakhani) 1632119067000
@DurexIndia This. Also, before reclaiming and empowerment came the premise of sexual abuse. You seem to have forgot… https://t.co/25eRlgXPDC
— Shweta (@FreudianBlouse) 1632123312000
The bus scene and its aftermath is most of us who have used public transport and faced creepy men. How could the br… https://t.co/WdaVqUPNZW
— bedika (@iambedika) 1632130635000
Why would @DurexIndia market e condom referencing a sexual assault scene?? Who okayed this? https://t.co/Kvnc7eiNNP
— Fjor⁷ (@fjotographie) 1632131746000
THIS IS SO DISGUSTING???? LIKE THE ENTIRE SHOW IS CENTERED AROUND SEX, THEY COULD HAVE USED ANYTHING ELSE! https://t.co/xbHmhQIGFt
— ☀️jana (@fakeginalinetti) 1632132673000
Durex has taken down the post from all its social media handles.