Loveless? More Like Loveful
How and why “Heartstopper”’s representation of asexuality is important
It has been more than two years since the first season of Heartstopper was released on Netflix, and almost one since the second season came out.
Now that we patiently wait for the third installment, it is safe to say that the original excitement and affection for this show still persist.
Based on the best-selling graphic novel series by Alice Oseman, Netflix’s coming-of-age series is probably one of the most notorious and popular queer shows right now. Centered around the love story between Nick and Charlie, it also features multiple storylines from the LGBTQIA+ community, including the very recent portrayal of asexuality given by the character of Isaac Henderson, a sweet book aficionado.
In the second season, indeed, the audience follows Isaac’s odyssey as he slowly discovers his ace identity: from being confused and almost resentful by his lack of attraction to other people to hearing the word aro-ace for the first time at an art installation, by the end of the show Isaac begins to fully embrace who he is by doing what he knows best, which is selecting his next book to read.
And the volume that Isaac picks is nothing less than Angela Chen’s Ace, probably the most complete examination of asexuality that exists under the shape of memoir and critical reportage, a true testament for the entire ace community.
Now, as a Bi and Ace person myself, I found Isaac’s storyline incredibly moving and similar to my own experience. In fact, from that moment on, whenever I wanted to illustrate my sexual orientation to others, I would always suggest them to watch Heartstopper and to focus on Isaac’s amazing journey.
However, many other ace people did not share the same level of enthusiasm as I did for Isaac’s portrayal. But since I truly care for this series and Isaac’s character in ways that I will make clear soon, I have decided to critically analyze and prove why I believe Heartstopper’s representation of asexuality is still perfect in its own way.
As a Netflix original show, Heartstopper can boast an enormous distribution system, which also brings a wider audience. According to some statistics, the second season of Heartstopper recorded a total of 6.1 millions of views just in the first weekend of its release. The first season alone had a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 98% audience score with more than 1800 reviews.
All these numbers are incredible, especially given the story Heartstopper aims to portray. Journalist Paul Tassi, indeed, defined the record of Heartstopper as “extraordinary”, as the show was the first non-Marvel product to reach such a high score.
I am only 27 and yet I can still remember a time when there was absolutely no trace of any openly queer shows on television.
All those people who watched the beauty that is Nick and Charlie’s love story not only watched it, but liked it. They became passionate about it. And amid rising attacks towards the LGBTQIA+ community, those numbers seem to scream that maybe not everything is lost. That maybe there is still hope out there.
Representation is always important, but the type of representation that Hearstopper provides is even more poignant because it focuses on members that are made invisible within the LGBTQIA+ community itself. I’m talking about POC trans women, bi men, and especially aro-ace people.
As an ace person myself, I can testify that we are constantly seen as not queer enough, as not normal enough to fully belong to the queer community. We are hardly ever portrayed in mainstream media. And when we are, we are often mistaken for asexuals, as people who voluntarily choose not to have any type of sexual or romantic intercourse.
But this is not who we are. It’s not a matter of choosing.
Isaac in Heartstopper has shown the world how his identity is not a defect, that his orientation is not lacking, that it is a sexual orientation by its own, as valid as any other.
That is probably why I love Isaac’s portrayal so much. It showed me that the life of an aro-ace person can still be successful. Isaac is not a loner, even if he doesn’t crave any “standard” relationship.
Isaac is an incredible human being not despite his aceness but because of it. Let’s think about it for a moment.
He is one of Charlie’s best friends and a pivotal friend for other characters like Elle and Tao. He is always involved in their lives, always ready to help. Isaac is shown as always capable of having wonderful and meaningful love relationships, which just happen to be non-sexual and/or non-romantic, but that does not mean they are not incredibly important and meaningful anyway.
And that is something so beautiful to witness.
In my case, it finally validated my own feelings towards sex in general and helped me discover and embrace my aceness.
Even before watching Heartstopper, there was probably a part of me that always knew that I was ace but didn’t really know how to describe it. But this show truly marked the first time I felt truly connected to someone like me on the screen.
It was a cathartic moment. It helped me reconcile and accept my identity. I could now see myself for who I was — and who I was (and am) is just cool.
