There’s Something Different About Outlander

Sex-Positivity and Age Representation

I think almost anyone who is a fan of Outlander will tell you there is something different about this show than others they’ve watched.

This is a show with a large but not massive following, and yet, it is one of the most vocal and vehement fanbases I have even encountered. More even than that, it is a fanbase populated with a group of people we rarely see represented in fandoms; middle-aged and older women.

Granted, I am 22 at the time of writing this. Fan culture, subgroups, discussion forums about beloved characters and shows, is practically written into my DNA. I have been part of many fan groups, especially in my teen years, that were specifically geared toward my demographic (read: The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, The Hunger Games). But when I discovered Outlander at 19, I knew there was something different. There is something about it that brings out the fangirl in women in their 40s, 50s, 70s…as well as teens who watch. That indicates to me that there is something fundamentally different about Outlander than other shows that speaks to and represents a broader demographic.

Two major things are at play here: representation and sex positivity, and they go hand-in-hand.

First, I want to address Outlander’s staunchly sex-positive stance.

The sex in Outlander is different — in fact, I’m working a post titled precisely that — but the punchline is that Outlander views sex from an overwhelmingly positive place. In a way that no other show I’ve ever seen does, it celebrates the intimacy, trust, and joy of sex.

Of course it is a bodily desire, but it is the deepest, closest, and most profound way human beings have found to connect with one another.

And yet, for all the joy and excitement, it is not idealized. Absolutely there is a fantasy element; Jamie and Claire literally have a mystical connection. But their first time is short and awkward. Their reunion is halting and disjointed at times. Yet, through it all, there is a sense of joy and of purity that speaks to something deep inside us.

So often, were are conditioned to see sex as something dirty, something to be shut away and ignored. Outlander brings it into the light. It has a clear thesis that not only can long-term, committed couples have a fabulous sex life, they should. There is depth, a trust, and a love that comes with time together, and that can connect beautifully with an incredible bedroom experience. It isn’t tawdry or taboo, but a glorious thing we should celebrate. The strange little quirks of sexuality are delightful, not odd, and it is, in the end, the purest, truest way we can express our strongest emotion.

That leads me directly into my next point.

Not only is joyful, intense, wild, lovemaking a point of Outlander, but sex that is all of those things with a mature couple is consistently shown.

Of course there is the steamy romance of Jamie and Claire that lights up the screen. Whether in their 20s or their 50s, they have some of the best and hottest sex scenes on television, and it is an absolute delight to watch. However, it is not just the main couple whose sexuality is highlighted in Outlander. Couples like Murtagh and Jocasta, parental figures for Jamie and Claire, are shown having a rich, active, and intense romantic and sex life.

Recent years have perhaps brought more representation for older people, and particularly for older women, but there is still something unique about Outlander that continues to draw throngs of fans that have never felt this way about a show.

Fan culture, loving something so much because it speaks to a part of you that even you didn’t know was there, is one of the best things about media.

Anything that inspires and instills that in others, well, I am happy to say I enjoy that as well. So there is something different about Outlander. I think both sex positivity and age representation have a lot to do with that; so do to the fabulous actors, in particular Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe, as well as the historical color, deep themes, and incredible, cinematic qualities. But in the end, things just fall together in a beautiful way that inspire people. and Outlander is one of those things.

I am truly happy to have it in my life.