This Netflix Show is the LGBTQ+ Representation Girls Deserve
By Christine Siamanta Kinori
Last month, Netflix released the first season of XO Kitty, a teen romantic comedy. The series is a spin-off of another hit Netflix film, To All the Boys. The film is an adaptation of Han’s book trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The film was released in 2018 followed by two successful sequels in 2020 and 2021.
The film tells the story of a shy Lara Jean Song-Covey portrayed by Lana Condor who thought it was a good idea to write 5 letters to the boys she was crushing over. She never meant to send the letters but they accidentally get to the boys she wrote them to and things in her life take a dramatic turn.
XO Kitty follows the story of Kitty Song Covey, Lara Jean’s younger sister who moves to South Korea to finally be with her long-distance boyfriend Dae. It was supposed to be a moving gesture of love but a few complications arise. Love turns out to be more complex than she thought.
Throughout the 10-episode show, the viewers watch as Kitty and her new friends navigate young love and the confusion and chaos that comes with it. At the start of the show, we meet Yuri Han, the ‘it’ girl at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS). She is dealing with a lot of pressure since she is a chaebol and her mom is the school principal. However, the predicament crushing her poor heart is the fact that she is in a secret relationship with another girl, Juliana.
Given that her parents are influential people in the business world, she is forced to hide her relationship. Sadly, her mom finds out about her relationship with Juliana. Yuri’s mom then has Juliana shipped to another country and cuts all communication between them with no second thought. Yuri spends most of the time missing Juliana and plotting ways to get her back at her mom.
Yuri’s situation is relatable to most youths in conservative countries. In the show, Yuri shares that she feels she is not allowed to be gay because of her family dynamics. Her coming out publicly won’t only affect her but her family business. That is a lot of pressure for a teenage girl just trying to find herself with the people around her sabotaging her journey. It is also a reminder of some of the things teens are facing in different countries across the world.
Luckily, by the end of the show, Yuri is finally able to come out to her family and friends. She says that she feels free and light and that is what it should feel like. There is a peaceful aura in finally being able to be your authentic self. Everyone deserves that kind of serenity in life.
Meanwhile, our girl Kitty realizes that maybe Dae is not the boy for her. She starts developing romantic feelings for Yuri and that is confusing for her. For so long, she pined after Dae, she even moved continents to be with him but suddenly Yuri is the one giving her butterflies in her stomach.
This forces Kitty to start figuring out what these feelings mean for her relationship with Dae and her sexuality. I loved that in the series when she calls her dad and explains her struggle, he was open-minded and supportive. He simply told her that she will be fine and she can work out her feelings and find her happiness. There was no judgment or harsh scolding, just support.
This storyline received a lot of attention online as many thought that it was added for the purpose of “wokeness .” They felt that the Yuri-Kitty story arc was forced and were hoping for a Kitty- Dae — Min-ho love triangle. However, Jenny Han who happens to be the writer and executive producer on the show quickly came out to dispel such rumours. Han tweeted and replied to a comment which said the storyline arc was for “representation” purposes only.
In her response, Han said, “Definitely was not added for representation. Kitty being bi is canon and was always where the story was going.” Other fans supported her saying that it was always hinted at in the books and we will let you be the judge of this once you read the books and watch the films.
At the end of the day, Kitty’s feelings for Yuri are real and she will need to figure out what she wants. By the end of the season, we don’t know who she ends up with but why can’t it be Yuri? It is okay to be bisexual and that is the message we should be taking home from this. I love that the series perfectly captures how confusing it can be and what it feels like trying to understand your sexuality while you are in high school. I am looking forward to seeing what will happen to Kitty and her crushes. What are you hoping to see in season 2?
About the Author:
Christine Siamanta Kinori grew up in a little village in Kenya known as Loitoktok near the border of Kenya and Tanzania. All she wanted to do when she grew up was to explore the world. Her curiosity led her to join Nairobi University to pursue a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She later got a job with an amazing travel magazine Nomad Africa which gave her the opportunity to explore Africa. She also writes for numerous travel websites about Africa and tries to create a new narrative in the media about our aesthetic continent.
Christine claims to have somewhat unhealthy addiction to TV and reading, as it is a fun way to keep herself occupied during the long journeys for her travel writing. She is also a believer of letting people be their beautiful selves. To her, love is love and it is the greatest gift we have as humans.