In a world that values sex and romanticism as the only possible outcomes in human relationships, in a world that mistakes them for power symbols, Heartstopper shows us that Isaac and ace people are human beings, and they are beautiful for who they are.
And yet, many other ace activists criticized Isaac’s portrayal, deeming it too unrealistic and stereotypical, and lamenting his brief screen time and his superficial characterization.
Ace activist and psychologist Caterina Appia describes Isaac as a very poor representation of aceness, which can almost be seen as a type of sop. She points out that he is often seen reading a book, always quiet, almost detached from his group of friends. She seems to suggest that his aceness is nothing more than a literary expedient meant to increase the popularity of a protagonist who, otherwise, would be just an insipid hermit.
Although I understand where this criticism comes from, I do not agree with its final argument.
From a practical point of view, I recognize the hard work of prioritization that Oseman had to face when creating the show. Although Heartstopper is a coral queer story, it still mainly revolves around Nick and Charlie’s relationship. In this way, Isaac functions primarily as a secondary character.
Personally, I have always been a very shy person, always stuck in some fantasy world, always trying to bring books with me wherever I went (just like he does). Even when I am surrounded by friends, I still long for the comfort of a book. Just because Isaac may look like a superficial character, that does not mean he is not relatable or complex in his own way. Indeed, what are exaggerations if not limited expressions of an overarching truth?
Moreover, I’ve come to realize that the aceness shown in the second season (which seems to be a crossing point anyway in the bigger scheme of the series) is only the tip of the iceberg and that we will see a more prominent representation of aceness with other characters.
Indeed, in a live event organized by Waterstones to celebrate the new edition of Oseman’s first novel Solitaire, the author was in conversation with Heartstopper’s actress Jenny Wales and revealed that they are actually planning on exploring another character’s ace identity in a possible fourth season. Not to mention that the third season is yet to be released and I’m confident that this will be a chance for us to learn more about Isaac’s evolution.
Did I mention also that the character of Isaac was entirely created and scripted by Oseman themselves, and that Oseman define themselves as an aro-ace person?
I believe this is such an important aspect to take into consideration when watching and analyzing the show since most discussions about asexuality are carried out by allo individuals (that is, non-ace people) who often have no idea what asexuality really is and end up reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
Giving an ace person the platform to talk about asexuality represents an incredible progress towards the full inclusion of ace people not only in queer romantic shows but in media in general.
It’s worth remembering that Heartstopper also recently won the Media Moment of the Year at the Rainbow Honours, which was, according to ace activist Yasmin Benoit, the first time ever that an asexual storyline won an LGBTQIA+ award.
Isaac’s storyline is far from perfect, and we can all agree on this. That said, it is important because it has shed light on aceness representation and we desperately need ace people with different opinions since their political acts of re-appropriation of the whole discourse are what my community wants.
We all want and need more ace people openly talking about asexuality in different, opposing ways.
We don’t need a resolution, but a revolution, and every little ember can ignite the fire of change. And yes, even a cozy and warm spark like Heartstopper can make a difference.
Works Cited
Acesandaros.org, 2023.
Appia, Caterina. Asessualità. Prospettive Queer E Femministe Contro l’Allonormatività. Nuova Ediz. 2024, pg. 103–104.
Bell, BreAnna. “Netflix Top 10: “Heartstopper” Season 2 Opens to 6.1 Million Views as “Lincoln Lawyer” Returns to №1.” Variety, 8 Aug. 2023
Benoit, Yasmine. “For the first time ever, an asexual storyline has won Media Moment of the Year at the @RainbowHonours!”
Frost, Caroline. “ “Heartstopper” Creator Says Season 2 Asexual Character Is Based on Her Most Personal Story.” Deadline, 5 Aug. 2023,
Oseman, Alice. “An afternoon with Alice Oseman in conversation with Jenny Walser” Waterstone. Conway Hall , 25 Red Lion Square, London . 3 February 2024.
Tassi, Paul. “Netflix’s “Heartstopper” Is Its Highest Scoring Critic and Audience Hit in Ages.” Forbes.
The Trevor Project. “Understanding Asexuality.” The Trevor Project, 20 Aug. 2021.
